, 1901-01-04
SWIFT WAITRESS
DISGUISED AS A WOMAN, A CLEv.
Err ROGUE HAS
SPORT.
incidentally 6uncoes a Man-Clerk Of
a Hotel at kearney Comes with
Him to Denver, Expecting to Mar
~ Him, When the Disguise is
Thrown OF.

. luCe tueTe Is no law WHICH peTlultS
two men to marry it will be impossible
for me to consent to become your wife.
You will find all the evidence OF my
womanly charms which so attracted
as well as the form which you
so much in my room upstairs.
| am sorry to blast your fond wishes,
but beg to remain, your sister.
MINNIE SWIFT"
That was the reply which Harry X.
Crawford, night clerk of the Midway
hotel at Kearney, Neb., received from
lady love the morning of December
16, at the Windsor hotel in this city.
when anticipating an acceptance of his
offer OF marriage. Behind this pecul
lar missive is a tale of the smoothest
piece of buncoing that has been pulled
off in the west for a long while. relat.
ed by Clyde Jones. head clerk of the
Windsor hotel, who was a witness to
the climax of the transaction.
The Best Waitress.
About the first of November a young
lady appeared at the office of the Mid
way hotel at Kearney. a little city of
about 10000 people on the Platte riv'
err at the junction of the Union Pacific
and a short line of the Burlington, and
applied for a position as u waiter.
James Casey. proprietor of the hotel,
is in the habit of employing the help
for the house in person and talked to
the girl. She said she was inexper-
fenced in dining room work, but per
fectly willing and anxious to secure
the place because her mother was an
invalid and was dependent upon her
only brother for support, he being a
mining operator at Cripple Creek. who
was having something of a struggle to
get his mine opened up. With her
mother she lived in a little frame house
at the outskirts Of the town. the girl
said.
Landlord Casey was impressed with
the earnest appeal of the girl and told
her she might begin work the following
Monday morning. At the appointed
hour-5:30 o'clock in the morning
the new waiter came ready to serve
breakfast to guests OF the house. At
first she was somewhat inefficient, but
exhibited a charming disposition n
willingness which made her mistakes
a peasure to the guests OF the hotel
and relieved the fair young waitress
from reproach. No task was too hard
for her to undertake and inside of a
week every person connected with the
hotel, from clerk to cook was infatuat-
ed with her.
Three weeks passed by with no in
cident occurring to la the happiness
of the new waiter except that every
guest of the house made it a point to
find places at her tables.
Enter the Brother.
Then she appeared at the office to ask
permission to remain at home for a few
days. The work had proved too much
for her, she explained, and she thought
a few days rest would restore her. The
permission was cheerfully granted.
The next evening when the train
from the west came in a slender young
man walked up the street with a small
hand satchel and went direct to the
Midway hotel. after asking for that
house from a youth whom he met on
the depot platform. At the hotel he
registered the name Of Arthur ]. Swift,
Cripple Creek, Colo. and asked for a
room. Harry R. Crawford. the oblig-
ing night clerk, glanced at the name,
eyed the new guest closely and then
asked II he was not a brother Of Min
nile Swift.
why, yes" replied the young man.
do you know my sister,"
"She is one of our best girls in the
dining room" answered the clerk, and
a sister of whom n man might be
proud" he added. while mentally cal
culating on the points hat would win
in his favor when repeated by the,
brother.
We'll I did not know Minnie had to
work like that" the brother rejoined,
without taking any notice Of the clerks
remark. rs she in the house?"
Now, l will tell you" said Crawford,
alphabetically. maybe she did not
want you to know and l should not
have told you. You see, she came and
got a place so she could help support
her mother. Yesterday she asked per-
mission to rest a few days and is not
here now. But l can tell you where
her house is if you don't know"
The Critical Point.
The brother was eager to know and
said that he thought they were still
living on a little farm out several miles
and that he would not be able to visit
them until the next day. He depart
ed and was not seen again until the
middle OF the next forenoon when he
c%onversed with the landlord and hand
ed that gentleman a note from his SIS
ter, saying she would not return to
work until her brother had departed.
The landlord said that would be all
right. Several days passed, during
the brother was an occasional
caller at the hotel and his acquaintance
was sought by the various aspirants