Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-01-07

A LUNCH COUNTER
we're occupied, and score of men wait
cd for places, staring hungrily over the
shoulders of those who were being fed.
There was tho same rush and hustle as
in the stock exchange, but there was
less of good nature. When anybody on
stool ordered pie the man behind him
stamped impatiently as if a personal in
jury had been inflicted upon him, and
not upon the man who ate the pie.
An unprecedented observer would have
said that there was no cause for COM
plant. The men on the stools ate fast
enough. Indeed it seemed as if moth
ing but choking to death could save
them from dying of indigestion. Quick
feeding has been brought to such o
sciencein New York that the philanthro-
pist might we'll doubt which to pity more,
the rich who eat SO much in a minute
or the poor who cat so little in year.
The small tables in the Cafe Napoleon
were besicged almost as hotly as was
the lunch-counter. But Russell suc-
ceeded in securing a seat opposite
rusty old fellow who had just ordered
piece of apple pie and glass of milk.
Behind Russell were the four young men
He duplicated the order given by one
of them, and thereby laid himself liable
to the proprietor Of the Cafe Napoleon
in the sum of S475. This lunch was
the first extravaganza the young man
had committed in a good many years.
The pint of good wine which was in
cluded in it was the first he had ever
tasted. He enjoyed the experiment
thoroughly. He was glad that he had
decided to be a rich man for half an
hour.
BY and by the rusty old follow fin
ished his pie and milk, and departed.
Russell learned who he was by a remark
made by one of the young men.
did you see old Gilbert Ray take his
usual frugal repast?" were the words he
! overheard. HE will leave four mill
ions for his heirs to quarrel over, and
| his chief regret will be that he can not
, remain to take part in the controversy"
HE didn't leave any of that pie, " said
another. Il watched him chase the
, last little piece of crust all over his
plate. lie couldn't get it with his fork
had to shovel it in with his knife.
figured that his income while he was
chasing it would buy cart-load of pie"
lie isn't bad old fellow after all, -
said the first speaker. The story is
, that he started on I hundred dollars and
had to borrow that. But he paid it on
time and kept his credit up. There's
the whole secret of many q mans life on
the street. If half of the younger men
down here had to settle at a minute S
notice the other half would go broke on
account of their bad debts. It's q bor-
rowing game"
Russell heard this and muttered to
himself: 81 should like to negotiate q
small loan and get into it," The at
mosphere of the place and the food, and
especially the wine, were beginning to
have an effect upon him. He wanted
to continue the experiment.
II am not prepared to believe" he
said to himself, ''that this life would be
permanently agreeable, but half hour
of it is too little. I would like two
years. 1 believe that if could borrow
the life of one of those young fellows
for two years I should know a great
deal more at the end of that time than
do now, and should be willing to give
it all back to him when it was due.
should like to make contract with the
devil to that effect"
He looked about him as if he ex.
pected the fiend to appear with docu-
ment ready for signature, but no such
phenomenon occurred. The slight odor
of birthstone in the air proceeded from
q match with which the young man be.
hind him was lighting a cigar.
Whether the contract was signed else
where may be matter of controversy.
II SO, it bore the date May 10, 1888.
CHAPTER IL