The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12
VARIED TASKS OF The BELLDOY
SOME OFTHE QUEER DUTIESTHAT
COME IN HIS DAYS WORK.
He Must watch Over the Hotel Drunkard,
Report ms Censor ON the Women
Guests and Know Where the poolrocms
Are--Smau Wonder lie Falls Sometimes


Guests and Know Where the P0OlrOOms
Are--sman Wonder He Falls Sometimes
The public that does not live In hotels
hears of the bellboy only when he gets
into the police courts. He keeps himself
we'll in view. even with these limited oppor-
tunities, but thas been observed as credit
to the average Of bellboy honesty that
1t is a wonder that arrests are not more
frequent The bellboy has almost unlimited
access to every room, and only articles
under lock and key cannot be got at by
him. That is temptation enough to men
receiving only SIS month. Then the
various services they are called on to per-
form for guests are not Of a character TO
give them high opinion of human nature
or teach them that virtue is its own reward
Some Of the bellboy's duties in the course
Of days work would astonish anybody
ignorant Of the confidential personal re-
lation he sustains to some of the guests.
First of all he is OF indispensable assistance
to the hotel drunkard.
Every New York hotel that has existed
for more than two or three years has its
own particular drunkard. He has probably
lived in the house for years, has got drunk
every night since he arrived, and viii re-
main there until he dies. He may usually
be recognized with little difficulty. Every
night he takes his familiar corner In the
barroom and remains there until the room
Is closed. Then he goes to bed or Is taken
there.
OF course, it is the bellboy who has to
take him. The duty is no hardship. The
tips are large. and sometimes in moment
OF specially genial alcoholic gratitude the
drunkard makes more than usually gen
srous presents. So there is scarcely night
that the bellboy has not the task OF putting
away as well as he can some guest who is
quite unable to do it for himself, II It
does not happen to be the hotel drunkard
it is some transient reveller who has found
New York difficult place to get to bed in.
It is the bellboy again who must also
begin the revivifying measures the next
morning, administering the bromo-seltser
or taking up the absinthe cocktail, il that
more direct method of treatment is resorted
to. Thus the bellboy begins and ends his
day.
,
A poker party is going on and the bellboy
serving the drinks is able to get good idea
of the pleasures of gambling, He learns
the profit of it, too. for the tips are large.
$50 up to o., says the clerk. 4and try to
size up that guest in the next room.
didn't SEQ anybody go up, but there was
an order for two cocktails came down
from there a few minutes ago. So chase
up and see if there's anything doing there"
This means that the bellboy goes quietly
into the adjoining room, puts his ear to the
keyhole and sets out to learn from what
he hears whether the character OF the
strange visitor Ia up to the hotels average.
If 1t is he makes his report accordingly.
II it is not. the clerk notifies the guest
that her room is wanted that afternoon.
The bellboy's investigations have been
known to last for some hours.
His report to the hot.l is likely to be
truthful In any case The person under
inv stigf ticn could not buy a favorable
iudgm, mt from the bellboy even If she
KIN, she Was und' inv stlg, ton and the
verdict r, st with him, TIL. @llbcy. OF
exp ri noe soon L. rms thft II is M ST i'm
p, rtant fer him 10 k ep on the good
cial he com, and so with great rap
idity II il said th-t the av rag IN
! Cymcnt of b, llboy is !, ss than three
| months So if he wants to h Id his i b for
any time at all, he has to do ,v' rything
p, ssbl t. keep in favor with tn pow rs
that ruiz. H. MAX, his Re pr TT, TIN r, Il ",
| with, ut bss, whatever the ttmpt.ttitn to
tx the ready cash may be.
There arr, Of CO urse, int Tvals in
which p, stage sti mps, ce wat IT, pa
pr and il * are the only calIs on the
b, llboy's tim, Then the sudden int T.
r,iptOn Of suicide vari th,, nCnt tony
Of his W, rk 1t is always the h llbcy who
discov' IT. the suicidr b csus'. ne it { KS over
tin, truust m. The chi,mb rm Id may sus-
poet 1t when she cannot open thu door
and has to CT II for tn. bcllboy's assistance.
But TIN sight on thu Their side OF til, door
what v,r IL may be Is r, e. rived for the b. IL
Suddenly he is GALE up to a room In
it sits man in his shirtsl ,evts.
! "Mhrrr Is there a poolroom here?" asks
the man.
The bellboy knows. That is one OF the
things he is always exl ected to know.
! We'll, take that" the guest says, and
, put il on Beeswax for q place In the third
race. Bring me back the money If she
/ comes in
This might not be considered strictly in
the llfle OF lLt DcJDOy : DlISlIlt'sS DlII liz
executes the commission with alacri,y.
1t means half an hour OF the delicious de-
! light Of sitting in poolroom. even ii he
| does not make bet himself. 1t means
, half an hour among the I'll sters, bookies
and general rifT-raif that fills a | oolroonl
or any lace in which a book is made on
these summer afternoons. And it means
In the end tip which varies in &c, orcanoe
with the bettor's luck. A long shot with
As vi, means almost the richest reward that
, Genres 10 the bellboy in the days work.
"Lnst week was np against different
kind OF game from any had ever struck
! before and | was sorry for her" said one
, OF the boys in Broadway hotel last wcek
/ ave been 10 rawnshors for EN- Leiore
! and hocred things. But that was for
! s,orts. This one was a lady. She was
/ n stranger with miehtv small trunk ard
! her week was up. Two davs more and
the hill waG sent upstairs with the word
'wenklv' underlined
aft she hadn't l. oked SO worried herself
J don't believe the flee would have get
wise and suspected that she might be shy
, on the money. The third day she ditln t
| come out Of her room, ard WIS glad she
didn't, as the key would have been turred
and she couldn't have got in when she
came back l felt sorry for her because
she was such a green ore If she'd ever
before been up against such a game, she d
/ have gone to the Office. ted EN- she was
expecting money and then have COTTON a
week or two Of peace, But she was green
one and was scared to death.