The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-01-02
HE GOT A FULL MEAL

home, which Is located on one OF the pleas
ATTEST peaks of Mt. Pleasant.
The man had just finished a cursory
glance through paper. He had read the
headlines on the first and second pages;
had satisfied himself that there would be
plenty of weather for the next few days, by
reading the weather report on the third
page; had searched for his wife's name in
the society column and landed on the eighth
page, where the heading: Hard Luck
Stories" caught his eye. After reading the
story he gave expression to the exclamation
noted above, From the peculiar intonation
given that brief utterance his companion
knew that the Mt. Pleasant mans thoughts
were of retrospective nature.
THAT story said the gentleman, point
ing it out to his friend, reminds me OF an
experience | had a short time ago.
You know my boy has been away to
college and when he came back from school
he brought with him lot of books, and
they weren't all text books either. thought
I'd like to take peep into some of the
stuff the youngster had been reading while
out from under the paternal roof, so L
glanced Through the bunch at random, and
found some of them good and some other
wise. One volume in the young. library
that came to my notice was a collection of
short stories.
Zone of the stories / read was about a
wealthy young fellow giving money to a
tramp who said he wanted to get something
to eat. According to the story, the young
man strolled aimlessly about in the locality
for awhile, and presently be noticed the
beggar standing in the same spot where he
had left him, so he decided to watch the
CRATER.
''ln short space of time he saw the fell
low approach several other gentlemen with
the same old cut-and dried hard-luck tale
which had wrung money from him.
''The young fellow didn't like the idea of
being duped, so he thought he would have
little fun out of the tramp and play even.
He walked past the mendicant again and
when the fellow attempted to make sec
ond touch for money on the plea of hun
ger, the youth took him along into rek
taurant and made him order big meal and
eat it. The tramp, it seems, had already
dined, and he objected to going through
the operation second time the same day,
but the young fellow made him do it and
had lot of fun watching the imposter filling
up against his will.
Il thought it was real clever little story
and | chuckled right gleefully over it.
We'll, the other evening | was meander-
ing down the street when a fellow came up
and politely begged my pardon for accost-
ing me and declared he was as hungry as a
bunch of prairie wolves i'll winter and want
ed me to give him dime to help him re-
lieve the strain of going to sleep with an
empty stomach. He said he was stranger
in town and broke, and hadn't had square
meal for week. He was fairly well dressed
and | sized him up at once as professional
CRATER.
Shortly before that I had finished a
splendid dinner and was smoking an excep-
tionally good 'twofer,' so l was in pretty
good humor. l felt real lively and that
story / had read in my boys book popped
into my head | decided to have some fun
with the fellow, just like the man in the
story, for | was certain the fellows tale
about being hungry was fake.
So you're hungry? l asked, good ma
turedly.
captain, hain't been so hungry since
learned how to eat the fellow replied.
We'll, come along with me, says, and
we'll see if we can't find something to ease
You up Bit
Il took him to a nearby restaurant and
after we were seated at the table handed
him the bill of fare and the pad the waiter
brought us, and says:
''Now, you just write down what you
want to eat, and I'll stand the expense.
Order whatever you want-what you think
will fit the aching void you complain Of
and don't be afraid of wearing out the PEN
Gil
I'm pretty hungry, captain the fellow
said, but since you're so kind 1 don't want
to impose on you, so I'll just get sand
witch and some coffee
Ono, you won't declared, looking at
him, sharply. Now, look here, young man,
you said you were hungry, and l won't
have no backing up at this point. You've
got to order and eat meal, and a big one,
too, because l won't stand for any funk
ing. If you don't order it 1 will, and I'll
see that you tuck it under your waistband,
too
with that began reading a paper and
paid no more attention to the fellow. 1t
tickled me to note how he tried to get out
of the game when he discovered l meant
business, so just pulled up my paper and
waited. l wanted him to get stalled, and
then l was going to have some sport urg-
ing him on, so l bided my time. The fell
low didn't say a word further, but wrote
down his order. Presently 1 heard the
waiter coming toward us with the dinner.
Il dropped my paper and looked up, and
by George, l nearly fell over my chair
backward. The tray was piled foot high
with dishes, and it looked like there was
grub enough on it to feed an orphan asylum
for q week. The fellow had evidently
checked off everything on the bill of fare,
and for moment l could only stare. But
I recovered myself presently and pulled up
| my paper to hide the done expression on
my face.
''That fellow had certainly been telling
me a straight story. He was hungry all
over, and when the barbecue was all laid
out he squared himself and said: Here's
lookin' at you,' and sailed in. He cleaned
up the whole layout, and finished strong.
When he got through he sighed with such
evident enjoyment that l began to like my
self for what had done, although it had
been with different motive than that of
| philanthropy.
'The fellow smiled and handed me tooth
| pick as we left the table. The bill tore 81 so
into small shreds, but l paid it like man,
bought the fellow good cigar and we passed
out into the street. Once outside he thanked
me very politely, but didn't do any gushing,
and / left him without any hard FEELINGS