THEY ASKED FOR BEER.
Demands of Two Men Surprised a
Bank Cashier.
They were railroad men, as was plainly shown by their clothes and the grimy faces. The tow men entered the bank together, and, swinging their dinner pails, shuffled across the tile floor to the marble counter, behind which sat the third assistant cashier. One dinner pail went up on top of the highly polished marble while railroad man No. 2 put his pail on the floor, where he could keep one foot against it. Then the two men placed an elbow apiece on the marble top and faced each other. One began telling a story to his friend and the dapper assistant cashier waited patiently until he had finished, and then asked:
"What will you have, gentlemen?"
"Beer, please," said one. "Make it two," added the other.
Was it possible, had he heard right? The assistant cashier was confused, but managed to stammer out a "Beg pardon?" The answer appalled the young man, who had never had the question asked of him back in Gallatin, where he had worked in his father's bank. It also touched his pride, for it was "Two bears, pal." He informed the men that they had made a mistake, that they were in a bank and not a saloon.
"The only time this bank serves John Barleycorn," he said, "is when the president meets in yonder room with the directors."
The astonished cashier repeated to his friends and was surprised to learn that all of the banks have such occurrences on an average of once a week. Apparently, the men are so much under the influence of liquor that they do not see anything but the polished top of the marble counters and labor under the impression that such affairs are only for sliding schooners across. Banks are not the only places of business where consumers of beer and whisky apply for thirst quenchers. Newspapers that have their business offices on the ground floor have often been taken for barrooms. Any office that has a solid wood or marble counter running across the room, separating their working force from the rabble, is subject to be taken for a saloon. Many times young women cashiers have had men ask for liquor, believing they were in a saloon.
