The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-07-21
Had HIM SPOTTED.
A Suspicious Hotel Clerk and the Up
Country Judge.

From the Chicago deraIu.
Now, that name," said the hotel
clerk, running his diamond-hllted ringer
down the register and pausing at the
name of Gurlproat, THAT name is a
fraud. That man is travelling lncog.,
and there is something crooked about
him.
"Whv do think so? Why, | almost
know it-in fact, | do know it intuitive-
lv. 1t is my business to be familiar
with names, and the derivation OF them.
Now. there is no such name as Curl
proat. 1t is a machine name, manu-
featured for an emergency, something
like the characters in Dickens novels
the Veneerings, Ponsnaps. Weggs,
Dorrits, Jaggers, Nicklebys and Chuz-
zlewits. am Obliged, you know, to be
sharp in my business. tell you he Is
a fy 'fakir from Flytown. lie is queer
one, and you can bet high on that
"Now, there is man" continued the
hotel clerk, pointing to another square,
toed specimen of caligraphy; that man
Jones, there, A. Q. Jones, he's all 0. K :.
There is no subterfuge about him. He
comes in and planks down his gripsack,
deposits roll of bills in the safe, calls
for STYLUS, indorses the register, and
there YOU have it straight and tlat-foot-
ed. A. @. Jones, 81, GOO in his roll in the
safe. He is man who will do to tie up
to. We have to be good judges of hui
man nature in this business, | tell you,
and are obliged to be teetotally and
strictly sharp. But Jones Is solid with
this house. He has been here a week
now, and | have advanced him $500 or
$500 on his roll.
'sYou are sure the roIl contains mon
hn onto
carelessly.
"Sure Why, it is an express pack
age, sealed, and the amount marked on
the corner. Guests often leave them
with us for security"
81 should want to know that it was
all right before | loaned money on it, !"
pursued the reporter.
That's where you would fool your
self. That's where you would insult
guests and drive trade away. But
the sharp clerk spoke this little I'M
easily-'just to show you what a square
man Jones is, I'll send up this bill, !"
and the clerk proceeded to sound the
loud timbrel, which summoned bell
boy.
Here, run up TO So with this" said
the clerk.
While the bell boy was on his mis-
sion the suspicious Gurlproat came up
to the office to settle his bill.
THAT'S he-Gurlproat,' said the
clerk, forming the words with his
mouth without uttering a sound, "eight
dollars and quarter-two days and a
half"
"Hev?" saws the despised Gurlproat.
1.-TWO days and half-eight and a
quarter" answered the clerk, winking
at the reporter.
Eight dollars"
Eight"
"And quarter"
CAN right-correct," and Mr.. Curl
proat produced $40 bill. The sharp
clerk spent five minutes critically exam
lining and testing TIE same. While
doing so, the suspected guest observed:
" If Col. James Gurlproat, of Mont
gomery, Ala, calls for me, please tell
him | have gone to Washington"
The hotel clerk looked suddenly up,
and his face was like circus poster
gilded by the rays of sunset.
Are you Congressman Gurlproat, of
Alabama ?" he inquired.
" Hey?"
Are you Congressman Gurlproat, of
Alabama ?"
"No, | am his brother I am Judge
Nurlproat, formerly OF the supreme
bench"
He had his change, and in another in
slant the porter was obsequiously escort
ing him out to carriage.
why" exclaimed the clerk, cts
singular | happened to forget that Curl
proat family of Montgomery. 1t just
beats ali. Funny, isn't it, when you
miss mans name"
The bell boy returned at this interest
ing juncture of the proceedings with the
startling information that A. O. Jones
had skipped, bag and baggage, hook,
line and sinker; foot, horse and dra-
goons. The clerk turned white and his
finger shook like splinter on rail in
the wind, as he suddenly went down in
to the safe after the express package.
He fished it up, tore off the end, and
proceeded to shake out-a generous wad
Of newspaper clippings, some of it gems
of poetry, the balance choice extracts
from the humorous papers and medical
reading notices.