Newspaper Article – Napier boarder

A Napier hotelkeeper is looking for an erstwhile boarder. The boarder made himself thoroughly at home for a week or so and after taking his bags to the hall, invited the proprietor to a final “spot.” During the disposal of the fluid refreshment he advised the proprietor that he was travelling for a certain firm of chemist suppliers, and that his account would be fixed by a certain chemist in town. The proprietor looked a little dubious, on which the boarder said he would get the chemist to ring him and the arrangement was all right. The chemist did so a few minutes later and said he would “fix the proprietor up if called at 10 a.m. the next morning.” At that hour the boarder was hundreds of mile away. Then the “fixing” came to be discussed. It eventuated that the boarder had called on the chemist, stated that the proprietor was suffering from a malady but was diffident about calling on a chemist and that he (the boarder) had promised to see the chemist and ask him to ring the proprietor, asking him to call and telling he would “fix him up.” Both the chemist and the proprietor now appreciate the great value of the telephone – to the third party.