The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-12
The Hotel Head. Waiter. M Nl .aHaa

When the first, hot see,hiDg days of June set in motion the great tide Of sum- mer travellers towards the mountains and the seaside, the young lawyer, clerk. physician or artist in the city begins to hoard his savings for the time when he can join in the tnrong and for few briei days waste hIs substance in riotous living at the gorgeous hotels. In this 2 ddy whlrl there come sudden short stops ana awful pauses when he stands face to face with DO yer whose maj ssiy causes hun to cringe. and gasp before its awful solem- nity. These are times in i..aa's life when he realizes his utter insigulficance, ana one of these times is when ne sur veys the head-w4iter of a Saratoga hotel SuTounoed by all the pomp and glory of an eastern monarch the grand creature stands in the grand entrance to the gilded dining p tlAce and with h aughtY meIn ana maJestic gesture sends his suoj -cts hitner aod thilher by wave of hts hand. Alone ln his glory, like ali kings. his sable coun- .enance wears look oi gloomy oenignity. His spotless linen and raven black gar nents oespeak of the imm acutate serenity ot hls great mind. No one so bold as 10 dare to triae with him or utter a merry jest in hls awful presence; he is sur rounded by a circle, invisible, but i'm. PAssAble, a barrier as of ice.
 Mark how the city clerk on vacation snlckers in his sleeves as he sees hls em ployer creep humoly to the seat assigned nlm by the dark potentate without daring to utter an objection, although opposite sits the man he swlndled on big biil ol goods last winter, and whose burning glance eats into his souL The little clerk In his twenty dollar suit sees the congress- man bow before hls mej :sty, and au of them, mAgnates of the railroads, gover- nors, aye, even presidents, approach the presence with fear and trembling. No. body seems to dare to insult the m .stlc creature by a vulgar "tip," although the sly hands him $500 pill.
 See thls humble, aUJ Ct ere a'ure, whose ill-Etung garments and snuff lg, tinid galt indicate that he has no ouhness ID this gorgeous place With evident dread he approaches the headwaiter, and, un- mindful of the war aing frown on his face, speaks to him. See how he sues for something, pro oably crust from table. No he takes the head waiter out of the room. May be the waiter Is about to klIl hIm. Whatl that was the proprietor of the hotel! You don't say soI Even he dreads the black tyrant.
 So he reigns asd his subj .cts are le- gions. As he stands agalnst d pillar, one hand behind hIs back, the other in his vest. he IS a picture. What are the thoughts passing through the royal br .in Perhaps be thinks that he, too, IS clay, be thinking ot the distant past when watermeiops held charm greater than any dish the chef serves. Even head walters mey arise from poverty and oo- scurily. P>rhaps he was a poor boy once, you think, and ran around with clothes like fishing nets in their perfect ventiauon. Perhaps in some distant vil- lage an aged mother sits and dreams of the grandeur her son has attained and lenderly tondles some little treasure oi his youth, possibly the rszor he carried m his lit Ie hip pocket. O. maybe be IS thinking of his own son, who is grosins up as smart as his father is. and be specu. lates on the boys future as he planned to make a sleeping car porter of him and found a family. Vlslons of cake-walks ID early days drift though his mind and "eird figures like 4 II A crowd before his eyes as he recolleC,s the dream he had last night of a snake with a silver door knob for head trying to swallow pelican, and he wishes he has his dream book with him to find out what numbers to play. During the hours be- tween meals he is invisible to the guest and those who g,ve thought to the sub. Ject imagine that he is secreted in grand chamber, where alone in glory, he waits on time.