Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-17
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
Checks the Tradesmen Get-Women and the
Waiters-A Story of Baby Mckee
Claiming Down the Keys-Children Lost

in the Street.
[FRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK, May 16.-There is scarcely a
tradesman in the city who has not been
swindled by the bogus check man in some
form or another. The result of this and the
4 daily recorded experiences OF other un-
fortunates is to put every dealer on his
guard. Between the probability of offending
a customer and the possibility of getting
swindled the unhappy tradesman has a
ticklish time of it. Some OF the dealers dis
tinctively and sweepingly refuse "all checks
in payment unless certified" and this is set
prominently forth on their delivery cards
with additional instructions to carrier to
mot deliver the whole or any part of the
goods until such payment is made. Excep-
tions are made, of course, in cases where the
customers are of well-known responsibility.
1t is exceedingly offensive to man to be
informed that his check will not be accepted
unless it is certified, just because he hap
pens to go to new place to purchase, and
| the evil must by q crying one that requires
| such drastic remedy. The small buyer is
the one who has the most trouble, as large
order gives time enough aud makes it worth
while for the dealer to ascertain the stand
ing of his customer. When single room is
being fitted up-carpet, shades, curtains,
to be asked for pay in advance of the work,
and while other goods are being delivered
| day by day that might be paid for separately
1t Is annoying to be required to settle every
| minute. When check is refused the an
some men do not object seriously to being
| treated as a possible thief, very few men
| will not resent being set down as fool
| which any man would certainly be who gave
a bogus check and risked Jail for work done
| on his premises. Perhaps the tradesmen,
| however, who have been bitten every now
and then, are not to be blamed severely for
| looking upon check with suspicion under
| any and all circumstances
He Couldn't Smell Anything.
| THERE is a wag about the Fifth Avenue
Hotel who wants to lick somebody. He has
had the grip recently, and was complaining
| to friends that he could neither smell nor
taste anything. A few days ago he noticed
that these friends looked at him somewhat
| curiously and, as he fancied, seemed to avoid
| him. One man actually shifted at him and
curtly suggested he send for an undertaken.
From being hurt he finally became angry.
barroom,. therefore, and, having shaken
hands with him and taken q seat, imme-
diately jumped up with something like hor-
ror, depicted on his face, patience fairly
"Good gracious" exclaimed the newcomer,
catching at his nose.
"Now, what's the matter with me? Look
here,-1,m getting mighty weary of this
No, I'm blanked if I'll have any more of it.
What are you up to? That's what want to
know anything the 2, matter with me?"
fender, somewhat dismayed at the unex-
pected explosion, ''but is it possible"
"Is what possible? Out with i'll or III"
"D-don't! My dear boy, don't! was |
going to ask you if it were possible don't |
you know, that you don't s-smell anything, |
don don't an,t,,,y you knows Eh1 Good graciousl
Smell anythingf Smell what9"
"What9 T-that's it, old man-what is it? |
Something r-r-wotten, don't you know. |
Like er-old r-r-wotten cheese, and"
A sudden gleam Of intelligence rustled |
over the face of the innocent victim of his |
fellow creatures, and he put his hand in his |
pockets. One of them was withdrawn bear |
ing small and crumbling section of Linn |
burger that was strong enough to make |
goat faint.
81 can kick the man who did that all over
several Interested @ M and pq highly % amused used s ndi
y1duals in the vicinity, no one acknowledged
the cheese. .-. s. Il
Indiana Said to Be Loyal Still.
Mr.. JOHN HOLMAN, of Indiana, closely |
identified with the late Thomas A. Hem
bricks in politics, was in New York a few |
days ago and said: ''There will be no seri-
Gus opposition in his party to President |
Harrison's denomination, SO far as Indiana
is concerned. All of the earlier dissatisfac-
ton has blown over. He will go into the
next convention with more solid following
from his own State than he had before. Har-
rison is, in my Judgment, much stronger
man as a national candidate than he is cred
tied with being He is especially underrated
here in the East. A good deal of surprise
has been expressed at his speeches on this
swing around the circle, but it. don't sur
prise anybody Of intelligence in Indiana to
hear that Ben Harrison has said the right
thing in the right place in the best manner.
Women Don't Tip the Walters.
WOMEN are not, as rule, very liberal
toward walters. They are much more ex-
acting than men and will seldom give q
waiter nickel for the most obsequious at
tention. When women enter restaurant
unattended by gentlemen, as is common,
every-meal occurrence in New York, there
is an amount of bashfulness displayed by
waters that is quite amusing to those who
the secret of it. While they dare
not openly show their reluctance to wait
upon unattended ladies, they are never seen
breaking their necks to find places for such
women. The head waiter, whose duty 1t is
to seat people, not unfreQuently takes this
into consideration when he has an unpopu-
lar man or two on his force. 1t is an easy
desirable people from the walters point of
view) one way or another. If the head man
is fair he will make as equitable a distribu-
ton of prizes as possible. One OF the prizes is
the young man with his sweetheart. The
'lady and gent" are always pretty fair pick
ing for the walters, but the young man and
his sweetheart form a prize worth at least
10 to 20 per cent of the price of the joint
meal.
The tipping rule uptown runs about ten |
cents ON a dollar. If q bottle of champagne |
is served the waiter will look coldly on any I
thing less than quarter. Should the dinner
he alnbOrato one for two moro the a X
pected tip will be from so cents to- q couple |
of dollars-but it doesn't invariably come up
TO expectations. The dissatisfaction of
waiteris sometimes expressed byhis abruptly
going away leaving the scorned coin lying
On the table. The proper thing in such a
case is for the customer to restore it to his {
pocket, which might be supplemented by
his going thence forward to another restau-
pretty nervy, thing to coolly ignore the point
blank waiting, wistful, surprised, contempt
ous, astonished, injured look of the man 1
who has just served you cold potatoes. 1
A Bad Habit From Europe. {
SPEAKING of tips, it is noticeable that the ]
7ery reprehensible foreign custom of tip
ping all kinds of people for any service what
,ver is finding a strong foothold here. A
ew years ago q workman, a carpenter,
oricklayer, paper hanger, clerk or any other |
person not servant would have been in
ulted at being offered gratuity. Now you {
,an safely tip anybody who does anything
or you in New York. The mechanic cheer
ully accepts the stigma of menial servi-
ude Nor is it confined to mechanics or l
working men. have been trying some ex- +
,eriments in this line in several directions. {
N stores you will rarely make mistake by
rendering O tip to the man, woman
they do not always like to have this done
openly, but have offended in this particular