The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-21
Thinking Tale of a Depleted Sup
ply of Nickel Telephone
Tokens.
ABSENT BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
An Agent Who Has Lett a Large
Number of San Franciscans
in Suspense.

Persons having some personal interest
concerning the present whereabouts OF
Cyrus D. Noble, late agent and representa-
tive in this City of the Des MONIES Life
Association, might be excused for some
confusion in their understandings. There
is documentary evidence that he is
in Portland, Or, in Red Bluff, CAL, that
his destination is Los Angeles, and that
he has already started East from Portland,
Or, or is about so to do, having in view
Minneapolis as his next place of residence.
Gentlemen who have trusted him for
clothes, or who have performed dental
operations in the expectation that the
operations would pull IN receipts for life
insurance premiums, may be pleased to
know that their uncertainty may soon be
cleared up.
Attorney L. E. Phillips yesterday re-
ceived a letter from c. E. Rawson, which
was written on letter-sheet with the
business heading and addresses of the Of
ficers of the Des Moines Life Asso citation
at the top, which left Des Moines some
days ago. In fact, when Mr.. Rawson
mailed this letter in his capacity of presi-
dent and general manager of the Des
Moines Life Association, his San Fran
cisco repres entative had already departed.
But some light is thrown upon the stu
alton by Mr.. Rawson's communication,
for in it occurs these words: Mr.. Noble
has instructed me that his address is Red
Bluff. There is still another letter from
an official of the Des Moines association
which says that "Mr. Noble writes that
he is about to develop the field in the in
terror of the State and will pass the win
ter in Los Angeles" The clearest in
formation and the latest is that Mr.. Noble
eholl 10 So
warded by the postal authorities to Min
neapolis, which seems to indicate that in
the cooler months he will enjoy lake
breezes rather than zephyrs scented by
blowing through Southern California
orange groves.
Within the last two days suits have
been filed in the Justices Court to recover
from the Des Moines Life Association
sums due from the agent on account of
the corporation and which were incurred
on behalf OF the corporation. One of these
was to recover the balance of salary due
Attorney Phillips as counsel for the life
association, yesterday being the day upon
which Mr.. Phillips first semi-annual in
stallment for counsei fees fell due Mr..
Phillips took the precaution to have his
engagement as counsel put in writing by
Mr. Noble when he was acting as agent
for the corporation and when his position
as such agent was recognized by the Iowa
concern. On the life policy which Mr..
Phillips took out was an Endorsement
which attested to the same official fact.
The other suit brought in the local
courts against the corporation joins
the claim of John Bardulin, tailor, with
the claim of Mr. Phillips for unpaid Office
rent. Both claims have been assigned to
Luther Everett, who appears as the plain
tiff in the suit. Whether the Iowa Life
Association will acknowledge the claims
i
seen, but it is very likely that they will
disown responsibility for the fine suits of
clothes which the agent ordered from Mr..
Bardulin for his own adornment.
Notwithstanding the absolute denial of
the fact by the young lady who was en-
gagged to Mr.. Noble that such an engage
ment existed and that it was entered into
upon her second meeting with Noble it is
learned that the young lady's family took
q lively interest in the matter and went to
the extent of consulting lawyer, with or
without the knowledge that she had al
ready taken the same means to ascertain
what could be done.
She was spoken to yesterday and de-
MED the engagement, but said that she
was sure Mr.. Noble had many lady friends
in San Francisco; she knew that to be so.
When she was told that several profess
sional men would like to know where Mr.
Noble had gone she expressed surprise to
hear that he had departed. When she was
asked what sort of looking man Mr..
Noble is she returned the characteristic
cally feminine response that whether a
man is good looking or not is a matter
entirely of taste; and whether he appears
young or otherwise depends upon how
well be is preserved.
Attorney Phillips, who gave Mr.. Noble
the use of his telephone as a part of the
accommodation going in with the Office
rent, is morally convinced that Mr.. Noble
talked with enough young ladies through
the phone to constitute large delegation
to young and pretty women's congress.
AT first there was a daily metallic and
dull but eminently satisfactory and sol
vent rafting of nickels into the machine
in the jointly occupied office.
The robbery of telephone boxes led the
telephone company some time ago to in
stitute nickel or lead tokens to take the
place of the real nickels in the slot. MANY
citizens buy these tokens and Mr.. Phillips
laid in satisfactory supply. These went
away with the speed OF hot butter on a
July day. Mr.. Phillips says that he did
not use them. The Office clerks used them
not. Reasoning another way, it is sup
posed that Mr.. Noble helped to swell the
bill for switches with the aid OF the tokens,
and that bill for one month, just prior to
Mr.. Nobie's departure, assumed unheard-
OF and staggering proportions. The re-
suit OF the continual use of the wire was
the creation of an impression in the build
ing at 405 Montgomery street that a large
portion of the young women of the City,
and especially the pretty ones, had sud.
denly come to realizing sense of the IN
certainty of life and lively appreciation of
the advantages of taking out policy of
Life insurance in the Office of the dapper
and gay young agent of the Iowa concern.
When returns come in from the interior
new facts may be learned concerning the
methods pursued in interior towns TO have