The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-26
ONE OF WILKINS BUSY DAYS.


his mouth with one hand while he sug-
AIRED his porridge with the other Have
/ not time Fourteen minutes 10 catch
/ the express. Put a piece Of ice in that
/ coffee. l don't see why you can't set
me I'D at o'clock Butter u piece Of
/ bread for me, please. No waEles-haven't
/ time. r.
oh. George. you ought TO take time
! You'll ruin your stomach How 60 other
/ men get along2 EOu can't keep this up"
Cant 1? Just watch me" He gave 4
swift glance at his watch. wiped the cof-
! fee of his mustache and rushed around
/ the table 70 kiss her good-by Don't
! forget were living in Chicago now.
/ You've got to hustle here CT you'll
| good-by.
He went down the four fights three
! steps at a jump. struck the sidewalk in
/ an easy canter and in four minutes was
( steeple chasing up the steps 10 the Il
I nois Central platform. The s:15 express
was just trembling TO a pause and Will
kins, tiptoeing TO see why the crowd
didn't move faster. MADE a rush for the
I forward platform and elbOwed his way
inside.
/ When the train was half mile from
/ Van Buren, street the hustler began 10
/ jam his way toward the rear platform
like a center rush bucking the line. He
/ wanted TO be the first man of and he
couldn't help il if the did get On the corns
Of various passengers enroute. Serves
J them right. he thought, some day per
I haps, they'll wake to a realization of
! their rights and rise up TO demand jus
tice at the hands Of the graspins octo-
pus-'
| ''Va-aa-ann BUREN, yelled the cOnduc-
tor. wilkins lesped forward, put his foot
| in a mechanics lunch basket scrouged
! between a fat man and a pale saleswo-
man and emerged hectic and breathless,
upon the platform. He went through the
gates like a jury briber lodging q deputy
and grabbed morning paper from
wistful child in the viaduct. yelled Pay
you tomorrow and was gone TO Mich
igan avenue before the newsbOy could
protest. West on Van Buren, 10 Dear
| horn. north TO Adams. west TO the Aerial
| building. where he caught an elevator
by the chance of fate and a superhuman
effort. and was landed at last pale and
stertorous at the door OF his office.
Morning. Smith. 10 the bookkeeper.
Morning. Miss keebar' to the stenog-
rapher. He flashed through the office and
into his sanctum. There ne sat down
and
Read the morning paper for an hour and
forty minutes.
Ten minutes before noon he rushed al
his stenographer. dictated three letters
grabbed his hat. lodged into an elevator
catessen, hoped onto a revolving stool
and fixing the freckled young woman
with penetrating glance, said, or rather
exploded:
Roast -bif-sanich-g lassmilk- cutta wat
ermeloni"
The victuals appeared as If by magic
and disappeared in the same manner. He
paid the cashier with his right hand, hold
ing his watch in his left Then he got a
r11uniOP start across the boulevard 6fsra-
gerded the appraised hand of the crossing
policeman at Madison and state, lodged
under a horse : nose, hattened himself
between a passing cable train and an
overloaded truck, gained the pavement
and then stood there five minutes watch
ing an old woman waiting yearningly for
a chance TO cross the street without sac
rifcing her life.
oh. these jays, these jaysi" he gasped
with sorrowful conplacency. as he let out
a few more wraps and got going right
for the Futurity building He was well
in hand and going steadily till he entered
the rOtunda and realized that he was
about 10 miss an elevator. Then he went
TO bat for q strong finish. and had his
nose at the wire when the flag fell. the
starters signal clicked, the barred doors
slammed in his face and the elevator.
Shooting upward. left him standing "a
baffled, defeated man.
He turned upon the sphynx-like starter
and sputtered:
What do you mean by slamming doors
in my face?"
The cage-dispatcher gave him far
away. complacent stare, clicked his cast
anets and sent another elevator skyward.
The way you run these elevators a per-
son would think they were never meant
for the accommodation of the public at
all. What are they run for, that's what
I'd like to -'
''Ciickey- click"
Another elevator shot upward.
4 don't want 10 appear unreasonable,
and I'd hate TO lose you your Job but
" a good mind TO report this matter
TO -"
''Clickety- click"
The imperturable starter walked around
the rotunda, calm. benign. almost rad
liant and-very busy. Wilkins spent half
an hour in ever increasing fury. trying 10
get an answer. At last there was lun
in the rush OF passengers. Two elevators
stood empty, gaping for occupants. The
tall starter turned suddenly to Wilkins,
bowling politely, and said:
Excuse the rush. Must be prompt.
File complaints in Office Of the building.
Tenth iioor-turn to the right. This way,
please-clickety- click"
Wilkins was livid with fury. but he g0t
into the elevator and out at the tenth
floor, where he spent another haif-hour
telling his troubles TO the manager. who
took his name and address and promised
to look into It. and offered him a cigar.
and explained the necessity IL pr0uptuess
in handling the noon rush, and hoped
il would not happen again and bowed
him out.
Then he remembered that he had prom
ised 20 take his wife 10 the theater that
2 ght so he rushed over 70 the box
office and found a crowd OF men, women
and children in line.
Me TO the manager. said the resource
ful wilkins ~he's got pew in our church
he might hand me psss-haDpy
thought.
The pass idea fascinated bin with its
brilHancT and daring. and he chased from I
the theater 20 the managers office. thence
10 the club. thence u the hotel. thence /
back TO the box office
Just left for The union station said !
the gracious young man inside.
I'm a--er-frierd Of Mr. Strong
stammered wilkins. -aud I'd like a
couple Of your best seats. wen down, on
the aisle, parquet center
Tenth row. dress circles best left
said che business ike young man. draw I
ing out the slips big rush for seats. par
quette ali sold. only few ieft anywhere 1
wilkins took them. mopped the rers- (
piration from his forehead. and vas 1
rushing medly toward his Office when 4
he met Bodley, the well-known Hyde !
Park social refo-mer.
Cot minute Wilkies7f cried Bodicy, I
s,arplng hin on The back
Just a minute terribly rushed-Hhar's I
unT'
They turned into a hotel iotby and /