Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-28
THOSE CHECK SYSTEMS
. HE Dsagreeable Man had quite a
diverting afternoon for himself re-
- Gently

milk. He drank the vichy and milk. Then
the white-draped barkeep ripped a STAMPED
check-slip. calling for the payment OF 10
cents. from a machine resting on the shelf
back Of the bar. This the barkeep gave
to the Disagreeable Man
What's this for?" inquired the Disagree
able Man, digging into his change pocket
for ten-cent piece
eve hope it is needless to state that the
Disagreeable Man knew perfectly we'll what
the slip calling for the payment OF 10 cents
was for)
Why. it's your check" said the barkeep.
check for your drink. Ten-cent check"
The DiSagreeable Man pretended that he
didn't understand, however. and he tossed
a ten-cent piece on the bar. Then he started
to walk out
Hey" the barkeep called after him.
here's your check You pay down below -
indicating. by pointing. a man seated at a
cashiers desk situated in a dark. shadowy
place quite some distance away.
The Disagreeabie Man walked affably
back to the bar.
What's that?' he asked the barkeep.
The barkeep explained again. That slip
was the Disagreeable Mans check. He was
supposed to take 1t. etc, etc.
oh. I'm supposed to do all like that am
r. inquired the Disagreeable Man after It
had all been unraveled for his benefit by the
barkeep. We'll. you've got another sup
pose a-coming, and then one or two. The
idea is. then, that I'm to pick this little
piece of paper up walk about forty yards
with 1t to man reading sporting page
in the dim light of that corner down there
hand him the slip. pay him my money and
then walk back here to the door-and all
or this for the purpose of enabling the boss
OF this dump to keep his books correctly
to enable the big noise of this rummiferous
plant TO check up the curves of his en-
poyes SOS they won't do him? Well. as
a.
supposes shy. l won't do it. l don't have
to do 1t. And I'm not a-going to do it. l
have purchased 10 cents worth OF LIQUID
merchandise at this establishment | am
perfectly solvent. l place the money to raw
for my 10 cents worth of merchandise on
the counter in front of the man who de-
hvered the merchandise to me, thusy. All
right. That let's out"
Whereupon. the Disagreeable Man once
again tossed his ten-cent piece in front of
the wondering barkeep and walked out
And tn old kageezer's not far wrong
at that come t think it over" was the
barkeep's comment unto himself.
After resting up his vocal chords for
little while. the Disagreeable Man walked
into drug store, with the idea of seeing
what would happen if he were to try to
get himself a glass OF ice cream soda
Il want he said to the suky (why are
so many of EN- sulkyH white-coated
young man who was behind the soda
water counter, "a glass of chocolate ice
cream soda water"
Git y'r check tn other side num-
bled the white-coated young man. sousing
some used glasses underneath the fountain.
How is that?" inquired the Disagree
able Man.
(Again it Is hoped that it is not necessary
to explain that the Disagreeable Man was
quite fully aware of just exactly what was
going to come OFF,
Other side FIR y'r check" mumbled the
suiky soda water fountain young man
again.
But said the Disagreeable Man. with
a well-slmulated mys1ified expression, Il
fear | do nol-er--under-
~ git y'r check over there. see?' said
the sullen soda water fountain young man.
this time pointing to gum-chewing and
also sulky-looking young woman with
muchly -messed-up -and-ratted hair, who
WAS leaning her arms on wire-screened
desk quite a distance away from the foun-
tain. and engaged at that moment in read
ing a novel with green and pink and
yellow cover
"Oh. l believe 1 understand" said the
Disagreeable Man. then. 'The point is,
then that before 1 purchase any soda
water here l am compelled to
Just then the proprietor Of the drug
store strolled up and the Disagreeabie
Man addressed his remarks to the boss.
beginning over again.
II came in here" he stated In perfectly
cool tone, Ito buy myself 10 cents worth
Of chocolate ice cream soda water. When
request your young man hero to serve
me with that same. he informs me that he
cannot serve me with the article that l
desire until l have expended quite a good
deal Of my carefully conserved energy by
walking through that narrow aisle there.
between banked-up stands OF picture pos
tails, and butting against some ten or nj
teen womenfolks engaged in looking at
those picture postals, and then approaching
that desk where the young woman with
the gum is. and waiting for woman VINO
ia sending a tWo-dollar money order to a
off
money order office, and waiting for TWO
more women that want to buy innocent
stamps, and then waiting for negro
youth who wishes to have a four dollar
bill changed and then, when these and
other distractions are removed requesting
the somewhat testy-looking young woman
behind the screen to tear me OIL Ten
cent slip wherewith to pay for my glass
of chocolate ice cream soda water Is
that it? !,
That" replied the proprietor of the
drug store, lis the way the thing Is done
You see, we have a system
Exactly, exactly" cut in the Disagree
able Man Il fully understand. | perfectly
apprehend your meaning. You We got d
system whereby you expect the puphc u
swing along here and enrich you at the eX-
pense of not only their bank rolls but
of all sorts of personal discomfort. You
have q system whereby you make IL JuS'
as dad hinged wretched and uncomtortaoie
for your patrons as you possibly can, solely
that you may keep your eye on your IN
come By the automatic method. And the
Disagreeable Man stroiled out. fiourishins
his cane quite jauntily for himself.
Hanged if what that crouch says isn't
worth thinking over, too Is what the
druggist observed unto himself after the
Disa greeabe Man had made his getaway.
Then, to finish off the afternoon. the DIS
agreeable Man walked into q department
store Finding the haberdashery depart
ment after great effort nobody in the de-
partment seemed ever to have heard that
the establishment carried a line of habcr-
dashery), he walked W. to the counter
where mems hose were exhibited and said
to the young man behind the counter:
II want six pairs of Isle thread black
hose, size number ten and half, and L
am figuring on paying 40 cents the pair for
the same.
After very little dickering he picked out
the article in hose that he wanted.
The amount is 81 80, isn't IT," he said to
the man behind the counter
-Four ffty-that's right was the reply.
and the young man pulled out a very mys-
terious-looking sort of pad. with piece OF
carbon paper between the leaves. and all
like that, and begain to scribbe things
on It.
VERY we'll" said the Disagreeabe Man,
II have, fortunately. the exact change.
And, these socks are very light in tex
ture, shall just stick them into my pock
cts and save time. for I am somewhat
rushed. There is your $3.50 and the Dis
agreeable Man started to walk out.