The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-06-06
A NEW ONE ON ERASTUS.
The Visit of Man with Nerve and n
Hare Lip to n Saloon in
New Haven.

The man with the hare lip opened his
new year successfully by teaching
new trick to Erastus, the bartender
who toys with lemon peel and hot
whisky glasses and the like near the
classic shades of "Mory's." He entered
the saloon and called for a "hinty hot
ale," emphasizing the second word.
"Beg pardon?" returned Erastus,
thinking that the name of some new
decoction was being sprung upon him.
"Hinty hot ale," repeated the man as
before.
You'll have to come again. I don't
get that" replied Erastus.
"Hinty hot ale!" returned the stran-
ger, this time quite loudly.
"Oh! whisky cocktail, eh?" re-
echoed Erastus, triumphantly.
"At ut ted!" was the reply, with the
emphasis this time on the last word.
"Wha-a-a-t?" asked Erastus again.
"At ut ted!"
"What's that?" Erastus inquired
once more.
"At ut ted!" this time loudly.
| Needn't holler," blandly continued
| ETaStuS, dlu utaI. 1Iy IL again,
| please"
| "At ut ted!"
"That's what you said? Oh, yes! Or
course. beg your pardon again" said
Erastus. ''Of course you did" and then
he set his arms at work among the
fluids behind the bar with the sweep
and grace of Dutch windmill. When
| the drink had been created and drunk
the hare-lipped one set the glass down
on the mahogany before Erastus with an
! air of satisfaction and said with some
earnestness:
"Ake it ool"
"What is that?" queried Erastus.
"Ake it oo!"
"What?'
"Ake it oo!"
"Make it two?" guessed Erastus, half
apologetically.
"At ut ted!"
"Oh, all right. Make it two. Glad
you like 'em." And Erastus proceeded
with the exercise preliminary to set
ting another of the seductive drinks be-
fore his customer, who, when it was
done, quicly tossed it where it would
do him the most good, and then calmly
gave this proposition to Erastus:
"Hake you haw um?"
"Do what?" was Erastus' inquiry.
"Hake you haw um?"
81 don't catch your meaning this
time, sure" said Erastus.
'Hake you haw um! Hake you!
Hake you'll" piped the hair-lipped man
still more earnestly.
"Shake me for 'em?"
"At ut ted?"
"Well, say" went on Erastus, you've
got beautiful nerve. Why didn't you
ask me at the beginning if I'd shake
Come in here and take up my time for
half an hour trying to interpret your
jargon, and now you want to shake
dice with me for drinks you've already
had. Well, you beat 'em ALL" And the
discerning Erastus began to conclude
that he was being worked, and success
fully worked, too. Tell you what I'll
do, though" he went on, half in love
with the hare-lipped mans plan of ac-
ton. "I'll toss up a coin with you to
see who does pay for 'em. Here's a
quarter. Whatll you take, heads OF
tails?"
"Hay!" responded the hare-lipped,
and Erastus. understanding him to
mean ''heads," Tipped the coin. 1t
came down tails. at is tails" joyfully
commented Erastus, turning to the
stranger.
"At ut I ted!" was the sententious
reply of the hare-lipped man.
Erastus looked aghast for moment
For an instant he glanced at the club
behind the bar. Then he realized that
a quarrel with a hare-lipped man was
not in his line, and SO, when quar-
tette of Yale students who had beer
the witnesses of his discontinue cried
out with much sound of joy over it, ht
joined In the laugh, and the hare
Tipped man improved the opportunity
to go out.-N. Y. Sun.