Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-09-10
HIT THE WRONG BANK
Story of the Man Who Wanted to
Open a Small Account.
A WALL STREET EXPERIENCE.
The Would Be Deposition of Modest
Means Found Himself In a Place For
MilIionaires-An Officials Courteous
Explanation and Advice.

MilIionaires-An officials Courteous
Explanation and Advice.
"When," said the man who writes
pieces for magazines and things. "by
some strange and unprecedented chance.
l had got hold of matter of $3.50 all
at one and the same time it looked big
to me. BY an even more curious
chance there wasn't anything that
really needed to do with the money. so
decided that I'd bank It.
"Now, knew In a general way that
In order to put money In a bank you've
got to be known and give your pedl-
gree and look respectable, and all that
and | hated to approach n bank with
out any sort of credentials. Therefore
L went to the business manager of a
certain magazine which occasionally
prints pieces that write and asked
him what I'd better do.
Simplest thing in the world said
he. IN give you note to our bank
THAT sounded fine to me. He wrote
me the note, and l started for the bank
good deal tickled over how easy the
little depositing proceeding had been
made.
THE bank to which l had the note is
in Wall street. l asked the uniformed
man who was standing around where
I'd find the receiving tellers window
and he pointed that window out to me-
L got into line and watched the teller
take In money.
Il must own that 1 was a bit stalled
to note the great size Of some of the
deposits he was receiving. Why, fell
lows were giving the money to him by
the satchelful. But l had my note in
my pocket, and l remained complacent
enough with that consciousness.
When l reached the receiving teller
l passed in my note, and the receiving
teller, decidedly civil young man.
opened it and read 1t. Then he looked
at me, after which he read the note
again, this time with a sort of puzzled
expression on his countenance. l didn't
see why the receiving teller should be
puzzled over such simple matter, but
puzzled he seemed He rang a bell,
and the uniformed man who'd directed
me to that window appeared.
Show this gentleman to the office
Of the cashier said the receiving teller
to the uniformed man, at the same
time regarding me with pleasant
smile, and the uniformed man led me
down the passageway and took me
behind a railing where there was a
handsome gray haired gentleman sit
ting at desk.
"The handsome gray haired gentle
man received rne cordially and invited
me to be seated. l handed him my
note. which the receiving teller had
returned to me, and he leaned back in
his chair and read it carefully. Then
he, too looked puzzled after he'd read
the note a second time. Then he look
ed at me pleasantly over the tops of
his spectacles.
'Ahem" said the handsome gray
haired gentleman, not disagreeably, but
in nice, banker-like way. Might L
er-inquire, Mr.. Penphist, without
seeming to be unduly inquisitive, as
to how-eV large a-er-balance you
would usually be carrying?
"Well, that was n civil enough ques
ton, nothing inquisitive about it.
why, sir | said to the handsome
gray haired gentleman, L am opening
an account with matter of some $3.50,
but | shall no doubt make some addi-
tions to that within the next two
months, and probably shall carry a
balance of-well. say $500 or 5000 right
along
"The kindly cashier with the gray
hair fairly beamed upon me.
'Er-just so, just So said he. twid-
ding his thumbs. We feel compli-
mented, Mr.. Penphist. we really do,
that you should have come to US. And
it is unfortunate-er-rcally unfortu-
nate, that we are so utterly hacking in
facilities for taking care of accounts
of such a character
You see, Mr.. Peuphist, our institu-
ton Is of-er-a sort of special charac-
ter. 1t is used as a depository by
well, perhaps l should put it in a
clearer manner. say it to you quite in
confidence, you understand, Mr. Pen
phist but we have only 1000 deposit
ors on our books, and these 1,600 de-
positors' aggregate balances amount all
the time to a matter of S110,O0O,0O0
well, that was about enough.
saw the light then. I'd drifted into
n millionatres' bank on the careless Gre
dentials of a business manager who'd
written me that note no doubt in a
thoughtless mood.
THE gray haired cashier acted bully
about it. He recommended fine bank
to me-'one that combines perfect re-
sponsibility with the necessary facili-
ties for handling accounts like-er-
yours, Mr.. Penphfst,' he added.
"For all of the cashiers niceness
walked out of there into the cold gray
light Of Wall street feeling like a good
deal of a human caterpillar.
II didn't go to the bank recommended
to me by the cashier; didn't have the
nerve to visit any more banks. I've
got S62 left now of the $780, but I'm
going to use that as a nest egg, and
maybe some day even yet I'll have e
bank account New York SIM