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Hunting For Fools

Hunting For Fools image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
May
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In Chicago, the other day, as a keenooking business man, with his hat worn on the nape oí" his neck, was standing on Clark street, a simple gawky-looking country lad of' nineteen, with a big envelope in his hand, and his inouth and eyea wide open, came sauntering along, looking anxiously at all the signs, whicb. he was apparently spelling )ut. Tho busioess man being naturally tind-hcarted, and desiring to do a friendly turn to a stranger, said to the boy. " fli, sonny, what are you looking for? Let me see that letter." "No, I can' t let you have that letter; thero's bonds in it," said the boy; "but D'haps you can teil me where Misther Smith lives round here. The boss told me .he number, but I've fbrgotten it, and the etter has got bonds in it, and so I ain't to give it to anybody but him." " Why, I've been waiting for you this ïalf hour," said the keen business man, as lis lace brightened up ; " waiting for you to bring me those bonds which I bought of what' s his name." "Be you Mr. Smith?" said the boy; 1 well, now, I'm glad I met you, because L'd olean ibrgot what was the number whero the boss said you lived, and I wouldn' t like to go back to him without findng you ; it would have looked as if 1 was careless." With these rcmarks the lad took out a big envelopemarked, " J. Smith, Esq. Present," m the upper corner, " $2,500 U.S. 520s," and in the lower corner, "Commiasion due, $5. Please remit by bearer." "That' s all right, sonny," said the keenooking business man, as he hauled out a scantily furoished purse, gave the boy a five dollar bill and aquarter, and said : " There, sonny, that quarter is to reward you for y our clcverness and your fidelity," and putting .he envelope in his breast pocket he walked eisurely round the corner, ran to Dearborn street with the speed of a deer, skipped ightly round to Madison, and hailing a car was whirled away at a comparatively lightning speed. Not till he had reached Union park did he draw the precious envelope from his pocket, and with the remark : Pray heavcns they are not registered! " tore it open. He then found that the envelope contained a copy of a Chicago paper, which he coald have purchased at the ofice for five cents. Meanwhile the simple country lad, entering a beer saloon in the vicinity of the Sherman House, has absorbed a beer, salted away the five-dollar bij with seven others in his pocket-book, and with the remark : "The fish is biting very numerously to-day ! " takes another envelope from his pocket, and once more sallies ibrth in search of a keen-looking business man.