Arizona silver belt., 1901-07-18
NINETEEN COCKTAILS FOR ~.
Mistake of the Hotel Clerk About 8 Woman
 Who Seemed to Be Thirsty.

From the New York Sun
 The ways of woman?' repeated the hotel day clerk; ives, you get a good insight into them in a hotel" Then, in A lower tone, with touch oi reminiscence in it, he added; ''DC YOU know, they are much like the ways of Providence, inscrutable and past finding out? And you are likely to jump the wrong way in judging d woman's motives. Now Pll tell you a story to illustrate that.
 The other day well-groomed woman drove up to the hotel in han som. She was becomingly dressed and looked city bred. She was par ticular to get good suite of rooms and paid for them in advance. l saw 10 it that she was shown up to her apartment and then gave no further thought to her. She was unaccom- panied.
 Some time later my assistant re- marked that the guest Tn 47 was doing A land office business at the bar, but l paid no attention to his comment, be- cause it is my policy to discourage any seeming familiarity between employees of the hotel and its guests. But violated my own rule few minutes later, when the very excellent and discreet mixer of drinks of the house, who has been in its employ for twenty years and has privileges that are de- nied ordinary barkeeps, came to the desk with an apologetic ar in his face and asked for word with me.
 ".What is it, Charles?' l said.
 Excuse me, sir he said, but T. well, thought sir, as how I'd better call your attention to the guest in AZ
 'Forty.seven, Charles?' said l, and then, as repeated the number l re- called, dimly, the remark the assistant clerk had made about the guest in 1T doing business with the bar.
 "'Yes, sir, 47, sir, and l thought I'd tell you as how Pd sent up nineteen cocktails to the room within an hour, sir
 Nineteen cocktails in an hour, mind you, And hold that's a whole lot too many in a respectable hotel. Yes, even though the woman's city bred. But fiatter myself that con- cealed the astonisment that felt, for Pm firm believer in office discipline. Accordingly, I thanked Charles for coming to me and told him that he might leave the matter in my hands.
 "A moment later found me knock ing on the door of 47, and without delay, such as might have been ex- pected, the woman of the hanson ap- peared, and, in view of the determine ton had reached, she was provok- ingly sober and self-possessed. l had put all suavity aside, for l meant to deal with this case in way to uphold the reputation of the hotel.
 "I am sorry to say to you, madam,' ejaculated in freezing tone, that these rooms are required, and l shall have to ask you to give them up.'
 The very next minute l regretted that had been quite so nasty, for in a gentle but dignified manner she asked me to enter the room that our conyer- satiOn might not be public. Still, 1 was in no mood to have the wool pulled oyer my eyes by woman, much less woman who had con- sumed nineteen cocktails within an hour.
 "'I believe recognize you as the hotel clerk the little woman said: and again wondered that she showed no signs of intoxication. Will you please inform me why you want the rooms when have already paid for themP
 'I could have sworn that the woman was perfectly sober, but the thought of those nineteen cocktails was too overpowering and blurted out:
 "'We don't care for women like you in this hotel. A woman that drinks nineteen cocktails in an hour can't stay here.'
 Well, she strengthened up a little and the corners of her mouth were twitching with the suspicion of smile as she pointed to the mantel over the fireplace.
 "'Ihere,' she said, are the cocktails. Did you think l drank them? l only ordered them for the cherries, of which I'm very fond.'
 Do? We'll, what could do but get down on my marrow bones? But what do you think of the ways of Wnrnan9D