Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1902 — REWEIGHED THE COAL. [ARTICLE]

REWEIGHED THE COAL.

Then He Discovered What a Treasure His Dealer Was. “I have been buying my eoal of the same man for the past five or six years,” said a Detroiter the other day, “aud I’ve always had a dim idea that he gave me about “1,800 pounds for a ton. It was only an idea, but It so happened that we had a little fracas about something else last fall, Just after he had delivered ten tons and In my heat I said to him: “I’ll have all that coal out of the cellar to be reweighed and if you have cheated me look out.” “For heaven’s sake, don’t do that,” he whispered in reply. “You will make every other dealer te Detrolt my enemy.” “I saw that he dreaded exposure and 1 went off and hired a cart and two men to uncover the swindle. Let me tell you it’s a bit of a job to get ten tons of coal out of the bins and brought back again and these two men were nearly a week about it. As a matter of fact I paid out exactly $25 in cash, besides having the nuisance of the dust and racket.” “But of course you found the shortage you expected?” was asked. “Well, no, I didn’t,” was replied. “The coal man hadn’t sent you ten full tons?" 1 “Not only that, but almost half a ton over for good measure and he feared that other dealers would find fault wita his liberality.” “And—and ?” “Oh. there wasn’t any more to it,” said the Detroiter, according to the Detroit Free Press, "except that I took early occasion to kiss and make up. I was never called smart, but I do know enough to hang on to a good thing when I find it.”