In the early 1860s, M. S. Beach used to board and eat his meals at the only hotel at the time--the El Paso Hotel. During the early 1860s, flour became scarce and its prices usually rose sharply during the winter. Nevertheless, the El Paso Hotel occasionally served hot biscuits much to everyone's pleasure. On one such occasion, Beach was savoring his biscuit when urgent business at the office interrupted him and he had to leave without finishing his meal. Hoping to return soon, Beach left the biscuit on his plate. After a short time, Beach returned to the hotel and found his meal waiting for him, all but the biscuit. But, to his delight, the hotel gave him another biscuit. So, as Beach was settling in to enjoy his biscuit, office duty interrupted him a second time. Leaving his biscuit on his plate, Beach hurried away to take care of the urgent business. When he returned, just like the first time, Beach found his meal untouched except for the biscuit. It was gone again. Yet, just as before, the hotel gave Beach another biscuit. As he began enjoying his biscuit, Beach again was called to the office for the third time. Frustrated yet calm, Beach loudly and firmly said as he was leaving the hotel dining room, "I'm not going to lose the sale of a lot and this biscuit too." When he returned, Beach was greatly pleased to find his biscuit on his plate just as he had left it.