The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-01

as ever. but as the end 81 the month
drew near he began TO feel very IN
comfortab BILE and fancied that every re-
mark mad to him about Ire state OF
business implied suspicion. At last he
heard from q friend In st. Paul of a
good opening there which would toe
him over until he could land on his
feet here again.
He had no trouble in settin1 trans
p~ortation on one Of the railroads. but
the dimculty was to get away from
the hotel with all his goods 30 he tould
make q good front In st. Paul and at
the same time not let his financial
straits be known. for ne could not
bring himself to ask any favor OF me
before l had wen seen the color ~
his money. An idea struck one after1
noon when he was using a telephone.
which worked so badly that the man
at the other end did not recognise his
voice. and o after he called up the
hotel. and when the clerk answered he
asked for himself. or course ne was
not in. but this was the telephone con-
versation:
Hello. hotel, has Mr.. Blank
come in YETI
a No.: not yet; it is a little early
for him.
Wait a minute, please
III turned his face a little from
the phone and said: They say IL isn't
time for Mr.. Blank yet A brief u
and he spoke directly into the phone
again:
"'As o as Mr.. Blank comes in
Will you please tell him that Mar
shall Field wants to see him? Now.
please. don't forget to tell him the
first thing
w knew he was acquainted with
a great many prominent people. n
1t was generally understood that his
business was that of a promoter. al
though he had not told us he had been
unable to promote anything, but OF
course an appointment with Marshall
Field was recognized as a matter Of
exceptional Importance.
The clerk told me about II as he
wrote a card to u In Blanks box,
and one OF the boarders standing by
h desk overheard IL. So when Blank
strolled in an hour later every one in
the hotel seemed to know abou IL. He
looked wise for a minute when the
card was handed to him, glanced at
the clock and then said: It's a lit
tie late to 60 there now. Guess ! would
better call him on the phone after I
go to my room.' He went upstairs
n anne down again soon in a per-
fectly unconcerned manner. stopped to
tell me a funny yarn and then went
W ne Pfbut dnu Cdlltu Up MdFtndIl
Fields residence. i know he called the
right number. because I locke it up.
We heard him repeat the numbe once.
but IL he received al answer he kept
still until the person at the other end
of the wire had left II In disgust and
h this is what we heard at our
end:
"'Hello. Is that Mr.. Fields resi-
dence? Then a pause.
"sVil Won pIaaSA tall him that NJ
Blank Is here at the phone? Yes. I'll
hold the wire A long pause inc I will
admit that every one in the Office was
listening.
Hello. Mr.. Field. Did you receive
the message I sent you this afternoon
Another pause.
"'Oh, is that so? That's good Pause
again.
why. yes. I'll come right after din
ner. But wait a minute. wouidn't
we lose a day IL I do that? Don't you
think IL would be better IL i went to
Omaha tonight and attended to 1t
personally? / could see him early In
the morning and get everything In
shape before any obstacle turns up
The conversation seemed to last a
couple OF minutes longer. Blank doing
a listening part most of the tine. oc-
casionally saying. Yes or modestiy
making a suggestion, and winding mp
with something about wiring the bank
i'm the morning to accept a draft and
having Judge Somebody attend to the
legal papers. and then Blank hung up
out of town for a few days. He said
to let his bill go on until the first of
the month and IL he coul not come
back then he would send a draft and
let me know what to do with the
things in his room. but he hoped to be
able to keep his old quarters.
'Of course any one doing confiden-
'tial business for Marshall Field was
all right, and he acted his part so ex-
cellently and was such a thoroughly
good fellow. I never suspected him. and
old him IL was all right. I W in
sisted on having a hurry-up meal pre-
pared for him and a little later he
left to catch the $3.50 train. II seems
that two trains left the depot at hat
time. one going to Omaha and the
other to the northwest.
"A week later, not having heard
from him. / went to his former Office
to inquire about him in a friendly way.
and found another n in possess
sion. At the Office of the building they
said he had given II up and expressed
sorrow that he mad not succeeded. and
then i began to realize the situation.
However. i said nothing to any one.
and the next day a letter came from
him enclosing a draft for SIS which
he requested me to apply on his ac-
u He sale things had not pan
ned out as well as expected. but he
would remit the remainder as 500 as
possible. Which he did before long
and soon after he returned and told
me the whole story. The only mistake
he made vas in not telling me at first
and yet II was not a mistake. for tie
cfoEo ho rnoAA In CT porl satol hin.
in the right direction and he is now
living in New York and is worth a pile
of money. La he toll me his. trouble
at the outset I think I would have Civ
en- him another months chance to get
on his feet. and he probably would
not have don so well here as ne did
by going away. Not that IL is a good
principle of hotel business to extend