The morning call., 1891-01-05
MEN ABOUT TOWN.
Short Stories Picked Up in the
Hotel Corridors.
Seattle Feels the Financial Stringenoy-Beat.
ing the Charlottesville Wanted Only
One, Not Dozen.

Z. L. johnson of Tacoma leaned indo.
lently on the counter at the Grand Hotel
last night and discussed the outlook in the
Northwest.
Tacoma is enjoying a greater degree of
prosperity than ever, while Seattle and
Spokane Falls have suffered of late from a
depression in business. Why? Well, they
have been seriously affected by the recent
strlngency In the money market. Both
towns have been built up to great extent
on borrowed capital, and as result they are
compelled to pay out enormous sums in the
way OF interest Owing to the tightness in
the money market they have found it very
difficult to meet the payments, and this has
given them a set back from which it will
take them some time to recover. Tacoma, on
the contrary. has not suffered from this
cause. and it has given her huge adyan-
tage over her rivals. One peculiar fact how
ever, Is developing in the State of Washing
ton, which may prove serious, but thus far
nothing serious has resulted from it. 1t is
tile great elimination in the amount of rain
faiL In former years the average precipta-
ton was II inches a month, but with the
clearing away of the timber ii has gradually
diminished, until az inches marked last
year the aggregate rainfall for the three
months OF October, November and Decem-
Der. What may be the ultimate result no
one can foresee."
BEATING THE CONDUCTOR.
One OF the Central Pacific passenger con-
ductors finds that he has been the Sictim of
number OF designing travellers, who have
ridden long distances for tritiing sum, and
! who, no doubt, are laughing at his expense.
, The method by which il was done is very
| simple when you know how. We will sup
| pose that man having but 30 cents desires
| to go to Sacramento, and this, according to
ha ia is
| The impecunious gentleman stations him
! self near the ticket window, and carelessly
| eyes the crowd until some one asks for q
| ticket to Sacramento. The precious piece
| of pasteboard is passed out, and the watcher
| notes as it passes over the window sill the
number by which it is designated. This he
| carefully notes in his memorandum book,
purchases a ticket to a nearby station
and boards the train. When his sta
ton is reached he merely keeps his
surprise when the conductor politely
| asks for his ticket He certainly gave the
| conductor ticket for Sacramento, and I'M
mediately dives for his check. 1t is gone
| from his hat, and his surprise increases.
He is a man Of methodical habits. however,
| and is always careful to make memoran-
| DUN of the number OF his ticket. THIS Is
| produced, and the conductor finds on run
ming through his collections that such a
| ticket has been taken up. OF course he has
sented the ticket in question, and he passes
| on. He counts his fares, finds he is short,
but-well, what can he do? To eject u pas
senger under the circumstances is risky
| work, and he finds that he is simply out.
| WANTED ONLY ONE.
A J. Lambert of Helena, Mont, who Is
stopping at the Palace, has the laugh on
| Charlie Baker, the San Francisco drummer.
| The latter, 1t seems, according to Mr. Lam
| bert, recently paid a visit TO Helena, and
while there concluded to devote few days
to hunting.
Now. have place about seven miles
| from town." added Mr.. Lambert, " which
| aboundS in game, and gave Charlie the run
| of the premises. He was bent on killing a
| grizzly, and, to humor him, | gave him my
| Winchester. but admoniShed him to use the
| greatest care. OFF he started, gay as a lark,
but on the following evening he was back in
town.:
Have good time?' asked.
Kill anything2'
" He was extremely reticent, but finally
drew from him the story. 1t seems he had
started out early in the morning in search
Of his grizzly, and about mile from the
house he espied a huge black bear. 1t
wasn't a grizzly, but he'd try a shot at it for
luck: Up went the rifle, but before he
could take aim. his eye lighted on mon
Ster grizzly coolly seated within fifty yards
ments. He lowered his gun and took a
quick survey of the field. On the hillside
| Just above the black bear, stood another
grizzly, and while he nervously sized it up.
a third walked out of the brush within a
| lew feet OF him. and passed by without
noticing him. He dropped his gun and
| made tracks for the house.
| wanted one, not q Dozen was his
laeonic explanation.
The gun was subsequently recovered.
| HUNTING CHEAP FAME.
| am really surprised at times" re-
! marked clerk at one of the down town
| hotels last night, to find how many really
| sensible people there are who are possessed
OF an Insane desire to see their names in
| PRINT Hardly day passes that we are not
| annoyed by guests asking to have their
| names given to the hotel reporters Ocea-
| Slonally man comes IN with winning
smile and with agreat display of secrecy slips
| ffiy-cent piece into clerks hand, with a
request that it go to purch sing the cigars
for the newspaper men. They are the ones
| who never get into print. We always make
| it a rule to keen them ont -