Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-11-11
A Practical Joke on q New York
Tourist.

A GOOD story IL told about an adventure
OF New Yorker In member OF the Lotos
Club in visiting Paris o few months ago.
For convenience he may be called George,
but that In not his name, and never was.
George and three or four other Lotos men
were at the Hotel de Babe, and one day
they agreed 10 dine there ut the table
d. h0tc As there was little over an
hour 10 spare, George thought he would
take ride while the rest were indnlging
in preliminary beer. Not speaking
word OF French beyond oui" and ICON.
bien,n he asked one Of his friends 10 OK.
plain 10 the cabman that he wished 10
drive to the Champs Elysees and return
W the hotel within AN hour. The friend
consented and delivered the message 10
the cabman about ~ follows;
"This gentleman IN AN American archi.
tect who wants 10 see the outside OF all
the churches In Paris, and he won't mind
being four or five hours about IT, He
thinks the architecture OF the Hotel de
Babe In the finest In the world, and If he
gets excited and mentions the hotel you
can understand he means the church you
are showing him IL nothing compared TO
the Hotel dc Babe. Keep on driving him,
and don't be alarmed II he gets excited
over the architecture, rs he Ii little In.
| sane about It,"
"Oui, oui, je comprends,, said the
driver, and away he started. George
thanked his friend for his efforts with the
driver and said. I will be hero at six,
sharp, for dinner" The driver went 10
| the Madelaine aud halted. L'cgtise dc
IL Madetatae, Monsteur,' said he, and
George gave glance nj the front and mo-
/ g,rs l.u IN, 10
was obeyed, but instead Of going 10 the
Champs Elysces the vehicle took the di.
| rcction of the Church of 81. Auguslin.
There was another halt the name OF
the church was pronounced, George
looked and then motioned To proceed.
Then came another church, and anolh.
er, and pretty soon George thought lac had
had churches enough for that day His
hour was mp, and at one of the churches,
as soon IN lis name was pronounced, he
nodded and said. Hotel dc Bade.n
| 81 Qua, Out replied the driver with
smile of approval at his customers ADM.
ration for the architecture OF that estab-
| lishment And he drove 10 another church,
halted and gave It's name.
George nodded, gave the briefost posi-.
BILE glance, and said, with rising infection:
Hotel dc Badc."
There was another smile, another Oui,
| Hoasfeur," and then drive 10 another
church.
SO II went on for half dozen church.
ON. Each time George pronounced the
name of his hotel more cmpkaticaliy than
on the previous occasion, and each time
the driver smiled and said: :" Qua, Mon
siour, oti, Qua"
! The hour had grown 10 two hours and
| more, and George began to think that all
| the churches In the world had come 10
! Paris for . convention. III about the
twenty fourth church his blood was up
aud he determined TO make himself un.
| derstood.
| Rising from his seat he grasped the
drivers collar with his left hand while he
fiourished his umbrella with his right
You internal trog.eating idiot" said
hc, want 10 go To the Hotel dc Babe;
do you nderstand-Ilotel dc Badelll |
want 10 go there now, and IL you don't
take me IN murder you. Understand,
now, Hotel de Badellt" And he flour.
ished the umbrella within an inch Of the
drivers nose
The coachee comprehenaed and took
George home. The rest of the boys had
finished dinner when he arrived p,al were
In front Of the house waiting for him.
But he was SO mad they had To wait a
couple of hours for him To get cool
enough for him to stand a laugh and a
bottle Of wine