Three young Americans, university education, desire position doing anything. Address X Y Z, New York Herald.
We paid for the insertion of our advertisement in three editions and departed the office feeling that this would surely bring us something. Three days later we received a letter, which read,
X Y Z, Herald.
Gentlemen:
Noticed your advertisement in the Herald this morning and would be glad to see you at my rooms this evening between hours of 6 and 8.
Very truly yours,
K. M. Poe.
In reading this our hearts beat with joy, for we anticipated great things. McDuff planned keeping his position for six months, so that he could learn to speak the French language. I readily decided to do the same, while Saunders expressed his desire of working only long enough to get money to pay his hotel bill and secure a ticket to London.
At the time appointed we called at the gentleman's rooms, which were in the Standard Hotel, and he proved to us a notable disappointment. He proposed to teach us a game by which we could easily break the bank at Monte Carlo and thereby win our fortunes. He said, of course we would have to begin with about a thousand francs. This gentleman, as he termed himself, proved such a disappointment to us that we decided to have some amusement, so we praised his scheme highly and advised him that we would certainly return the following evening.
Several days later we left for London, and you may be sure we did not keep our appointment with the would be prince of schemers.