The times., 1901-05-26
ONE woMAN's EXPERIENCE.
What Happened when the Indicator
Failed to Indicate.

H"ppeheu mhen the Indicator
Failed to Indicate.
In that sprightly little paper, the Lon
don Onlooker," a puzzled but interested
Briton tells of her first experience with
an American invention which apparently
is not being appreciated in London:
Come 1 said. recolleeting that come
is the term one generally uses In Ameri-
ca when knock comes to your bedroom
door, and as I was staying in a hotel
which boasted that it was run on Ameri-
can principles 1 wished to show that 1
was accustomed to American manners.
a smart page boy entered the room.
bearing lemon and a pair of squeezers
on tray. I looked at him in astonish-
ment.
What have you brought me a lemon
for?" / asked. rs this a delicate Ameri-
can attention."
You ordered one. madam
Il ordered a BATH / said, "and don
think that even IN France they would ex-
pect you to wash off the dust of a three
days journey with one pale lemon and a
pair of SqueeZerS.
Sorry, madam, but the Indicator point
ed a lemon and it was my work to
bring one uo to S..
Perhaps l set the Indicator wrong" I
said, but it doesn't matter. VIII you
please order me bath or tell the cham
Sorry madam, but m attached to the
Indicator only. You must be careful how
you set it; place the finger on the disc az
the words hot bath interrupted
him "Oh, yes. l know all that. fol-
lowed the Instructions most carefully.
But if you cant order me a bath you can
go. Leave the lemon, please.
1 set the indicator very carefully Tor
the second time, and waited for the I'M
portant knock on the door. l had not TO
wait long, however. for the indicator was
certainly answered more promptly tnan
any bell 1 ever rang. A fresh page boy
knocked at the door and entered, and l
detected a look of mild surprise on MS
face when he saw me. NO. 81 was eVi-
IDENTIFY not the sort of party whom he ex-
pected would order a glass of port vine
/ allowed him to place the wine on the
table beside the lemon before l spoke
II wanted a hot bath;" said, and you
have brought me glass of port wine.
Are you boys playing practical joke on
me?''
certainly not, madam; am very sorry.
but the indicator pointed TO port wine
and it was my business to fetch 1t to
room s."
':Then I certainly don't understand the
indicator" 1 said. ''Will you kindly set
it. for l suppose you are not allowed to
order me a bath?'
NO. Very sorry. madam, but I am at
tached to the indicator. can't give or
take any orders.
of superiority and then left the room.
sat down and waited to see what would
happen.
A still more startling knock came to the
door, and this time a fuil-grown man
appeared. Cab at the door. madam.
Shall take your iuggage?"
Take my luggagel7 / said in tones of
despair. I'm in my dressing gown! 1
ordered hot BATH
Very sorry. madam, but the Indicator
pointed TO night porter and cab. ="
For heavens sake" 1 said. '.go down.
stairs and ask someone to order me a
bath and send the cab away"
I'm sorry. madam, but the bath Is out
of my line; but I'll send the cab away
In a moment he had disappeared. I
searched the room for an honest bell, but
there was none to be seen, so there was
nothing to be done bat to try the indica-
tor again. 1t was evidently a very deli
cate machine. which reGuired knowing.
In less than five minutes the first page
boy who had brought me lemon bound
ed into my room carrying a large pitcher
of iced water on his arm
You young wretch l said 'Eyou know
quite well that 1 have been indicating for
a bath for the last half hour and more
Why did you fetch up that iced water?"
Sorry, madam he said. with merry
fetch up to the rooms whatever article
the finger on the disc pointed to; we've
got to do it quick and sharp I'd have got
into trouble if hadn't attended to my
orders.
Il wish to goodness" said. that there
was a sensible bell in this rom, OF that
one of you Indicator boys was allowed to
carry message. or that some one who
isn't attached to the Indicator would
come to the door"
Very sorry, madam but I'd get my
discharge If ! do anything but obey the
indicator. Try the bloomin' thing again;
it might point TO bath this time; you
never know your luck
There was nothing else to do but to try
my luck as he had suggested and this time
| waited with some degree Of curiosity to
see what would appear.
The knock came to the door again, fol-
lowed In moment by waiter with
Continental Bradshaw upon a silver
charger How l wished it was the man
ayers headi
Put that Bradshaw down" I said, ''be-
side the lemons and the port wine and
the iced water. I'm quite tired OF play
these things have been brought to me in
stead"
The waiter put the Bradshaw down on
the table and glanced at the indicator
with supreme contempt. These ma !
Chimes" he said, may be all right in |
but they don't seem to suit the |
English climate.
Other three times I tried my luck, but I
without success; telegraph forms, hot
Ion theatres were fetched to me with |
great promptness and a considerable dis
play of nice feeling. My last attempt, |
brought the manager; the fin /
ger had pointed to his august name, |
which afforded me an opportunity of eX- |
pressing my feelings upon the subject of |
American indicators versus bells