The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-20
THE METER WORKED AWAY.
The Family Was Away, But for Ouce the
nam NEaS

I The Family Was Away. But for Ouce tho
Gas Blu Was Correct.
There was fire in his eye that morn
ing. as he boarded an uptown elevated
railroad train, on his way to the ga:
office.
I've got them this time" he mutter
| ed savagely, ''and they Will have 6
hard time explaining the freaks OF that
meter. l am thinking"
| The clerk in the gas Office came for
| ward to attend to the wants of Mr.. B
| d few minutes later. b. was mad
through and through now. He hao
worked himself into almost a rage by
thinking of the outrageous charge
which the gas company had made,
"See here" he blurted out, IF this
company doesn't correct that bill, I'll
have the whole business indicted foI
highway robbery"
The clerk picked up the bill which
had been so spitefully thrown down,
and examined it as calmly as if such
outbursts were ordinary affairs Then
with the books. He came back evi.
IDENTIFY in the same contented frame OF
mind.
''Well" from Mr.. B., and the word
sounded like the report of gun.
THE bill appears to be all right" re-
piled the clerk, as calmly as before
''All right! Great Jehoshaphat! See
here, young man, that bill is for about
the same amount that pay in the win
ter, isn't it?'
The clerk examined the books again
and replied that the last assertion was
true.
Exactly" continued B., "and in
spite of the fact that my house has
been closed up for three months and
not soul has been in it, my gas bill is
just as big as it is when my family is all
at home. What kind of way of bust
ness do you call thau?'
This was rather tough one for the
clerk, and there was CLEAN of triumph
in the eye of the customer as the clerk
hesitated. Would Mr.. B. have time to
90 up to the house with an inspector to
discover the leak?
Certainly" he said, with the air of
man who has won an important battle,
and then he made some sarcastic re-
marks about the leak"
Mr.. Il. and the inspector examined
the meter. and sure enough, since the
last record had been taken it had gone
On industriously at the same rate as it
had 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 burners in the hall, parlor, dining
room, kitchen and bedroo ms. Every
thing seemed to be all right. He began TO
look mystified, while Mr.. B. became more
exultant every moment. Matches were
lighted and placed near all the joints,
but without effect The leak still re-
manned a mystery.
at 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"
Mr. L. began to look uneasy. He
opened the bathroom door, and the first
thing ne saw was sickly-Ioolsing flame
of gas The Stats in the window blinds
were partly open and the sunlight made
the gas flame look pale. But there it
was turned on almost full force The
inspector saw it at the same time
That's a six-foot burner, and it's
burning about five feet an hour" he
said quietly.
Mr.. B. looked foolish. He made a
mental calculation. Five feet an hour,
twenty-four hours day. thirty days a
month. and three months, a gas bill of
about fifteen dollars. He only uttered
one word and that began with big D.
Then he paid the bill and gave the in
spector two dollars to say that the leak
was due to the carelessness of the serv-
ants in the kitchen. N. Y. Tribune.