The herald., 1898-11-22
HOW the OTHER HALF LIVES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

"Shipwrecked eggs and spuds," he called
down the speaking tube.
whats that!' said |, another acci
dent?" He grinned in friendly fashion.
"Oh, no, sir; that's your order, sir" ''Ah
didn't see at all.
"You see we boys have short names for
things that are common he explained. 1T
saves times, and then the customers like to
hear the calls. 'Spuds' is fried potatoes,
and | guess they use that name for EN- all
over the country. I've worked in good
many towns, and they always did every
where I've been.
Then we make good many names our
selves. We have eggs 'shipwrecked, sun
ny side up, over ard Nancy Hanks,
that's two minutes boiled. Then we serve
three kinds of pancakes, and we just call
them one two and three Potato balls
are cannon balls; rare steak is just red
and a dozen other names for short or for
fun. Yes, sometimes it sounds queer to
stranger but we all know what they mean.
1t was we'll along in the evening, and was
the only customer in the place. 1t looked
as tnOuEH tHe HlSnl lSst"ui"he p"siiiesS
didn't pay very well.
Don't you get pretty lonely before the
night is over:' said |, gancing around at
the empty chairs.
mo time to get lonely" he answered.
"This is the slackest time of the whole night
till along about in the morning.
"You see, it's too late for supper, and too
early for anybody to want another meal.
Now. I'll bet you didn't have any regular
supper ! admitted the justice of his
guess, and he went on affably.
Il come on at $3.50 in the afternoon, so as
to help out at the rush for supper, or dinner
as we call it mostly out here. That is about
over at or $50. and one by one the day
men have quit, till at am here alone with
the night dish-washer and cook.
Don't have much to do till about IL. and
then the lunchers begin to drop in thick. A
little later the theater goers commence to
come, and they keep things rushing till
half past one or so. Then the late men
come in, and from to we have the hardest
crowd of the day. Some of EN- drunk and
some just mean and tough
Long about or so the printers and
pressmen get chance for bite of lunch
and we have quite a trade with them. Then
there is a slack time, with an occasional
early milk man or traveller. in for cup of
coffee, till the real breakfast begins. The
earliest of the regular ones don't get here
till 8. Those who get up earlier eat their
breakfasts at home. AT 6 the first day
man comes on, at $50 another, and at get
eff and go to bed.
"Yes. it's pretty long hours, but don't
mind it,
ooh. yes: we see lots of funny things.
Now, there's one fellow, the 'buttertester'
| call him. He thinks he can tell good
butter mile away. But he can't. Now,
we have both, oleo and fine butter. I'll
serve him the butter, and he'll smell of it
and say: 'Phew, that's strong enough to
walk; bring me some fresh Jersey butter
So | go and get plate of oleo. He II take
sniff of that and of course there amt any
smell to it, and he'll smack his lips and say:
'Ah, that's the stuff; there's your pure
dairy butter
why doesn't oleomargarine have any
cdor:" | asked. NO, sir" he answered,
then, taking up my butter plate. Now
that, you see, has nice, fresh butter small,
but oleo hasn't any at all
1t was tip and put it aside for future
reference.
"Yes, they sometimes try to beat us, but
not so much in the night. You see, know
just how much every man has had, without
a check but in the daytime, with rush and
paying at the desk, they sometimes work it .
There was one fellow that had regular
scheme. First he would order some little
lunch, ten cents worth or so, and take
check for it, and put it in his pocket when
the walters back was turned. Then he
would put in another big order for 30 or 60
cents, and say he hadn't any check. OF
course when he went to the desk he would
pull cut the little check and pay that and
tear up the big one. He did that quite
while, but the boys got on to him at last.
o C y
eve see some hard cases at night. They
come in late, pair or quartet OF EN- for an
oyster fry, perhaps. And there are some
sad ones, too.
There used to be little girl come in
here alone every night about this time or
earlier. She was pretty as a pie, and
couldn't have been more than 10 or 20. But
she used to bring big bottle with her, and
the way she would punish that brandy was
a caution. OF course / sort of got ac-
Quainted with her after while, same as
you can with that kind of girls, and used
to feel sorry to see her drinking that way
So one night | says to her: See here, you
ought not to take so much of that stuff. It'll
kill you one of these days L want it to
kill me, and the quicker the BETTER says
she. 'Oh, no, you don't says ], kind of
gentle, you're too young and too pretty to
die before you have lot of happiness
''She burst out crying in the most dread
full way Stop that, stop that she
screamed, what do you mean by talking
that way to me? What right have you to
talk that way? / will die, l will die.
Happiness. rot till 1 am dead, dead and
buried
"She was like a crazy woman Probably
it was mostly the drink in her, but you
couldn't help feeling sorry" II. B. l..
Civilizations Progress in the West
The dress suit is the most democratic raj