The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-27
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THE HOT WATER BUTTON,
Country Couple which Accepted
the Directions Literally.


This is tale of pressing the button.
blaine Viles, OF Skowhegan, tells II to
me. / don't know where he got the facts
Couldn't have been In skowhegan, of
course.
But wherever II was. n couple from the
country game to the hotel of which the
tnle IL told. OF course. this may have
happened In Bob Haines' hotel In SHOW
hogan. But / doubt It, for Bob has told
me many times that II is a liberal edu-
cation for man. woman or child to stop
In his hotel five minutes
Rural parties in question asked TO be
shown to a room. Boy escorted them ,ip
Left them standing IN the center sof the
room locking around
over the electric pthsh-abutton. OF cours.et
was the usual card directing "A guest to
ring once for ice water. twice for hot
water, etc. II IL evident that the first
business of the new arrivals was to study
the card.
In about five minutes the bell on the
annunciator in the office commenced to
ring - prin-n-ng. prin-n-ng prtn-n-ng,
demonstrating the hot water call over
and over. The number shown was the
number of the room occupied by the rurul
PARTIES
The hoy rushed into the wash room
and drew a pitcher of hot water Still
the bell kept sounding steadily two rings
In quick succession.
"Git a move on" shouted the clerk 70
the boy. Them parties In slumteen
must he considerably fused up on the
hot water question. They must have cold
feet"
The hoy was already half way upstairs.
running like n deer. The bell stu kept
ringing.
The clerk. craged by the noise Of tho
bell stood up in a chair. saying things In
rapid succession, and held his hand on
the gong, dulhng It's sound.
The boy tore into the room with his
pitcher of hot water stopping. The new
arrivals. man and wife, were standing be
fore the electric button. Their eyes were
on the card The man held a howl care
fully under the button. with his head
turned away. 80 that IN. hot water
wouldn't squirt into his eyes. and the wo-
man was pressing tho button with resu-
lar stroke. They were doing their best to
get hot water strictly according TO direc-
TONS
Here. stop thatr' yelled the boy TO the
woman. Here's your hot water"
The man with the bowl lowered that ar
ticle and looked AZ the boy.
What says he--fhe man from the the
rural d.stricts--'"'Dye have 10 bring II In
a pitcher In the ola-fashioned wayf Wal.
snum What's tine trouble with yer
water works hersY I've been prcaSln' thia
button accordin' 10 the rewlee here on
the card and there haint a darnesi drop
OF water come out VII. when things
Amt worSln ye ought 10 hang up a align
sayin out OF order That's they way
they DO on the weishln machine ~ 10
SiIe Cobb'a grocery store"
Ana when the teiinoy came out OF his
swoon he told tho Aerk. and the clerk
went graveiy upstairs with a tiny visiting
card. on which he had written. Not
Working"
lie carried a spike and a hammer. and
after gaining admission 20 room Hlumieen
he nailed up the card with the stAAe
The guest surveyed HIS work With in
terest
There, that's business" sale the man
from the rural districts III she amt
workin'. say 40. and ~ it's Eoin' TO trou~
hle yc any to fetch water Up here. me an
the woman will come down ter the sink
and wash up. jet rs soon dew II e not"
Lewiston Journal