The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-01-07
BILL .NYE HOAXED.
THE HUMORlST THE VICTIM OF AN
AMUSING PR..CTICAL JOKE.

Tad Heard Wonderful Tales About San
Francisco's Cheap Dinners-Took in One
From soup to Coffee and Was Astound-
ed-1Iis Further Advertisements.
After "Bill'' Nye had become famous
and had taken to lecturing, he had an
odd adventure with Sam" Davis,
whom often before he had met joy.
ously and parted from sadly. 1t was
such an affair as the humoriSt used to
delight to put into print, and 1t seems
impossible that he has not told the
story. Ii he has the man who has
read it heretofore can skip it in this
column.
Davis was working on a San Fran
cisco paTer, and Nye, meeting him,
asked if it were true that one could
get royal banqu ct in the Golden Gate
town for tEa ridiculous prices men
toned by men who had been there.
Davis said the stories were over
drawn, but still one could manage to
exist upon what was set before him,
even if he did not have a kegful Of
money in his possession.
"I'll tell you what" he said; you
come along with me to dinner this
evening and I'll take you to rotis-
serie--one of these French restaurants,
you know, where you can get some
thirg for 25 rents. Or, if you prefer,
a 15-cent aal-"
II 6, es ot." said Nye, who was
spending SIS a day for being allowed
to breathe in the Palace Hotel. "A
quarter meal S cheap enough"
After they parted Davis hurried to
one of the finest e2ting houses in all
the Coast country ard had brief but
convincing conversation with the pro-
prietor. He also called in to his aid
a man with whom he knew Nye had
had some pleasant correspondence, and
whom the lectulir : knight desired to
nDet. In the ever .ng the three g5ur-
NETS approached the lair of good eat
ing. The menu card was presented.
IL was about as long as the Canadian
Pacfc's timetable, and made mention
of wondei ful things gastroncm cal.
But Davis and the other San Francs
can behaved with i'll temper when hey
saw it. There was no var ETY.. 1t was
no better than the 1O-ceilt meals pro-
vided on Kearrey street, and here
lHCy hCiC pl Cpol GU " pSss IVY bibo q
head Finally these two impatiently
directed the walters to bring every
thing that was on the bill, and they
would select something fit to eat cut
of the lot Mr.. Nye had ve.y little
hair, but what he had rose in spiky
way.
DO you mean to say" he gasped,
that the price of such meal as you
are ordering is quarter?"
well" said Davis, in confusion,
"of course Is cents would be about the
right price, but something seems to
be wrong with the chef to-day. Try
to make cut little, and we'll go
somewhere else tomorrow. l am
really filled with shame at bringing
you here to such a poor, dismal ex-
cuse for dinner, but l hadn't Leen
in here for a month and didn't know it
had run down So"
The two coastwise men objected to
everything. The wine was not more
than twenty years old, whereas they
were paying morey enough to get
good stuff. The ltbsters were wrong
in some way, the salads were faulty,
they insisted; the bird, the fish, the
sirloin-everythins clear through to
the fruit and ice cream and pastry and
coffee and cognac was criticised. 1t
might be conside: ed passable at a 20
cent place, but at a shop where the
price was 25 cents it was inexcus bic.
The worst of it was that they had a
guest with them ard he would carry
away poor opiniC OF San Franc, SEQ
hospitality. They again called the
proprietor over aid forced him to
apologize to the visitor for the
wretched food lie had served. Then
Davis paid the checks, which were 25
cents apiece, and Nye nearly tainted
when the cashier humbly thanked
him.
The next day NY sneaked away from
all friendly hard, and seer city went
around TO that res urant. He wanted
to have just one lore of those STU
pendous 25-cent me s. So he or
dered about one-th rd what he had
taken on the previous day. There's
10 use wasting food just because it's
provided so generously ard at such
price," he reasoned. And he called
for his check.
Somewhat to his surprise, the check
was for S22.70.
The Davis dinner had been a nice
pleasant little e1rranged swindle
put up by Sam and his friend and
the restauraterr.