A modern-day Robin Hood crept through the night last week to deliver a gift that will help the quarterless stay in touch — and perhaps set the phone companies back a few dollars.

Overnight last week, a free telephone appeared next to the Hair Loft by Charles, 512 E. College Ave.

The owner of the telephone, who is not connected to the Hair Loft, doesn't want recognition for the phone and asked that his name not be used. But he did talk about his reasons for constructing and installing the $300 utility.

"You do things because you like people," the owner said. "So many people put their names on things and think that's important. I don't think it is."

The owner said he purposely installed the phone during the night so no one would know who provided it.

Last week, Hair Loft employee Branden Miller noticed a metal pole next to his workplace. The next day, he found a phone.

"I saw this pole, and I thought, 'Oh, they're going to put a light there. That'll look really nice,'" Miller said. "The next morning I turned around and there's a telephone there."

The free phone stands next to the Hair Loft and looks like an ordinary pay phone at first glance — only there is no coin slot begging for quarters and dimes.

Large blue letters read "telephone" from the side of its aluminum and steel frame, but the phone is free of any company logos or other advertising.

A sign on the telephone says it is free for local calls. A black case protects a new telephone book from the weather and a dozen pencils and scraps of paper sit on its ledge.

Constructing a free, public phone is something virtually unheard of, said Briana Gowing, manager of media relations for Verizon. Usually if there is a "free" phone, the cost to the user is listening to advertisements, she said.

"I've been here for six years, and this is the first time I've heard of anything like this," said Gowing, who also worked at the Federal Communications Commission for four years.

"It would be nice if he's just doing it," she added.

Employees at the Hair Loft said they like the new telephone, but expressed concern about vandalism.

"I think we all think it's a great idea. We just hope it's not destroyed," said Amy Beck, who has worked at the Hair Loft on and off for the past 13 years. "It's a nice gesture."

The owner said he is prepared for vandalism. He has three extra telephones, nearly 150 pencils and stacks of paper ready if anything is stolen or damaged. He even has 12 extra phone books in stock.

The telephone might have been particularly useful during the Verizon strike last August, when hundreds of students were stranded without phone service for several weeks, said Karl Jones (senior-telecommunications).

"I waited for phone service for a few weeks," he said. "I probably would have used it every day."

Now, Jones said he uses the phone to occasionally call friends when he doesn't feel like walking all the way up to his apartment.

In the future, the owner said he plans to add free long distance calling that will be routed through his computer.

"I'm going to lose (money)," the owner said. "I get up every morning and feel good that I did that.

"I've done something for somebody," he said.