Connecticut western news., 1895-06-27
AN ELECTRIC BLUFF.
HOW A GENIUS TREASURED THE Ho-
 TEL MAN AT JAYVllLE.

Quick Work at the Long Distance Tele-
 phone, Which tho Landlord Had Not
 Been Acquainted With Very Long-Draft
 Cashed and Dinner Thrown In.
 "Did ever tell you about the great bluff I invented and worked off on country hotel proprietor?" asked Meek in, the lazy inventor, as he tilted back his chair and lit his pipe. "It would have been blamed inconvenient for me if hadn't brought my inventive facul- ties to bear on the subject, and if l had neglected to observe the new telephone. It came about like this: Twas making flying trip through the west in search of a man who was said to have invented process for tempering copper by electric ity. One evening about dinner time l reached an Indiana town which I'll call Jayville, as the town is still there, and so is the hotel proprietor. rushed into the only hotel in the place, asked for some dinner and was shown to the din ing room after had registered. Iwant- ed to catch the :13 train for Indianap- oils, so I could spend the night there. When I had finished my meal, I fished around in my pockets for dime to tip the waiter with. I found I hadn't a blooming cent in my clothes. You know I'm careless about money matters, and never think of lucre until I'm out of it. We'll, hadn't any cash, but 1 had a $50 draft on New York ill my pocketbook. 1 let the waiter go without his tip and %.~ the landlord. ostentatiously took up pen, asked the landlord his name, and made the draft payable to him.
 Now said I, if you'll kindly take out the price of dinner and give me the balance of this $50 I'll be obliged
 "The landlord read over the draft for ward, backward, sideways and upside down. Then he held it up to the light. At last he looked at me sharply and said:
 "'Your name Meekin?'
 Sure thing, said L
 "'T. J. Meekin?'
 "'Sure
 How do know it?'
 "'You don't, but I'm telling you,' said l.
 ''How do know you ain't one O these yere film flammers?'
 You don't. Do look like film fammer?'
 'Waal, ye mought an ye moughtn t., was the landlords encouraging reply. It was getting near train time, and I was getting nervous. In glancing around the office with the faint hope that I'd see some one knew, my glance fell upon a long distance telephone over in the cor ner. Right here was where I invented my bluff in Jayville at :45 p. In.
 See here, Mr. Man., said to the landlord, you know bank draft when you see it, don't you? Well, that's a bank draft. Now, it don't make any difference to you who I am if can prove that the drafts good, does it? All right. see you have telephone. Can I use it?'
 "'Ye can if ye know how to work the thing. Just put her in yistiddy, an I ain't on to the game yit.
 't'All right, I replied. Now you come over here to the telephone with me, and I'll soon satisfy you that your suspicious of me and this draft are all wrong.
 "We went over to the phone; the landlord leaned up against the wall watching my every movement Luckily no one was around but an old man asleep near the stove and stupid Ger man porter. I picked up the receiver without ringing, and this is what the landlord heard:
 Hello, central! Gimme New York. Hello! This New York? Gimme 3S33 Cortlandt. Hellol 3S33 Cortlandt? Manhattan Exchange National bank? MT. Crandell there? Hellol This you, Crandall, old man? This is Meekin. M. double-e-k-i-n. Yes, Meekin, T. J. How are you? Say. I'm in Jayville, Ind. Hotel man says your draft number SAT on my account is no good. How about it? We'll? Good for s5, 900, is it? Sure? You are, eh? Good joke on your old bank, ain't it, Crandell? Cost you bottle when I get back. Sure it s good, are you? Ha, ha That's good. We'll, so long. See you next Monday
 With that I hung up the receiver without ringing off, and turned to look at the landlord. His eyes were bulging out, and when I asked him if he required any further proof he gasped out
 'Waal, I swum to gracious Elf that ain't the finest thing I ever seel Talk ing to New York, ehl Waal, never thought to see it. Here, come over here and get yer cash. The dinners on me- Never see anything so wonderful since the circus was here last.
 '.'I took the money, thanked him and nearly laughed myself into mysteries all the way to Indianapolis. "-Electrical Review.
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