St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-04-09
A Game that Two Played at.
Floyd, March, 1857.

In one of the finest counties in
Northern Iowa, and of which the
handsome and fourishing town of st.
Charles, is the county seat, lives a
gentleman whom we shall call K.
Mr.. K. has for length of time kept a
fine hotel at that place, and is celebrated
for his fine table and excellent feather
beds and not only for these, but for
an excellent and unfailing fund of hui
NOR, which sparkles out in exuberance
whenever occasion. offers.
Some years before Mr.. K. emigrated
to Iowa, he had occasion to travel
through Wisconsin, then new State,
and rugged out fine span of horses
and carriage, and, as in duty bound,
took his wife along. One fine evening,
after being out on the road all day,
he drew up at the hotel in the town
Of, Wisconsin the landlord of
which was famous for a Puritanical,
sanctimonious aspect-and still more
so for enormous bills. This landlord
we shall call w. Our old friend K.
alighted ; he and his lady were re-
ceived with much politeness his
horses were put up, and everything
went smoothly. In the morning, after
breakfast, he ordered his horses, which
were brought to the door in fine style.
The next question was, "Well, land
lord, what's your bill 2"
w., the landlord, who always wore
large pair of spcctacles, which, when
not in use, he kept like Edgar Poe's
Raven, pcrched upon the mantlepiece
of his understanding-or top of his
head-slowly pulled them down over
his optics, looked we'll at X, with a
searching glance, then pulled out his
pencil, scrubbed figure or two, look
ed up again, and slowly said " fifteer
dollars, sir"
K, although little staggered al
this, yet, being a gentleman of the
old school, who never dispute their
bills, paid it without saying word,
Jumped in and drove off. AS good
luck would have it, the Wisconsin
landlord, w., had occasion, not long
ago, to pass through St. Charles, and
put up at the hotel of his former guest,
K, but did not recognize him but
not SO with K; as soon as he clapped
eyes on him he knew him, and de-
termincd to have sly piece of fun
He soon made the boys Of st. Charles
with whom he is a great favorite, &C
quainted with the affair, and told them
to be on hand next morning to see the
fun.
He went to one Of the stores and
supplied himself with big pair of
specs" In the morning, after break
fast, the unsuspecting w. stepped up
and demanded his bill, while in the
back ground stood large crowd,
waiting for the denouement.
X. winked slyly at the b'hoys,
pulled down from his Uranium the
specs, he had placed there, put on a
long face, gave keen glance at w.,
pulled out his pencil made figure or
two, looked up again, and then sol
EMMY said Fifteen dollars, sir"
w. started back, took long look,
and then said, al think ] have seen
you before, sir 2"
"No doubt you have, sir" replied
K, II have travelled a great deal in
my lifetime"
At this, the risibilities of the crowd
could no longer be restrained, and
bust out, and at once w. saw he was
sold.
"Ah. now l recollect," said he
"let MS shake hands, old fellow l
owe you one. You and ! are the only
landlords in the West who know how
to keep hotel. Boys, come up and
drink !"
Friend x beat him one that time and
w ~beI|ci nut the fifteen dollars and
stood treat all round.