Hutchinson gazette., 1901-07-04
BUu IN ms UUCMTAIL.
II Scared Him Once, hut Worried til
Bartender Aftorward.

IL Scared Him Once, hut Worried tn,
Bartender Aftorward.
1T wouldn't have happened II It
hadn't been for the freshness and
frlvollty of the bartender" said O
young cotton man who has a well
earned reputation as q practical Joker
"One morning, two or three weeks ago
/ dropped into the place where he
works and ordered a cocktail. He
made 1t, and as was about to pick 1t
up from the counter | chanced to look
Into the glass, and was Mortified to see
huge, hldeous bug, Of species un-
known to me. 1t had a purple head
yellow body and gray legs, and a less
attractive monster l never clapped eyes
on. 'Here! said L pushing the glass
toward the bartender, do you put these
things in your cocktails now, instead of
cherrlesT What thlngs?' said he.
Why, things like this chromatlc kiss
Ing bug In my glass; said I. I can't
see anything he replied, smiling sig
nificantly, and by jove! when looked
the second time couldn't see anything
myself The creature had vanished.
was so startled l could hardly find my
tongue, and the bartender continued to
grin In a meaning fashion. I'd take an
oath, said l, chat | saw a horrible
purple and yellow bug in that glass not
ten seconds agol' Yes. I've seen 'em
myself, said the fresh bartender; I've
even had 'em come up out Of the glass
and make faces at me. It's sigr you
ought to change your brand Of whisky
/ Ignored his unkind innuendo and was
about to leave the place, with badly
Jared nerves, when the solution Of the
mystery suddenly appeared before my
eyes. You see, the bar counter Is made
of that spotted, varlegated marble in
which you can find all kinds Of queer
patterns and right there, before where
| stood, was my bug In natural mosaic.
My cocktail happened to be directly
above 1t when noticed the thing, and
1t was, Of course somewhat magnihed
by being seen through the convex bot
tom Of the glass.
~ said nothing about my discovery
at the time" continued the cotton man,
"but next day dropped in again and
ordered drink. Seen any purple bugs
this mornlng?' asked the fresh bar
tender sarcastlcally. Not yet, said I.
At that he gave mt Tao cocl. III, aN' I
quietly shifted 1t to the right spot.
'Mercful heavens!' l yelled, what does
this mean, anyhow ! Is 1t joke or a
put up job to murder me? The bar
tender looked into the glass and turned |
Rshly. Great snakes!' he gasped, how |
did that get in there| I don't know
said l, but it's a brother Of the bug l |
saw yesterday, and believe you keep |
'em in stock He grabbed the glass
and dashed Its contents in the slop |
bucket. Then he made me cocktail, |
which / drank and walked out. let |
several days elapse," the story teiler
went on, chuckllng, land then saun-
tered in again, at time when the bar
was crowded When the fresh bar
tender mixed my drink he watched me |
narrowly, but by curious chance l
deposited the glass directly over the
mosaic bug. That's nice confection
10 serve in a cocktail said | to the
man at my elbow Good Lord!' he eX-
claimed, getting green about the jaws;
what kind Of brute Is that| don't
know said /; some brand Of candied
guess; they serve 1t to me
here regular now, although I've never
asked for it in my life,' Everybody at
The counter crowded up to take look,
and everybody was horror struck. The
bartender was distracted, and as soon
IS possible he seized the cocktail and
hrew 1t away; but his reputation as a
,areful mixer was gone with that
,rowd. Well, don't want to bore you