The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-22
The Fort Smelling Hotel,
AT THE LUNCH COUNTER.
About the InquIsitive Man and What
the Girl Told Him.

Sunday Republic.
Ice cream and coffee2 All right
Yours? What? Oh, ice cream and tea?
Ice or hot? Ice? All right Yes, your red
raspberrtes are coming as soon as I can
get to EN-. Great goodness! I haven't
but two hands, and those people are as
slow as molasses back there! Pie-what
kind-apple, strawberry, raspberry, black
no red-raspberry2 All right Yes, in
mlnnit! Gee"
And the little waitress at the lunch
counter whisked by on a fast run for the
back Of the long room.
Two ice creams, and what's the mat
ter with that red raspberry I ordered
half an hour agor' he called in q thin
treble as she reached the high counter
where the servers stand, cooped up, and,
bobbing about like a sparrow on her
toes, poked the tip Of her chin to a point
level with the top of the counter.
They're coming! I can't do everything
at once!" was the reply she got.
Gee! can't wait all day. Hurry up!
What's the matter with you folks back
here tonight? Been tryin' for half an
hour to get a red raspberry and can't
get it! Want me to lose my job?"
And she dropped back to her heels and
trotted to the other side Of the counter.
There she seized a plate of some kind
and put it down Immediately Then she
started on a quick trot. in and out be-
tween the other walters, for the coffee
urn She poured out a cup of coffee, and
then went to the pie counter, where she
flshed out a quarter of a black raspber-
ry pie Then she made three grabs.
got saucer, a glass and a lot Of ice to-
gether, trotted to the tea urn, and
evolved a glass of ice tea. She dropped
slice of lemon on the side Of the saucer.
and then, with the coffee, the pie and the
tea in her two hands trotted to her wait
ing customers.
Get your ice cream in mint" she
said as she darted back toward the rear
of the house, and began calling for her
ice cream and again for that red rasp-
berry she had ordered half an hour be-
fore. This time she got it. Piling all
three saucers along her forearm, she trot,
/ ted back to her customers, and set them
down. OF course she got the red rasp-
berry in the wrong place; and of course
+ the man who got it called her attention
to the mistake.
Can't remember everything?' she said
It5wasn't a snap, of course for she was
pretty girl, and she was young and
cute. --
She switched the ice cream and the
red raspberry to their proper positions,
and
Seem to be busy tonight?' said On
Am whaFn you have2" was the re-
ply he got
And she tipped napkin across In
front of him, and tipped a bill of fare
at him, and got a glass Of water with
much rafting of ice in the process.
"Gilnne IA waffle and Coffee said
the man
And the girl started on a run for the
back of the house.
''Waft'es!" she called, as she got to the
high counter and pOked her chin to
level with the top. Hurry up, too. I've
lost three customers tonight cause
couldn't get what l called for and they
got tired of Waiting!"
She came back to her section Of the
counter, and while he waited for the
waffies the man tried to start a CONVEX
sation.
Hot tonightr he said
You want coffee?" said the girl.
mo; tea" said the man, unblushingly.
"Hot?"
Gee! Nor
'Ice?"
What other kind you got except. hot
and cold?"
Just colo"
Gimme ice"
The girl trotted off for the tea. When
she returned the man gave the CONVEX
sation another start
''People like ice cream this kind Of
weather, don't they?"
You want ice cream2"
And she started for the back of the
house.
No, no. cried the man. 81 said peo-
pie eat lot of ice cream this weather,
don't they?"
Good deal. WhewP'
''Hot?"
Not much say 'whew' sometimes
| when I'm real cool"
| Keeps you pretty busy, doesn't it?"
| yes. Amt many girls here this time
| of night. you know. Supper hours over"
How many people have you served to-
night, do you reckon?'
| Gee! Don't ask me! I didn't count
'em"
Didn't have timc?"
| mol!
whats your busiest timer"
| when the most people come In
"Whut time Is that?
Goa different times
Like now, for insta b e?'
| He was a patient man; and, besides ne
really wondered il he could make that grl
! talk. She looked at him curiously for a
minute Then she smiled bit. 1t was
! the first tine she had smiled.
well, I'll tell you. It's all pretty busy
around here. When there amt much do
!
makes all of US take a large number OF
| chairs, and so we keep busy just the
/ same"
! 'But when there are not so many peo-
| pie here they are not in such hurry
are they? And you have more timer
! Always in hurry in here. Man
comes in and orders coffee, he wants II
| right away Orders pie, same thing. Or
! ders ice cream, same way"
| Then she smiled q bit.
"Only thing slow people order is waffles
| They always have plenty of time, 1t looks
like. We never hurry waffle order"
about how many ice cream orders do
| you get this kind of weather."
! ooh, 1 don't know-'bout one for every
just 50; but most Of the time they take
it a la mode'-on top Of pie, berries, cake,
or something like that"
| How many orders do you serve In a
day?"
You asked ma that just now, didn't
you?"
Did u"
Are you a census taker?''
mo; 1 am just a man with a lot of
! curtosity-and waiting for waffies."
well, 1 don't know, really, how many
| orders I serve day You see, they
come so fast we don't have time to count
EN-. But I guess I serve about thirty at
| breakfast time, fifty or sixty at dinner
time and about forty at supper time
How many does that maker
The man counted up.
Hundred and twenty or hundred and
forty"