Fooled His Landlady

1895

Young Millingham's Heavy Correspondence Paid His Board For a Week.

There is more than one way of beguiling a landlady.

Mrs. Sunday, who keeps a very excellent establishment in Forty-third street, grew suspicious of young Millingham, one of her boarders. He had for three weeks neglected the trifling formality of paying her any money, and she had prepared to speak to him about it Saturday morning.

But he saw the resolution written in her face and escaped. In the afternoon he sent the following advertisement to a morning paper:

"Wanted — Man of from 20 to 30 years of age can secure employment at good wages by addressing M. Millingham, No. — Forty-third street; no peddling; no personal applications considered."

He managed to get in at an hour when Mrs. Sunday was out of his way and comfortably abed. At the breakfast table, where he appeared fairly radiant in smiles of assurance, he confided to his neighbor, though for the evident benefit of his landlady, that half a dozen men had called on him the previous afternoon for his new formula.

"Formula for what?" asked the neighbor.

But he intrenched himself in mystery, and only assured him that he had "caught the town."

At 9 o'clock two letters came for him. At 1 there were half a dozen. By night he had received two dozen. And the landlady, whose frowns had been black as Egypt in the morning, began to look upon him as a person of note.

She said nothing about his board bill Monday morning, though he bearded her boldly in the hall and told her to take care of any letters that might come for him.

There was an armful of them in the evening, and Mrs. Sunday was more than gracious to him. Tuesday he told her he had used up all his materials, and borrowed $10 of her to purchase a new supply. Wednesday she told the other boarders she was surprised that none of them had Mr. Millingham's business ability.

And then one of them, in self defense, turned up that advertisement. So that if Millingham ever does go back to Mrs. Sunday's boarding house he will learn her opinion of a man who does business on a capital of false pretenses. — New York Herald.

Practical Trick of Tramp

1910

Money He Received on Leaving Smallpox Hospital Is Declined by Restaurant Proprietor

"I have not come to solicit alms, madam," he said to the restaurant proprietress; "I have just called to make a small purchase, and, at the same time, to show to you man's inhumanity to man, and what a cold, hard world it is in which we live. In the meantime, would you kindly put me up a nice beef sandwich, with a plentiful supply of mustard, etc., for which I will tender the equivalent in coin of the realm?

"As I was saying — thank you, madam, that will do admirably — 'tis a cold, cruel world. For instance, these few bronze coins, with which I am about to pay you for my sandwich, represent my worldly goods, and they were given with a niggardly hand this morning on my leaving the smallpox hospital.

"What! You won't accept them? Nor take the food back? I may take them and go? Thank you, madam; I wish you a good morning!"

Fox as "Will O' The Wisp"

1905

Curious Belief That Is Prevalent Among the Japanese

Among the many superstitions of the Japanese there is none more strange or more universal than the belief in the power of the fox to do them harm, and many are the stories told of those against whom this power has been exercised.

The Japanese fox is a pretty creature about two feet long and of a tawny color, and is found nearly everywhere in Japan. The mischievous tricks which foxes are said to play upon the unwary are many, and wonderful are the tales told to awed groups of listeners by those who have been duped by them.

The designing fox usually takes the form of a fairy maiden in order to play tricks upon some unsuspecting wayfarer, and beckons him on until he falls into a ditch or is lost in the mountains. It is almost always at night that the fox goes out to deceive, and those who have met with such adventures say that the only way to know the difference between a real maiden and a fox lady is that the latter is clearly distinguishable, even on the darkest night, the stripes or patterns on her clothing being clearly visible even in the darkness.

It is usually to those who are carrying some article of food that the artful fox appears, with the design of obtaining the dainty, and those who have been through the experience say that a bewildered feeling takes possession of them and they are not able to exert their own wills.