Evening star., 1901-04-27
LITTLE OR MUCH.
American Cafe Ethics Admit of Indi-
ViduaI Discretion.


"Well?" said the flushed, round faced.
! portly gentleman, with a savageness of
tone which did not agree with his good
natured expression. 'Weil?"
"Well?" echoed the swell barkeep. pugna-
ciously.
II am taking a drink affirmed the
| round-faced gentleman as he poured from
the decanter on the bar before him tiny
stream of red liquid which welled up to-
ward the top of the small glass he held I'm
his left hand, ''aud | am paying for IT."
Il amt letting nothing get away: Of
course, you are paying for it., answered the
swell barkeep.
when | am paying for drink con-
tinued the round-faced gentleman watch
ing the vacant space in the glass slowly
fill with the stimulant he evidently liked
until there was but a narrow edge of white
above the red, when L say | am paying
for drink, YOU understand. barkeep L
mean that L am not giving up any good
money for a look of suspicious inquiry on
your face as to whether L take a small
drink or a large drink. l pay for the liquor
and not for your opinions to my nten-
tlons at the moment L grasp the bottle
Keep your looks to yourself"
Go on. chew the rag" groWled the cock
tail mixer.
"Barkeep." resumed the round-faced gen.
tleman in more benevolent tones. "barkeep
you think / buy this drink of YOU don't
you? But don't. ! buy it of the man who
hires you, and L pay the price he asks. The
price barkeep, is fifteen cents a drink
large or small, and he gets the price un-
derstand? Your looks and your thinks
are not included in the sale, and how you
look or what you 'tink.' barkeep, is a
matter Of indifference to me-"
NO hard feelings" said the barkeep
forcing a smile. 4
None whatever" answered the round
faced gentleman. 1T rests with the pro-
prietor OF a cafe, you call your places
flfax1T f9Qt- th bon
as you fresh a cafe was an eating
house-what size Of glass he will hand out
to his customers. It's pay, with no voice
to pick the choice. If he serves a goblet or
quarter OF an ounce glass. liquid meas
ure, that's his business and that of his
customers, and IL the latter don't like It.
they can do what the man on the scafYold ,
did, so far as the proprietor is concerned
get right off the earth. understand, bar
keep?''
That's right" said the latter, with n
grin.
such, barkeep. are the etchics of the
American drinking resort" continued the
round-faced gentleman. IF you choose To
serve glass which looks of fair size, but
which has, In truth false, heavy bottom
so that if you fill IT to the brim with whis-
Ky the customer gets only a fair-sized
drink, that's your business. They serve
those glasses in workingmen's saloons eb7
So much the worse. They always M their
glasses to the brim, do they? Don't they
pay for what they get? Cert. Well,
they re entitled to it.
I'm a first-class cafe like this gentle
man is supposed to take only fair drink
is he? Sarcasm doesn't become your type
Of beauty, barkeep. A gentleman is sup
posed to take all he wants, be it little or
much, If 1 take four fingers-and / have
taken all i can pour in the glass to I'm
press the force OF my arguments upon you
the next customer will take but one and
the third will only cover the bottom of his
glass. In this way the average quantity to
each man is struck, which is fair to both
dealer and customer. You can't have IL
all your own way, including profit Of 500
per cent"
Certainly not" admitted the barkeep I.
"Never been abroad? Sorry. If you go
into a public house in London and ask for
a drink of any kind of liquor, spirituous or
malt. you will get just the quantity YOU
pay for. The man next to me has lust COW
cred the bottom of his glass That's all
he wants, and but for the American Gus
tom he'd pay for what he gets, about five
cents worth. tup'ence ha'penny. The
pretty English barmaid doesn't hand you<
bottle with flourish and ask, What will
you have gentlemen" She pours out q
thripence or siXcent drink, fourpence
eight-cent drink or much as you
has the stamp of the government upon it to
signify that 1t is Of correct size This che
empties into a glass, and you drink all
or as little as you please. but you camp
drink any more than the specified quantity
unless you ante up additional coppers In
America the custom and the unwritten law
is, Help yourself for We charge high
Therefore, barkeep, II you ever look
askance at me again when 1 am helping
myself to drink for which you get the
over the button. The habit some of you
chaps have OF eyeing your customers when.
they drink is a bad one. Just pass Il when
l come in, will your?