Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-01-01
PRACTICAL JOKER
PROVES NEMESIS
TOCH.ARLIECOOK

| Whoever started as a practical
rotary of states office. the signing
Of his name to order blanks for
things advertised in the newspapers
and magazines, has carried the joke
entirely too far. Mr.. Cook will pay
a reward of 500 to discover his
identity, and will prosecute him if
he is found.
Some weeks ago Mr.. Cook had de-
livered ~toahin at the state capitol.
by an express wagon. an enormous
showcase. thirty-six feet long. on
which the express charges were $50,
apparently being rated at 81 per
foot, Mr.. Cook refused to accept the
thing. He had not ordered it and
knew nothing about it. On the aft
ernoon OF the same day. while Mr..
Cook was out of his office. the ex-
press wagon brought the showcase
back and somebody in the secretary
of states office signed for it in be-
half of Mr.. Cook. thinking they were
doing him a favor.
A few days later he received a
bill for the showcase from the man
ufacturer in Chicago. acknowledging
with thanks his order for the same.
expressing the hope that it had ar
rived in good order. and that he
would find it quite satisfactory. Mr..
Cook wrote them a complete repudia-
ton of the showcase order. the show
case, the delivery of the same, and
all things connected with it. Then
ensued lengthy correspondence in
the course Of which Mr.. Cook was
threatened with suit if he did not
pay the bill. Finally the concern had
the showcase shipped back to Chi
cago and Mr.. Cook thought the mat
ter was ended. Some. days later a
secretary from the governors office
came over with letter notifying
the governor that the showcase con-
Germ wished him to pay $72 covering
express charges both ways on the
showcase. etc.
This charming little incident was
merely the beginning of an expert
ence which has unraveled itself
through a period of sixty days, until
where the sight of an express wagon
nauseateS him, and the yellow card
notice of registered mail makes him
sick at the stomach.
A graphophone came from Sears,
Roebuck & Co. The express wagon
delivered it at Mr.. Cooks residence
His wife, after calling him at the
office on the telephone, refused to
accept it. Another long and aggra-
waiting correspondence ensued. Mr..
Cook finally succeeded in convincing
the famous mail order house that he
had not ordered any graphophone
from them
He received the Literary Digest
from some mysterious and unknown
source. He thought some friend had
sent it to him as present. In q
month he received a bill for years
subscription. This bill he paid. since
he had been buying the Digest regu-
larly on the news stand. and it is
the only one OF the long list of bills
which he has paid.
He received the New York Times
On the strength of a subscription
had signed his name. He received
the Memphis mmercial-Appeal, a
most estimable newspaper, for which
he says he had no earthly use. He
received the Review of Reviews mag
azine.
all kinds began to come to him-Dr.
Eliot's famous Five-Foot Book Shelf,
"How to Become Mechanic" in ten
volumes; numerous other works of
divers kinds, some OF which Mr.. Cook
had never heard Of.
Thursday morning came the final
straw that broke the camePs back
of his silence. He received post
card acknowledging with thanks
your order for our complete set of
O. Henry's works. with Oppenheim
Free" and informing him that "the
same had been shipped by express"
Up to this time Mr.. Cook had been
the post card acknowledgment, sig
nifying to his mind that he was in
for another controversy, was more
than he could stand. He told his
newspaper friends about it in the
hope that publication of his unfortu-
nate predicament might obtain some
relief.