The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-04-01
.ross thu lobby. The clerk looked at

amusement. Presently the man walked
out into the center of the lobby, glanced
clowly around and walked deliberately
out of the hotel through the writing
room and the ladies'sentrance.
II wish somebody would invent q
sure crank-killing machine" said tho
clcrhs after the man had disappeared.
''That fellow was the sixth tonight"
What do you mean?" asked the re-
porter.
II mcan," he replied, that that fell
low knew when he came here that no
such man as he inquired for had ever
stopped here. In fact, the name he
mentioned was all there was of his pre-
tended friend. When he came here
and asked for the myth of his own
creation, he knew that he was simply
botherinG me. What was his object?
the people standing around. Did you
notice how his voice rose when he
talked of the myth as the big million
aire? Don't you know there are men
who are constantly craving the noto
riety that is associated with riches?
elevated trains, horse cars, barrooms
and elsewhere talk about big
deals bonds, vast sums of money.
their social position. intimacy with
great men, and all that sort of
thing? OF course you have, and have
KNOWN I'LL Tic Time ChnL Cney were
merely taking. Well, that sort Of man
comes in here nearly every day and an
noys the life ont of U.S. This fellow
you saw has been here SO many times ]
am dead on to him. He wants to show
off his clothes and imitation diamonds,
and III AXE people think he is Il big gun.
Most of them are not SO we'll dressed as
he is. Some are countrymcn who ha GO
heard n good deal about our lobby and
the men who freque Mt it, and ask ques-
tions about persons who don't exist as
an excuse for coming here. They seem
to think that being seen in convcrsa-
ton with tho clerk gives them 4 sort
OF right to stay here and satisfy their
curiosity. They have an idea the de-
tectivcs will como around and order
them out unless they do etf.ing Of
the kind. I frightened one Of these
fellows nearly out of his wits one night.
He wa. perfect jay, and suffered
He asked If Howard Johnson was IN.
eyes, l said, there he is and 1
pointed out our detective. who was
standing close by. MIR. Johnson
said, there's a man wants to talk to
you.' I winl1ed to the detective and he
tumbled. What did you wish of me,
sir?' he said, crowding him up into this
corner. The fellow turned blue with
fright. Il g-g-guess I m-m-adc n m-m-
mistake he suffered. You asked for
Howard Johnson ! said, severely.
And that's my name said the detec-
tive. taking the hint. 'Y-y-vcs.' said
the fellow. 'b-b-but I g-g-gucss y-you
air d-d-diffcrcnt H-H-IIoward.' lie
kept cdging off as far as he could. and
finally boited
''Some of the cranl1s got up great
cocll-and- bull stories One fellow
called the other night to know if
Mr.. Harris had left IL pair o: opera
glasses for him. There had been no
such guest here. During the last cam
Paign, when the papers were full of
stories about the big men here. VIC had
many as thirty or forty cran>s pes
tering us every day A favoritc trick
with some of the IN was to wait until
the papers announced the departure of
n big gun, and then come here and
poster us with questions about whcu
he would return. Incy always pre-
tended surprise when told he had gone
without leaving messages for them,
and would try to talk confidentially
with us, in tones loud enough to be
heard fifty feet away, about their init
mate relations with the big men. We
were overrun with them, and found it
difficult to attend to business, for
they stuck like lecchcs. 1t was a great
relief to sec them drop of after the
campaign. but we are still annoyed hy
enough to make us sore at times."-N
" Sun.