The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-07-19
AN ELECTRIC BLUFF.
HOW A GENIUS treasured THE hO-
TEL NAN AT JAYVlLLE.

| k fnSN ~ JAY WILL.
Quick Work ut the Long Distance TcIc-
phone, Which the Landlord Had Not
| Been Acquainted with Very LonE-Drs.ft
| Cashcd and Dinner Thrown In.
| did ever tell you about the great
bluff l invented and worked off on a
country hotel proprietor?" asked Meek
i'll, the lazy inventor, rs 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 Oh the subject, and if had
neglected to observe the now telephone
1t came about like this: Twas making a
| flying trip through the west i'll search of
| Il man who was said to have invented u
process for telApcring copper by electric
| lty. One evening about dinner time I
reached IN Indiana town which I'll call
,Iayvillc, as the town is still there, and
so Is the hotel proprietor. rushed into
| the only hotel i'll the place, asked for
some dinner and was shown to the din
ing room after 1 had registered. WANT
ed to catch the 8 :13 train for Indianap-
OILS, so L could spend the night there.
When had finished my meal, fished
around i'll my pockets for dime to tip
the waiter with. I found T hadn't
blooming cent i'll my clothes. You know
I'm meless about money matters, and
never think of lucrc until I'm ont of it.
Well, hadn't any cash, but had $50
draft or New York i'll my poclletbook I
let the waiter 60 without his tip and
walked ont to the Office, where found
the landlord. 1 ostcntatiously took up
pen, asked the landlord his name, and
made the draft payable to him.
Now, said 1. if you'll kindly
take ont the price of dinner and give
ne 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 tho light
At last he looked at mo sharply and
said:
Your name Meekin?'
Sure thing, said L
II. j. Mee!iin:'
Sure.
How do I know it,
You don't, but I'm telling you,'
said l.
How do know you amt oale o.
these yere fliin flammers:'
You don't. Do look like film
TANNER
Waal. We nought an We moughtn't,'
was the landlords encouraging reply. 1t
was getting near train time, and was
getting nervous. Inglancing around the
office with the faint hope that I'd see
some one l knew, my glance fell upon IL
long distance telephone over i'll the cor
| ner Right here was where l invented
my bluff in Jayville at 10 p. III.
See here, Mr.. Man, 1 said to the
landlord, you know a bank draft when
you see it, don't you: Well, that's Il
bank draft. Now it don't make any
! difference TO you who am if 1 can
prove that the drafts good, does it? All
| right. see you have u telephone Can
| l use it?'
'Ye can if ye know how to work
the thing. Just put her III yistiddy. an
| ain t on to the game yit
All right, 1 replied. Now You
come over here to the telephone with
me, and III 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. l picked up the receiver
without ringing. and this is what the
land lord heard:
/ a
Hello! This New York: Gimme 1888
Cortlandt. Hello! 1888 Cortlandt:
Manhattan Exchange National bank?
Mr.. Crandcll there? Hello! This you,
Crandall, old man? This is Meelzin.
M'double-o-k-i-n. Yes, Meekin. r. j.
How are you: Say. I'm in Jayvillc
Ind Hotel nan says your draft number
3iI OF my accoaDt is no good. How
about 1T? Well: Good for So, 600, is it?
Sure: Yon are, Ell? Good joke OH your
old bank. amt it, Crandcll? Cost you
IL bottle when get back. Sure it's good,
are you: Ha, ha That's good Well, 50
long. See you next Monday
with that I hung up the receiver
without ringing of, and turned +, looI,
at the landlord. His eyes were bulgins
ont, and when asked him if he required
any further proof he gaspcd ont:
Waal. | sWum To gracious! Ef that
amt the finest thing ever see! Talk
ing to New York, ch! Waal never
thought to sec it. Here, come oyo1. here
and get yer cash The dinners on me.
Never see anything so wonderful since
the circus was here last.
Il took the money. thanked him and