The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-14
NYE'S FRIEND DAVIS.
HOW HE WORKED THE COSTLY DIM
NER JOKE ON THE HUMoRIsr.

such an extent, there were frequent occa-
sions when he got into the same horizon |
with Sam Dayis. and when they associated |
there were hot times in the old towns.
After Nye had become famous and had
taken to lecturine he had an odd sdven. |
ture with Davis, whom often before he
had mot joyously and parted from sadly. |
Davis was working on San Francisco
paper, and Nye, meeting him, asked II II
were true that one could get q royal ban |
quot In the Golden Gate town for the RI |
diculous prices mentioned by men who
had been there. Davis said the stories
were overdrawn, but still one could man
age to exist on what was set before him
even II he did not have q kegful OF money
In his possession. ~1U
"In tell you what" he said. "You
come along with me to dinner this even
ing and I'll take you to O rotisserie-one
of these French restaurants, you know.
where you can get something for 20 cents,
or II you prefer Is cent meal"-
1T guess notl' Dried Nye who was
spending e16 day for being allowed to
breathe in the Palace hotel. "A quarter
meals cheap enough"
After they parted Davis hurried to one
of the finest eating houses In all the coast
country and had q brief but convincing
conversation with the proprietor. He also
called In to his aid man with whom he
knew Nye had had some pleasant CORE
spondenoe and whom the lecturing knight
desired to meet.
In the evening the three gourmets ap
preached the lair Of good eating The
menu card was presented. 1t was about
as long as the Canadian Paoifos time
table and made mention Of wonderful
things gastronomioal. But Davis and the
other San Franciscan behaved with III
temper when they saw 1t. There was no
variety. 1t was no better than the 10 cent
meals provided on Kearney street, and
here they were prepared to pay two bits q
head. Finally these two impatiently d.
rected the walters to bring everything that
was on the bill, and they would select
something it to eat out of the lot. Mr..
Nye had very little hair, but what he had
rose in spiky way.
"Do you mean to say, " he gasped, THAT
| the price of such a meal as you are order.
| ing is a quarterf"
"Well," sold Davis, in confusion, "of
course Is cents would be about the right
| price, but something seems to be wrong
with the chef today. Try to make out
| little, and well 20 somewhere else tomor
| row. / am really filled with shame at
| bringing you here to such poor, dismal
| excuse for a dinner, but l hadn't been in
| here for month and didn't know it had
| run down So"
| The two coastwise men objected to
everything. 1t might be considered passa
BILE at a 90 cent place, but at shop where
| the price was % cents 1t was inexcusable
| The worst of it was that they had guest
| with them, and he would carry away a
poor opinion of San Francisco hospitality.
They called the proprietor over and forced
him to apologize to the visitor for the
wretched food he had served. Then Davis
paid the checks, which were for 25 cents
apiece, and Nye nearly tainted when the
cashier humbly thanked him.
The next day Nye slipped away from all
friendly hands and secretly went around
to that restaurant. He wanted to have
just one more of those stupendous 25 cent
dinners. So he ordered about one-third
what he had taken on the previous day.
"There's no use wasting food just because
1t is provided so generously and at such a
! price" he reasoned. And he called for his
| check.
Somewhat to his surprise the check
was for $22 40.
The Davis dinner had been nice, pleas
ant little prearranged swindle put up by
! Sam and his friend and the restaurateur.
1t was the same Sam Davis who, pre-
vious to this, had been for one day chief
Justice of the supreme court of the state
of North Carolina, though he had never
been in North Carolina.
Going east one winter the man from the
coast stopped off at Laramie To renew his
troubles with Nye, who was then justice
of the peace. The court was busy with a
legal hearing, and when Davis appeared
in the doorway Nye immediately called
him forward.
"Gentleman of tho bar, he said, adj
dressing the two attorneys, cit affords me
pleasure TO introduce Chief Justice With
erspoon of the North Carolina supreme
court. Judge, your arrival is most oppor-
tune, and want you to sit here with me
and advise me on this case. Join me on
the bench" Then in n whisper, Back
me up, you outlaw, or I'll commit you for
ten days as vagrant.
Never was case argued with more Wig
or. This was the first time these Wyoming
lawy ers had over confronted real chief
justice, and they made the most of 1t. AT
intervals of about 80 minutes the eminent
forensic light from the south would re
quest that the court be cleared so that he
might confer with his distinguished col
league, Judge Nye, upon some abstruse
point Then, while the lawyers and Others
went down stairs by the front hallway,
these two false pretenders would retire by
the back stairway TO the market OF wet
merchandise. When the last attorney had
finished his Grafton, another conference
was held, after which Nye calmly looked
down upon the litigants and said:
ga serious doubt has arisen. This is az
assault case such as l have frequently
dealt with for months past. / have fined
some defendants and released some. But
! find / am in the wrong. Judge Wither-
spoon tells me that by the common law OF
England the defendant is subject to capital
punishment, Punishment, fine, imprison
ment or liberty. But he very properly
says that there is doubt as to whether OF
not under territorial government we are
working In the purview of this law. Maybe
, we are; maybe not. He promises to look
= IL up on his return home. If have erred
In previous decisions, the county is liable
to heavy damages as indemnity. In the