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Show LEADVILLE. 207 telephone lines, street railways, the letter carrier system, fine public schools, several large smelting and reduction establishments, stamp and sampling mills, a fine opera house, several extensive wholesale and retail grocery, dry goods and hardware houses; three daily newspapers, the Chronicle, Herald and Democrat; corner lots worth $5,000 to $10,000, and everything that goes to form a full-fledged city. We were soon comfortably located at the Grand Central. Mr. Chapin, the proprietor, has been a hotel keeper in Colorado for years. A story is told of him that when conducting a hotel in Denver in the early times, a negro called with a very fine turkey under his arm, and wanted to sell it to the " boss." Mr. Chapin bought.it and gave an order for four more. The negro answered, " I ain't got no wagon, and fo' fowls jist like dat ar, would be a big tote, so I will fotch one at a time, boss, if dat will suit you." " All right," said Chapin, " but be sure to get them here in time for my Thanksgiving dinner." "O, I'll do dat, boss, you may 'pend 'pon it." The negro called every day, each time lugging a big turkey, received his money, and was ordered to put it in the coop invthe back yard. The day before Thanksgiving Mr. Chapin, speaking of his forthcoming dinner, said to a friend, " come, let me show you my turkeys, they are fine." To his astonishment there was only one turkey in the coop. It was afterward discovered that the negro had stolen the one bird out of the coop each night and sold it to him next morning. |
