Bar Patterns
with him with a feeling that his nickname of "Gentle–
man Jim" was well deserved. Jim would never let a
barman, a waiter, a bellboy, a telegraph operator, or a
telephone girl, do anything for him without a tip; and
persons in a menial position are wont to measure man–
ners by the yardstick of generosity.
One of the handsomest figures that graced the room
in the afternoons and evenings. was that of Emanuel
Chappelle, a champagne salesman. "Man.ny," as every–
body called him, was known in every restaurant and
drinking palace where two or thl'.ee :were able to gather
together and "open wine"-as was ' called the process
of purchasing champagne. His portly figure, white hair
and architecturally perfect features were familiar in res–
taurants and bars from the Washington Arch to what
some called the Grant's Tomb Annex. He had been
brought from San Francisco by Jim Corbett to take '
charge of the cigar counter in the latter's saloon, but
now he represented one famous brand of champagne,
and a tall lad by the name of Murphy sold another.
They were rivals and they also had
otl~er
rivals. It
~as
not an uncommon happening for these purchasing sales–
men to furnish a spectacle for the crowd by vying with
each other in buying their own brands. The habit was
to collect about their tables as many thirsty and ap–
preciative drinkers as possible and start opening quarts,
in rapid succession, and then continuing with "mag–
nums." It was whispered about town that Manny, for
such and similar purposes, had an expense allowance
of twenty-five thousand dollars a year.
If
any of these gentry had reserved a table in one of
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57]