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Show A PHILANTHROPIC JOKE. A Chicago Man Makes a Fruit Woman Happy by & Little Deception. "How easy it is to make some people happy by deceiving thc-ra a little 1" was the philosophic philo-sophic remark of Mr. Jacques Haskins, as he turned from hi- desk to relate a bit of hut recent re-cent experience. "There is an Italian woman a good, clean, hard working woman who comes up hero every day with fruit to sell One day I was walking on Adams street, I think it was, and I saw her walking in front of me with her basket on her arm. Two men were standing in a store door, and I heard one of them say: 'Don't you remember that woman? She used to havo a fruit stand in front of my store in Memphis in war times. Her namo is Cunio.' "That afternoon when she came into my office I looked a little sharply at her and said: 'Uovent I seen you somewhere before somewhere some-where besides here in Chicago1 'I don't know,' said she dubiously; 'your face Beems sort of natural to me.' 'Let me see,' said I, assuming a meditative posture; 'didn't you used to have a fruit stand in Memphisf Her even brightened as she said she did. 'Right In front of Lowcnstcin's store?1 I said. This was a ventui-o, for I had merely taken it for granted that tho gentleman who had spoken of her was Sir. Lowenstein, because that was the namo on tho sign of tho store where he was standing, and ho looked sort of like the proprietor. But it bit tho mark, 'Yes,' said the woman, setting down her basket nnd looking as tickled as could be, 'that was me,' 'That was about let me Bee about twenty-three twenty-three or four years ago,1 I said. She moved her lipa as if eIiq were making a calculation, and then, all smiles, said: 'Yes, I was there then.' 'Your name is Cunio, is it not? I added. This was tho last feather. That I should remember so much about her and even be able to call her by namo gave her the greatest Joy. Tears even came into her eyes, and wo shook hands heartily. "Then I proceeded to make her remember mo. 'Don't you remember,' I said, 'I used to go to lunch at tliat bttle restaurant just down beyond Lowenstam's, nnd I used to buy fruit of you, and stand and talk to you almost every dayp She looked at mo a long time and finally imagination did its work, as it always al-ways will, and sho remembered me perfectly. You never saw anybody more pleased. If I had boon a long lost brother she could not bavo been happier at meeting me. Sho told mo all about her family, every member of which I, of course, remembered moro or less distinctly, and ail about her life- since then, which would make an interesting story to I write. Then sho made up a big bag of fruit 1 which I let her give to me, because it seemed to please her so much to do so. Since that I 1 have, howover, been a pretty regular cus-1 cus-1 tomer of here, and I mean to bo as long as buo keeps coming. What if it is true that I never was in Memphis iu my life? Sho has ! told rao so much about it that I could go all over tlio city in tho dark now, and I am sure I havo given that poor hard working woman as much pleasure as if I had brought to her in fuct an old friend." Chicago News, |