The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-15

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Ii his evening, and we1l fire him. Was
hi - ~
Fire him L should think you'd ar
4 rest him But that wasn't all. That
boy said ned been in the hotel bust
ness for years and that it was coming
Ito point where guests would be de-
Ssmanding towels and soap ever morn
I'm 81. IS.
he say these things to you?"
Oh goodness, no; he said them in
Es 1eH hall 50 a might hear and benefit
81 rom It :,
wen, ven * him, all right, all
3sssS5ri g1lt 1t. ' III
That nigh the bell hop dotted his
blue pan ts-they are not trousers
and his tight little Jacket wits the
AZ brass braid and buttons, and 'beat it
sssto StLoIis. The Kansas City hotels
sH$ are going to have hard time to keep
fheirMben hops. All the boys are fig
ls1Irfn 81 on the Worlds Fair, anil the
chances are that there will be
scarcity here of the particular sort OF
humanity that seems to cut our for
life Of bell boy.
young ii appearance. if not in years,
and they should not be more than 5
81 feet 6 inches in height. There have
been taller bell boys, of course. but
tn rarely stay in the ranks. Usual
hey are any good, they get
apfain's shoulder straps added to
s8stheirs dapper uniforms, and receive
5Sssr ank and pay of a key clerk" This
zof8 course, for the white bell boys, the
negro bell boy, alas. remains bel! boy
50 long as5he does his work properly,
Ssss5ssssSBel Sboys8sare paid s12 to SIS
Srl1 Ga III and board, but if they are
clzEon HI ID cir feet they can clear a
dollar a day<fn tips, and sometimes
more. While hotels last the tip must
be PAID. and right here it will be well
IA hat if you want good service
yoI1',d better$fx II with the bell mop
I'm sthe arst hour. Otherwise nell
Sss.s1 LIN your calls If YOU dom know
the meaning Of .'s1uff, neglect the
mop and you'll learn.
Bel boys really know more about
hote1 business than the managers
lie managers themselves admit this
10 be true. Take the guests, for in
tance; what does the head OF the
hense know about them? Very often
his information is. confined to what
appears on the register, but 10 man
$Ssnr& wornan#is $unpaclled Before thu bell
sssf he hep has a clue. There isn't a detec-
IN the city who could handle a
Il 55Iiotel case without tie assistance OF
sSss The hop. The boy is in close, touch
{ III what's going on in the house,
s5ss S.. He Knows the atmosphere, II you
sass94please, of the menage, and possesses
ID vast amount of knowledge shat no
Il 5S ~ Stit Is ma nager underestimate.
~ mere are two or three &"boys" now
Working On the bench, as they call it
vino are not boys at all, but little men
with FAMILIES and homes of Their OWE
htosses and lots which they are payne
S@5sfots on the instal1ment plan.
.sss Speaking of married bell boys re
4 calls the story, told few days ago, OF
one of3that calling who was employed
81 in ia Los Angeles hotel; its the truth
too This boy, about 81 at the time
CHANGED to do something heroic on
@ Spring street one day, stopping 4 run
sS44$ ss away horse, or some such thing. Any
~
f$8$3S Man nearly lost her life and the bel
53zss boy saved it.. The father thanked the
boy publicly--it was in all the papers
and offered him money, which he
IN the proper melodramatic manner
refused, possibly not without pans
his heart.
sSss Most people would suppose this end
E6Eed the matter, but it didn't. The
5{s&5 young woman liked the bell boy
5 nerve and wrote him a note of thanks
sss3s He replied. She wrote again. and 81
ss2ss did b e.. In a few months the bell boy
5sssg He'd with new ambitions, went TO ST
SS Louis; and began hopping for a big he
tel: IA Is
He Saved his money Something l.
had never done before), and he KEEP
the mail clerks busy with his letter
5to5 Los Angeles Eventually he an