Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-03-22
L SURPRISE FOX = FRUGAL
PARTNER.
Glad to Trade Their Quail for Toast Enough
To Serve Them On.

I
bill-of-fare, and comparing them with
those of other houses.
L never see the prices on a bill-of-
fare said one, without being reminded
of an adventure of mine in Kansas City.
l went out there when the State of Kan
sas vas enjoying its first boom, and
when most of its high and treeless
| plains were still unfurrowed by the set
tiers plough, and unwatered by the lr-
riga.ing ditch. With a schoOl-chum L
set out determined to make fortune IN
the West Neither of US had much
money when we started from the old
homestead in Vermont, and We deter
mined from the first to pool our funds
and share alike in the hardships and
necessary expenses before we reached
the Eldorado aid began to reap the
profits.
Now, Bill was an intensely frugal
chap. One of those fellows who had
made up his mind to get rich according
to G. P. Huntlngton's plan Chat is, the
plan he advocated 10 the newspapers,
of ways living within ones income
and il was constant effort on his part
to keep me from what he considered
wild extravaganza on our journey. He
nearly starved me on the way out, so
that by the time we reached Kansas
City my mouth was fairly watering for a
taste of something more luscious than
crackers and cheese, something like the
good food my mother used to cook on
the old homestead.
Accordingly, insisted on going to
the dining-room of the biggest hotel in
the town and having a square meal,
and with much difficulty 1 made Bill
come too. took up the bill-of-fare,
not expecting to find anything but the
plainest of chop house dishes. There
were no prices marked on it, but what
was my grateful surprise to see an
abundance of game. Now, if there is
any meat like better than another it's
game. And l had not tasted any for q
long time. So I ordered quail on toast
to begin with.
Il saw Bills eyes open little wider
than usual, but he said nothing, not
wishing to betray the state of our
finances to the waiter, and set him
self to find something cheap
enough to counteract my extravaganza.
He lit on oyster-stew. l knew he did
not like oysters, but thinks to myself,
old man, if your soul is so small as not
to have fling once in awhile, why, so
be it; that's not my style
"The quail were delicious and I or
dered wild duck to follow. This was
too much for Bill and he started to re-
monstrate, but choaked it off when he
caught the walters eye on him. He
was considerably ratified by the lack of
prices on the bill-of-fare, but would not
condescend to ask them, and so, after
scanning it over three or four times for
something that he was sure was cheap,
in desperation he brought up at oyster
fry.
"As soon as the waiter had vanished,
Bill broke ont, Now this things got to
stop right here. L won't pool finances
with such an extraYagant glutton as you,
not by jugful. Do you know how
much we've got left, after setting aside
enough for a modest farming outfit?
No, of course you don't. calculate that
we can afford to spend for our meals and
bed in this town just g, before packing
our outfit and starting to look up farm
tomorrow morning, and I'll bet my hat
you have eaten up more than that at
this one meal. Pm going to call for the
checks now, and if you want any more
expensive dishes we will divide our cash
right here and henceforth go each his
own way
Well, old man, I replied peni-
tently, for knew Bills worth and how
he disliked oysters and felt that I had
been imposing on him little, If that's
the way you feel about it order the
checks. I've had enough, and scooped
up the last of the delicious duck gravy,
and sighed little as 1 thought how
much it had cost and how sooa it had
vanished.
The waiter brought two checks.
One for 80 cents he lay at my plate,
and one for 81 lie pushed down by
Bill.
ugh, grunted Bill, guess you got
the checks mixed, waiter. The 50 one
is for that gentleman and the 5O-cent
one is for me-
4 guess know my business says
the waiter. You had oyster-stew and
oyster-fry didn't you?'
"'Yes 1 did, snapped Bill, just that,
and mighty poor ones they we're, too,
while that gentleman had roast wild
duck and quail on toast
Just so, said the waiter, and oys-
tiers is dollar plate, while duck and
quail is a drug on the market at %
cents. You amt on the seashore now,
mister, but on the boundless perary,
where every bluff is alive with quail,
and every marsh is black with duck
1T took long time to persuade Bill
that his gluttony had devoured so cents
of the sum set aside for our outfit, and
I growled about it for nearly day to
tease him. Finally we settled on two
quarter sections of Government land adj
Joining each other and revelled in game
birds ofour own shooting till we tired
of them, and 1 have seen many days
when I'd have gladly parted with
dozen fat ducks for hunk of beef or a
score of quail for toast enough to serve
them on. "-NetD York Tribune.
The Ocean Steamship Of the Future
She will be over quarter of a mile
in length, and Will do the passage from