The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-01
THAT BELL BOY.
New York Graphic.

mild protestation at being asked to do any work, rises from bench in the corner of the hotel lobby, shuffles over to the counter, sagaciously standing to one side to protect his eyes from the glitter of the clerks diamond pin, and listens with an air of offended hu- mility while the autocrat of the reg ister tells him to "see what 932 wants"
 How well he knows that there are six flights of stairs, the first covered with thickly padded velvet carpet, the second with Brussels carpet, also thickly padded, into which his tired feet sink soothingly; the third cov- cred with common carpet, the fourth oil cloth, the fifth painted, and the last innocent of any covering whatever between him and "932." But he starts off like quarter horse, and continues at reasonably rapid gait until he is out of the clerks sight; but then what changel He steps firmly on the first of the stairs, grasps the rail firmly and takes the second step, and so on until he learns what "932" wants, if the guest has not by that time forgot ten what 1t was.
 But he is very useful person, the hotel boy is, despite his abundance of leisure when busy, and his life is not like bed of roses.
 They sec many queer things, too, these bell boys. People much used to living in hotels are apt to regard the hotel boys as their own family ser- wants, and call them at all sorts of hours to do all sorts of things. A congressman, not from the west, but this time an eastern one, used to call the bell boy every night to perform the duties of a valet, helping him un- dress, cutting his corns and similar little offices. "'
 The ladies are apt to push the elec- tric button which calls the bell boy on all sorts of things, and bell boys often in answering call find the fair caller in the most startling sort of dtsha6slle, and sometimes with not even clothing on to justify its being called dishabille.
 They "get the dots" on lots of peo- pie, too, these bell boys. An assidu- ous society belle, worn out with ex- citement and late hours, has little instrument with hollow, needle like point, with which she wishes to inject few grains of morphine under the lily white skin-no, not of her arm, because the red blotch would show every time she appeared in evening dress for week; but she has no mor- phine. The bell boy gets some for her.
 And if we'll known Prohibitionist should want to have little drink or bottle brought to his room, who would find 1t out before the bell boy? But these boys are supposed to have neither eyes nor tongues-nothing but ears-and these only for the reception of orders.
 Several noted and we'll fought di- vorce suits have been decided by the testimony of bell boys, though gener- ally in such cases the bell boy displays the unretentive memory and inability to identify people whose personality would be supposed to be deeply im- pressed on his mind by attendant cir cumstances that insure his retention in the hotel as long ss he chooses. The ease with which the bell boys have forgotten the most astonishing sort of things when on the witness stand is even amusing.
 Bell boys sometimes also ascend to the heroics. Some time ago a western congressman blundered into 8 room of lady guest while she was asleep. She rang the bell, the enunciator dropped, the bell boy came and re- lieved the lady of the congressman's presence.
 Sometimes, too, a brute (for brutes are to be found on hotel registers as well as anywhere else) comes to his room drunk and beats his wife, and the bell boy is ruDg up by the unfor- tunate spouse to take her part. Some of the boys have been roughly ham, dled, too, in such rencontres as this. But the end is apt to be that the brute sobers up the next morning and ceases to be brute, and the wife gets a trunkfnl of new dresses and b0nnets galore, and the bell boy Aswatch and chain, and the event never rets out side the family and the bell boy. But what the stair -climbers-for they are not allowed to ride in the elevators in frst-class hotels hail with especial joy is . "quiet little game of poker" When boy gets wind of one such he haunts the corridor that communi- cates with the room and claims the party as his "meat." When the party