Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1877 — Keeping a Secret. [ARTICLE]

Keeping a Secret.

Rugoleb, an old cabinet-maker, of Boston, told me that he used to make Stuart’s panels for him. They were made of mahogeny, and as Stuart complained that be missed the rough surface of canvas that was favorable to toe sparkle of his color, Buggies invented the way of producing that sort of surface by cutting teeth in the plane-iron and dragging it backward, that proving the best way of indenting without tearing the wood. Raggles said that at the time he used to work for Stuart his shop was in Winter street, on the ground floor, and, one day, sitting at his shop door, he saw Stuart coming down the street, in earnest conversation with a gentleman. Stuart came into the shop, followed by his friend, and, said Ruggles, “I saw that ihe gentleman was urging him to tell him something that he was unwilling to trust him with.” Stuart said: “ Mr. Ruggles, have you got *, piece of chalk?” I gave him a piece; he then turned to the other and said: “ I know a secret; that stands for me;" and he made a mark thus, 1. “ Now, you arc my good friend and would like to know my secret; you are a man of honor, and if I tell you it will do no harm, and, at any rate, it will gratify you as a mark of my confidence, so I tell you,” and making another mark, 1, “that stands for you, so there are two that know it. But you are a married man, and, as your wife is a discreet woman, and you never have any secrets between you, some day when you are alone together, and have nothing to talk about, you tell her you know something curious, but are afraid she will speak of it. She will be indignant at not being trusted, insists that she ought to know; promises she moot will whisper it to anyone, and perhaps cries a little, so you tell her, and that stands for her;’’ he made another mark 1. “ Now, how many people know it?” “ Three,” said his friend. “ There are one hundred and eleven that know it —111,” said Stuart.—“ Aneedote* of Oilbeit Stuart ,” in Scribnfrrfor July. Five years ago a Boston man refused $125,000 for a certain piece of real estate. Now he wants to take $45,000 for the same thing.