The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06
TWELVEOCLOCK AT M0RY'S
LIGHT OUT ron EDDIE OAKLEY AT
BAR.

tirement freua the Old new haven Tap
room Fills Vale Men With RsHret and
Fear for OLE Trnditions-Eddie' Checks.
A despatch from New Haven last week told
readers of THE SuN q great deal about tho good
old place known to generations Of Yale mon as
Mory's. and its passing out of the hands of the
man who has managed It for the last ten years
or more into those Of the wife of q German beer
hall keeper. The article printed In THE SUN
concerned itselt principally with tho history of
TEMPLE Bar, as the place was formally known,
and in explaining why it was that it had gath.
cred 30 many unique traditions that endearod
IL to undergraduates. Yale men Of the last
ten years, however, regret very much Eddie
Oakloy's retirement from the management Of
the place, because Of the personality of Eddie
himself. 1t was ono thing, and q very credit
able thing, too, to keep the severe, simple ways
of Mrs. Moriarity after she was dead and gono
and no longer able to sit in hor rocking chair
beside the little coal crate and knit and keep
tho walters attentive to the wants OF the stu.
dents, or stop the supply OF the young man
who did not know when he had enough. But
1t was another thing to be Eddie Oakley him.
self, formal, exact, and polite as people of the
last century were polite. Eddie Is n middle.
sized man. with clean-cut features, and small
feet and hands; on his face tho years Of service
under Mrs. Moriarity and Independent minis
tering to the wants of undergraduates have set.
tied q smile Of graceful acquiescenco and Of
readiness to catch the slightest desire Of his Gus
toners. Yet 1t is far from obsequiousness.
Eddie was q silent man. When he cam out
into tho little front room from the little den
which served as tho bar he would glance
around and bestow in tho pleasantest way,
Good evening, gentlemen on every one In the
room. He would stand by the end Of the man.
tel for half an hour at q time watching the six
tables, not with the hawk glance OF the usual
cafe proprietor or head waiter. but always
with that half-anXious. half-pleased smile, as IL
to sec that no one waited for q moment for any
thing that should DO ut his elbow. In his hand
were tho pencil and little pad ready to be pre-
sented to the customer when he rose. There
is many q Yale graduate who believes to-day
that the retirement Of Eddie Oakley from Tenn
pie Bar is due to his discontinuine the habit Of
carrying a pencil and little pad.
Across the bottom Of the checks in the pad
was printed Positively no account extended
beyond $50" AM man whose name was in tho
catalogue Of Yale University FRESHMEN always
excepted) could sit down ut one Of these tables
without previous introduction, eat rabbits and
eggs In all their. various combinations tho other
dishes wero ever served in the place) until he
could eat no more, and then settle by signing
his name under the amount Eddie wrote on tho
check. Eddie's system Of bookkeeping was
beautifully simple. In the back room of the
four on the ground floor Of Temple Bar he kept
a rack, built like q bookcase, in which there
were 800 or 800 partitioned-o off spaces just about
the width Of Q slip Of paper from one OF his
check pads. As soon as Q man signed his name
at tho bottom of tho check he was asked to
wait o minute, if Eddie did not know him. and
his name was looked up in the catalogue. 1t
was then cut out of the catalogue and pasted un-
der one Of the little compartments in tho rack.
All his checks were put there after that.
week and added them up. When they reached
$50 or more q little mark was put on the box.
sented a check to 70 into that box was informed
II he had oonfdingg friends and Eddie really
in order. for tho disappointed one to forge tho
name Of some one whose box was not blocked.
speak sGTs g. BY f Eaaie W jEd tFHT never on re shiS9ffs sosnea
st anybody in his iifel; but for the next two or
the man who VII ADOPTED ed such sch5us a 'GSs aUtavrt to
avoid public disclosure Of the fact that no had
no IN money IN his pSGk ,esi -, OF course. tho EN-.
he had borrowed, and the matter would be
strengthened out ct the end: After tho $50
cash for everything he ate and drank unfit no
paid the complete bill. Eddie never urged
e easais sspffs r IySs Il pay di tas PHI lH,o oe tss po sas n ss
tho close Of every visit at Mory's was sufficient
reminder hat the account was still unsettled:
as polite as Eddie's Good evening. gentlemen"
was -" There was nothing on the outside
of the envelope to indicate who had sent 1t, ex-
Gspt the number Of Eddie's Post 9fice box:
memorandum that would show what the
amount Of tho check had been spent for. This
of the feelings OF his patrons and of the possible
chance that the message might come into the
Of oSe +. character. WAS sf a o't tSor psrsGns
characteristic trait of Eddie's every relation to
his customers.
lowed in Mery's. An individual Who S''V was
mood In song never got more than Ave or six
bars before Eddie appeared at the door of the
bar with bis finger In tho Air and his eyebrows
ton. II q man persisted in singing, Eddie
would look a little panied and 20 and stand be-
This was hardly ever necessary. but when It
happened the room became absolutely hushed.
ing ono with distinct disfavor, not because Of
the noise he had made, but ,becagse he wasn't
SaIpF p. ass sSpa Esd fihin %o ~ Eddie sdEs And ifhe
very. particular about that. you know. We
don't like to d~ispleaso them"
Eddie never explained who they" were. He
the window as though it were some one out.
side-some dele,erious and malicious person
who annoyed him a great deal; such, for in
stance, as tho neiRhborhood in general, or the
police. or even the faculty. He seldom had to
quite. his friends would persuade him as tact
fully. but as quickly. as they could. to 80 out.
Eddie was always obliging except In one
thing,he would never toll anybody just what
rabbits of Eddie's are things that can never
be produced, apparently, outside of the kitchen
of Mory's. They were thick and creamy with
out the slightest suspicion, of being stringy or
was poured over a thin piece of toast cut In an
octagon and another piece OF toast laid over
tho top. The toast itself never had any marks
of the toaster on II, but was an even crisp brown.
or course, Eddie would never refuse outright to
tell how his rabbits were constructed, but he
would evade; He would say. I'VE arc very
cheese every time" or I'VE allow the ale which
we mix into the rabbit to stand in an open glass
Just such a heat" but he would mover be def
mite, and those who tried to draw from him the
secret of manufacturing a rabbit invariably
gave up the attempt in utter defeat Perhaps
derful rabbits IL he had tried, but now when he