The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-23
the ELEVATOR BOY.
some Personal Experiences ne Related b.
Himself,

some Personal Experiences Ne Related b.
Himself.
When Mr.. Mosswell came to our sky.
seraper as a tenant, i thought that Il.
vas one Of the most fathsrIy men eve,
met In my adventurous elevator life III.
desk had hardly been put iato room No
~ when he Gent FOR ne and said:
Sammis. my boy, the owner Of ;hi;
building ! do not care 10 know, and
shall pass the agent by with a cold God
The Janitor and the engineer will b.
naughi TO me, but / wish for the good
viii and friendship Of The elevator boy
! hear that you are fatherless. Let Ms
be father 10 you. / hear that you arr
trying to pay of gigantic mortgage OF
your widowed mothers little cottage
Take these $ as freely as they are Of
fered. Let US be father and son-com.
rades-friends."
That's the way he talked. and he wor
my young and innocent heart at once.
started right out TO make life worth liv.
ing for him. He was agent fer a smoke
consumer. and / told everybody who got
into the elevator that 1t beat anything
ever Invented and ought to be in every
respectable family. When a girl came
/
told her how benign and fatheriy Mr.
.dossweH was, and that if he employed
her she ought TO be glad to work for S
per week and pay for his ginger ale be
sides. Istole lemons and mint from Mr.
hasher' the agent, and carried them VI
TO room 81 on hot days, and when col.
ieetors came around with bills / lied tC
them and said Mr. Mosswell was out in
california to develop 100000 gold mine
No elevator boy or the face of this
earth ever set out 10 do more for a ben ,gn
tenant. For four weeks the harmony ex.
listing between US was the next thing tc
love We got to be known around the
building as Damon & Co.
When about d month had passed and
our bond of friendship seemed to be grow.
ing stronger every moment, Mr.. Mosswel
called me up one day and said:
"Sammis, have You observed the pale
| faced. careworn woman in No. 1852"
You mean the red checked, jolly-look.
ing stenographer?" l said
DO not argue with your adopted father
Sammls. To me, at least, she looks pale
and careworn and something tells me that
she is not long for this world Her salary
must be very low, as old Banks is known
as stingy man, and should she want q
buy flowers TO lay on her sisters grave
she must spend it for bacon and potatoes
instead
did her sister die?"
ASK no questions. She has probably
lost sister by the grim destroyer. as
others of US have. She shall have flowers
10 lay on the grave. Here is a bouquet
When she is out at lunch to-day, ! want
you TO leave il on her table. There is nc
| card attached. Other bouquets will follow
and eventually she will get TO know the
name of the donor and sympathiZer.'
l couldn't make things out. Miss Jared
the only woman in room 235 had cheeks
like roses and was always laughing, and
she could beat me at jumping over chairs
I took the bouquet, however, and had just
placed it on her desk when old Banks
came out of the inner room. AS soon as
hair and yelled:
you young villain, but what mashei
has dared send my niece flowers? Give
me his name. or I'll twist your neck"
They are for her sisters grave"
said.
''Ycu young Hart She never had sis
terri
Then they are because she looks pale
and careworn."
That's another lIep'
Then he shook me about till / told hin
who had sent the flowers. / didn't wan
to- of course, but l thought Mr.. Mosswel
had been mistaken. and 1t would do ne
great harm.
"Oh, it's that old. bow-legged burdock
eh?" sneered old Banks, as he let go o.
me. "All right-Pll toy with him. Com,
along and see the fun"
He entered room 237, and he grabbed
Mr.. Mosswell by the neck. and slam-bang
ed him for ten minutes, while Miss Jarei
stood In the door and clapped her hands
When my adopted father had become q
wreck, he was flung under the desk, an.
the wreeker took his departure. 1t tool
twenty minutes of first aid' on my par
to revive Mr.. Mosswell. and the frs
thing be did after getting his breath
back was to yell at me:
"You scum of the earth, but I'll burr
you at the stake for this!'
But what have l done?" i asked.
Given me awayP'
But what was there TO give away.
Can't anybody send a pale-faced, anxiou,
woman, working on starvation wages, Z
bouquet TO lay on her sisters grave?"
Rats" he whOoped as he made a graf
for my hair
l had TO leave him. His benignness haC
| fled, and he was no longer my adopted
father. He might help other elevator
boys 10 pay off the widows mortgages
but he had no more plunks for me. I wen
downstairs with heavy heart, and tina
| was out last meeting. 1 got the tanitor q
go up as a mutual friend But Mr.. Moss
| we'll threatened TO brain him with a chair
Two DAYS later he moved out OF the build
ing. Old Banks wanted to give him
| parting kick, and Miss Jared chuckled 4
| see him go. In the elevator, as l took hin
| down, l started 10 express my sympathy
but he tried TO cross his right and find III,
point of my jaw as a reward. l am griev
ed and sorry, but / cannot blame myself
There are wild adventures and strang,
mysteries IN all lives but in none NOR,
| than in the life of SAAfMIS