Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1892-12-06
HOW THAT METER WORKED.

There was tir++ in his eye that morning
III he boarded I'M uptown elevated rail
road train on his way to the gas office.
1--WE got them this time" he mut.
tered savagely, ''and they will have
hard time in explaining the freaks Ut
that meter. am thinking"
The clerk in the gus office ca1ne for
ward to attend to the wants uf Mr.. B.
few minutes later. B. was mad through
and through now. He Ind worked him.
self into almost n rnso by thinking Ut
the outrageous charge which tue xa<
company had made.
''>;ee herc.'' he blurtcd ont. 4*if this
company doesn't correct that bill. I'll
have the whole business indicted fol
highway robbery"
The clerk picked up the hill Which
had been 70 spitefu1ly thrown down
and examined it ~ calmly az If >ucE
outburSts were ordinary affairs. Then
no went bnck anil compared the bill
ly in the same contented frame Of mind.
"Well!' from Mr.. g., md the word
sounded like the report OF IL gun.
The bill appears to be all right" re.
piled tho clerk az calmly III before.
"Al1 right: Great JehosnphAt: See
here, young man, thut bill IN for about
the Same amount that pAy III the win
ter, iSn't it:''
The clerk examined the books again
and replied that the lust assertion was
true.
EXACTLY" continued B., "an1 In spite
of the fact that my house has been closed
up for three months and not soul has
been in it, my yas bill is just ns big ~
it is when my faulty III NIL ut home.
Whit kind of il way Of doing business
do you call that:'
This was rather IL tough one for the
clerk, and there WIS gleam Of triumph
In the ego Of the customer ns the clerk
hesituted. Would Mr. B. have TIME t.'
70 up to the house with an inspector to
discover the leak?
"Certainly," ho 'said, with the air OF H
imam who Eus won IN important battle.
and then he made some sarcastic re.
marks about the ''1eak."
Mr.. B, nnd the inspector examined the
meter, and sure enough since the last
record had been taken 1t had gone on
industriously at the same rate as it Ind
evidently been moving for the last three
months. Then they went On up into the
house. No smell Of escaping gas met
them. The inspector examined the hurn-
ers In the hall, parlor, dining room,
kitchen and bedrooms. Everything
seemed to be all right. He began to
look mystihed. while Mr.. b. became
more exultant every moment. Matches
were lighted and placed near all the
joints, but without effect. The leak
still remained a mystery.
ut must be In the walls or ceiling.
said the inspector at last, land it must
be found, or the whole blamed house
might be blown up some day."
MIR. B. began to look uneasy. He
opened the bathroom door. and the first
thing Ee saw was sickly looking flame
Of gas. The stats In the window blind:
were partly open and the sunlight made
the gas flame look pale. But there II
was, turned ON almost full force. The
inspector saw it at the SAME time.
''That's y 6.foot burner, and it's burn
ing about five feet an hour" he sait
quietly.
Mr.. B. looked foolish. He made
mental calculation. Five feet an hour
twenty~fonr hours d day. thirty days
month, and three months. r gas bill O
| about fifteen dollars He only uttered
one word, and that began with big D
Then he paid the bill and gave the III
spector two dollars to say that the leai
was due to the carelessness Of the serv
ants IN the kitchen.-~New York Tribune