The daily Alaskan., 1905-06-06
The Value gf Bluff

ndnk. The lEeSlNtuts N NANh wa NNN eran, noticing that I had military tastes, talked to me great deal about his campaigns What a commander needs,r he said. ''is resource-a keen sight to see his requirements in things about him. knew a general who once. seeing man fishing on cotton bale, was struck with its buoyancy and con eeived the Idea of making a doating bridge of the bales"
 I had been in the bank two years when through the failure Of another bank a run was started on ours. l was thea eighteen years old, but prccociors, When the bank had stood two days run. it was evident it could not pull through a third. The night before that dreaded third day the directors met at the bank. was perched on a high stool where could hear them talk, but heard no feasible plan for the morrow, It occurred to me to try bluh game. I would not have dared Co propose u to the managers and would have been laughed at if I had. Putting on my hat went outside and, pushing my way through the crowd, gained the street, where hailed cab. As | got In | instructed the coachmSn Co drive of at a gaIlop. He did so, and We were watched by the crowd, many Of whom knew was an employee Of the con cern.
 The driver pulled up after we had gone about a mile and asked for in- structionS. We were standing in front of a coal yard. and in the office was a light. | got out of the carriage, went to the office and found a man working over his books,
 Have you any nut coalY asked.
 "YeS."
 "Auy sacksy'
 "Yes."
 "I want five sacks of nut coal"
 "Au right. Un send 1t in the morn ing. What addreSsy
 'I want 1t now"
 "NowY This is no time Co do huSi- ness"
 I argued with him tn he consented to fu five gunny sacks with nut coal which directed him to charge to the president of the bauk-for I had no money-and, taking three sacks into the carriage, leaving the other two on the box with the driver, | directed him to drive back to the bank. When | reached it called to a policeman, who was there to keep the crowd in order, asking him to guard the treasure. He called others, and in a few minutes three men In uniform surrounded the carriage. Then we luCCed the five sacks of coal into the bank. When | had dumped the last sack on the floor ] went Into the presidents UCom, whert the meeting was still in session, and asked him for S2 to pay the haCkm0B He looked at me surprised and asked where l had been, whcreupOu ! told him the story,
 | never saw such a change in a mans face In my life. "Nou little brick he exclaimed, taking me by the hand, 'You may save this bank, and it you do Drive right away again and bring five more sacks. Here Is a ten dollar bin. Want any morcg Nog Well, ga ahead. and the Lord be with you" found the coal office where | had been closed and had to get a coal dealer out of his bcd for the next lot, but ] secured them and took five more bag back to the bank, reaching jt about o'clock in the morning. More than hali | the crowd had gone by ths time, b0v. Ing had coDddoOCc UoStorgd by thC igsl Eve bags of coal After ] had got thy second lot inside, tho directors adjourn ed thc meeting nud lcd by th1 prCG dent, went out cUaujng m2ruN, wcl, mg every appearance oi laylug got u ,oid enough ,o last a uoah.
 The UcNt morning th' hank opcDNd ss usual. but people who had been there tlc night before mingled with tav ,rowd, spreading Inc r,porl taat t'n sacNs or gold had gone m and that ib. b0uS was gB right NDy lcrt uC line .radlag Co tbc cgsA.Cg's window 316 -sogv uu0B there were not a IozrE aaoylcrwaiiug Co draw their accounts tEp bank was s3vCl,
 After 8 o'clock was sent Tor Co Su ntD the presidents office, Most of the l.rcytoys were thcrG and every man m urD Insisted upon shaking hands with ne Then the president made me the 'uijOwng address.
 "Nogug man. you were cat out for a -cpcruL and a general you shall bc. tt least, you shall have tbc fitting cCr one. \ man, or rather, a boy, wso ran stop a run on a bank with nut coal would know enough in war Co make a retreat leaving Quaker guns in UCSt ton and campdros burning We're Ao- ing to get you a cadets appointment tO West Point jf every man or ms has to leave the business ul the works acc>m- plished You can go back Co your desk now, and as long as -ou stay here your salary Is double what it has been" The congressman ot the district was applied to In my behalf and as he had promised the next years appointment to another he agreed to make me alter nate. The appointee failed on his en.