The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-24
SOME STRAY TALES
 HEARD IN PASSING
BY PAUL COOK.

the Union Pacific to Omaha there were no stops and 1t was his cries and groans, in an effort to attract the attention or the trainmen that l had heard during the night"
 "HoIy City, In a Saloon.
 '.What do you think of the Holy City being played in cheap saloon by nickle-in-t the-slot piano?" said an observ- ant man the other day. Well, know a place where it is played day and night and I never could hear the piece with out the incongruity of the thing making me smile. Holy City Is the most popular tune the instrument produces. A group of buns, toughs, and sots of all kinds stand listening with a grin of delight on their bloated faces. Probably not one man in the crowd knows that he IS near ing religious music. The strains or the magnificent song mingling with the clink of glasses and the curses of drunken men, are strangely out of place.
 That is about as bad as tramp in a clergyman garments. l saw drunken hobo staggering along one night dyked out from head to foot in the regu- lation outfit of an Episcopal clergyman. The clothes may have been "handout' or the man may have been real minis ter, fallen from grace; anyway, the wear CT and the garments were sad ilish''
 Chop House Lingo.
 The man about town remarked, have vou ever noticed the hash slang used by walters in restaurants and chop houses. They have a yernaculaT all tnelr own that would puzzle man who ooesn ! lunch down town. Some of 1t IS really useful, too for it saves both time ana Ia bor. The old standbys that one hears all the time are ham and pork and, and .t.,f.. md are easily guessed as ham and eggs, pork and beans, and tenderloin. steak cooKed rare with fried potatoes.
 Heres one that is not so easy. gen. ial boozegrafter hoated into restaurant where I was and handed out the FOLLOW ing: Eggs over easy an CT stack CT bucks, to come together In a few min utes plate of buckwheat cakes and two fried eggs cooked medium on poth sides, were set before him.
 Draw one and boil two meejum,' is interpreted hy the white-capped genius at the gas range as a cup of coffee ana two eggs medium boiled.
 Eggs up,' and eggs over mean eggs done on one side only and eggs done on both Such cries as make 1t weil!' make it hotp make 1t dry! with | out gravy-'how about that stewF coming up, rise from thousands or the hash-slinging gentry when the lunch hour l rolls around. A stack of wheat ana a stack of corn always refer to cakes. One reg'lar,' or one line,' is a straight meal. which usually costs quarter when it is ordered that way.
 "One of the most popular orders at the lunch counters where something l cheap and filling is wanted is Spanish or Irish stew, they are both about the same. l These stews cost 10c at most places and l one is all man can eat. They are meat tews, usually made of scraps or beer and dough- so a person with a weak stomach is advised not to tackle one. l stew -o-o-oor always refers to the oyster variety and nothing else. Half fry and whole fry are likewise applied to the | succulent bivalve. 'Feesh! is self explan- atory as is also 'carfy' which the unin- [ itiated sometimes mistakes for something l else than coffee Half lemon and quar- l ter lemon mean sections of that appetiz- ing culinary chef doeuve, which is a pop ular order with 1milk or coffee and Is a l good thing with which to top off dish | of ham and. This vernacular is univer- l sal among the chtap quick lunch depots, chop houses, andhhash factories but II l would probably nct be understood in one Of John Henry's' '$fpo beaneries.