The sun., 1898-12-18
AN ELEVATORS PERVERSITY
HEIGHTS TO WHICH oLD-FASHIoNRD
COURTESY CLIMBED.

| An Afternoon Tea Six Flights Up and an
| Elevator on strike-Diherent Conduct Of
Women of tho Older and the Younger
Generation-A Trip Over Two Roofs.
The perversity OF inanimate things in gen.
eral. and Of elevators in particular. furnished
| absorbing topics Of conversation at an uptown
tea yesterday. The testimony handed in all
pointed to the conclusion that. for inbred imp.
| ishness and diabolical malice. an elevator can
| give points TO all inanimate and most animate
objects and the tales that were told OF elevator
wrongdoing would move a credulous person to
abandon lofty heights and HE himself to
| ground floors or Easements
| The hostess listened to the cheerful stories
| which were intended for her moral support,
and she smiled and joked about the situation.
| and made heroic effort to assume an air Of
| jovial unconcern but in her heart were bitter
| ness and gall and at intervals she led some
| member Of the family to a secluded spot and
relieved her feelings by expressing her opinion
| of elevators and teas and fate. Yet, after all.
the joke was on the guests. and II they could
! suffer serenely the hostess should have been
philosophical.
The tea hours were from to 6. At 3 tho
elevator was running merrily-even more
smoothly than usual. Not suggestion Of
malice or evil intention did It show. At 4 it
threw off its mask and stuck fast at the first
floor. Persuasion. abuse. force. were all wasted
upon It. The elevator boy and the janitor and
the engineer and the agent explained to it that
the lady on the top floor had invitations out for
a tea that afternoon. The elevator was sulky
obstinate. The hostess herself came down and.
with tears in her voice. explained the situation.
The elevator could not be moved. even by tears.
Then workmen attacked it and cheered the
soul of the hostess with encouraging promises:
but the elevators open door smiled satirically
The hostess and her assistants held council.
There 8 nothing to do but treat 1t as joke"
said the grandmother with philosophical resig-
nation gained by long years Of life in New York.
The hostess looked as though she had no sense
of humor.
Nobody will climb those six flights Of stairs"
she walled. The grandmother. in whose honor
the tea was given tilted her chin loftily.
My dear. that may be the manner OF the
younger generation but my friends who como
here will climb the stairs. They wouldn't
dream of coming to the door and turning back
I'm afraid courtesy and energy are dying to-
gether in these days"
~ And she was right; The only cards left With
alder alder, women d one and ALL tosd l. up the six
ing e 9shed
stoutly, that stair climbing had always been
tion one might have believed that they fire.
before meals. Just by way Of an appetizer. On
each landing Of the stairs were gathered
s q Ss SSs So RS tsrsa
much @ SveiraaPos. p't really H" couldn't Climb the
s nc fss s s'ffof 'a' tea ever
cannot climb the stairs" she said firmly
TO the elevator boy. who was in m ost humble
and ehastened mood. for everybody seemed to
But how shall 20 up p asked the lady.
osPss pi searse Shall SSb 90; But hoS So%F" S@P
He shook his head hopelessly.
there no other mode OF ingress Z" asked the
Eontb lady WITH WITH Inn bmPostnG dignity she fixed the
Well. there's the power elevator"
"BBl "BntG SO IN N The in PS5we5b SS 5ls eisyator and
and Sc down back stairs ~ to the Hs fiichsH. ' oK:
roof. and through Eitchens. Lead TS me fe 70 the
She waved the lorgnon at him. and he obeyed
hin9ther guest. arriving a. thaa moment. was
scended to the cellar. accompaSied BY inter
rssbt fssSd ana were hostsd up In the
WITH macS cT saeSangsd sP earas
We may never have another opportunity OF
o!d lady. with a, thought OF the slippery roofs.
4 few minutes later the cook, who was making
chocolate for the multitude. heard II rap on
the Kitchen door and flung 1t open. There
stood portly old lady in silk and iurs. smiling
sereney.
I've come to the tea" she explained. Il
came across the roofs" and the COOK forgetting
conventonalities. said. Howy Moses!" and
then broke into d grin that stlll fingers on her
face. When the explorer Of the roofs appeared
in the drawlngroom she was greeted with
much surprise, il with less emphasis.
Why. you dear thing. how did you ever get
np those stairs: never dreamed you would
he good enough TO make that frightful exer-
tlcn; said the hostess The old lady looked''-
II had not sent cards. You might have
known would be here. my dear. In my day
we We're not brought up, In the social ideas Of
the present generation"
Then she joned the grandmother OF the
hostess who was 1 he guest OF honor. and they
had beautiful time thanking heaven that
they were not as other and younger women.
At IL quarter past b Ave minutes after tao
last guest had departed. the elevators blithely
consented to resume work. But the tea was a
success in spite OF fate aud now, when her
grandmother tells tales Of the good old days
that would m9vea mummy to skepticsm. the
hostess moekly listens and believes. She has
seen To what lengths-and heghtS-courtesy
Will carry the older generation,