Show SCHEMERS AND SWINDLERS The Old Needy Musician and the Prosperous Diamond Bayer Speaking of scheming said a reader last evening reminds me of a trick which used to be worked on pawnbrokers By the way it strikes me that if people would sit up nights and devoto as much time to 1 the invention of decent honorable methods of making money as they do to devising means to rob somebody thered be a heap less call for dishonesty in this world The brain power devoted to knavery is immense and equal to great things in a legitimate waif wa-if properly applied But people will work nndplan for week accomplish something underhanded which might be altogether eclipsed honorable lines by a single days effort Its something utterly beyond me I dont understand it a bit though I reckon theres some subtle fascination about successful suc-cessful swindling which takes hold of a man like the smell of grease paint or an attack at-tack of small pox This case 1 had in mind was quite a winner in England I dont know whether it ever got out here or not but I spose it did there isnt much in the way of chicanery chica-nery that we pass by It was worked in this way A man takes an old looking violin to a pawnbrowker and tremulously negoti ates a loan of a few dollars thereon HIs H-Is of the shabby genteel musician type and he fondles the instrument lovingly but without ostentationand represses a sigh as the pawnbroker puts it away on a shelf with a tag attached Then he goes away A few days latter a w dressed pros porous looking man happens in looking for bargains in diamonds He brings into the shop with him an atmosphere of wealth He is attired with siraple gentlemanly elegance and has a bearing which can only be interpreted as meaning solid prosperity prosper-ity He looks at a number of diamonds and finally selects one which has no duplicate dupli-cate in the entire display and asks the price Then he says he thinks he knows where there is a stone to match He will call in at the place in a day or so and see and if it is a match he will pay thepnc and an extra 25 as a grateful bit1 Just as he is about to go he catches sight of the violin on the shelf and asks to look at it After having taken it in his hands and looked at unpleased expression overspreads over-spreads his face and ho asks for a bow with which ho rasps out a few rich chords He is noticealiy agitated but apparently tries to corceal it What t icprico of tnatfmsrutmentihe asksIt It isnt for sale replies the pawnbroker pawn-broker Ill give you 100 for it says the man excitedly I cant sell it1 returns the pawnbroker regretfully Its pledged hero genuine Stradivarius murmurs the man half to himself Worth 500 at the least calculation Then to the man of loans he says Do you think you can buy that instrument for me The practicer of usury doesnt know If the gentleman wishes it he will try How much would he bo willingto pay for iii I will pay 500 for itdeclares the man Its one of the rarest instruments in the world Buy it for me at whatever price you have to pay1 The Jew agrees to do this seeing a neat profit in it for himself and the man goes away promising to call in later A day or so afterward in comes the shabby genteel gen-teel musician with his pawnticket He has weathered the financial storm and wants his instrument The pawnbroker asks him if he wouldnt like to sell it whereat tho musician looks at him with a I smile expressive of the improbability of such a thing and shakes his head The pawnbroker offers him 50 for it but the musician declines It is his dearest possession pos-session ho says it has been his comnanion in prosofitv hint re in poverty He is very poor but not solo ig as he can continue con-tinue to ceo out au tx s ence will lie part with this darling of his heart Itis very old very valuable Tho pawnbroker gets excited and offers him 100 then 150 then 200 and seeing the musician is sorely tempted overwhelms him with an offer of 250 which the poor man driven to it by stern n cessity accepts ac-cepts and after a fond farewell to his beloved violin rushes out of the place with tears in his eyes I The pawnbroker puts the fiddle carefully care-fully away and waits for the wealthy man to come around and pay him J500 for the instrument but ho waits in vain The fiddle is worth ro < or 7 possibly and is a drug in the market oven at that figure The shabby genteel musician and the prosperous diamond buyer meet and divide the spoils and go into another quarter of the city to work off a goodly number of gG violins at prices ranging from 100 to S250 Theres a neat profit in itChicago Mail |