The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-14

vided, of course, that person Is not
stranger, and a stranger to Oscar is the
most hopeless sort of an itinerant. ii a
person has Just arrived. say that morning
or late the night before, Oscar makes 1t
a point to go over and greet him with
well-modulated feryor, addressing him
or her by full name, or title, as the case
may be- and as Oscar confides and as
any student of character knows, every
person likes to be recognized by name.
1t is a failing decidedly human. and Os-
ear, a part of whose greatness also is a
knowledge of human nature In all lis
aspects, knows well how to take ad-
vantage of that failing.
One glance likewise sufflces to tell
him If everything is going well In the
restaurant
room.o he said cit is easy to tell whether
any one diner is annoyed or dissatisfied.
No. | do not know exactly how. 1t may
he a shake of the head, a peculiar express
sion of the face an atmosphere OF unrest
almost about that table that gives me In
slant warning that all Is not going well,
and then of course, provided the mead
waiter or one of his captains Is not warn
ed, | attend to the difficulty myself
The unconscious diners would probably
ha Interested did they know that in addi-
ton TO Oscars eagle eye they, as we'll as
the walters who serve them, are under
the constant surveillance of the head
waiter of that room and three monitors
or cantains. whose duty 1t is to note in
little books every slip that waiter makes
and every bit of annoyance manifested
nv a natron. and the cause thereof. OF
course Oscar sees lots of breaks and slips
made nv the walters that escape the notice
Of the head walters and their captains.
Rut then that IS to be expected. For were
they as great and as eagle-eyed as Oscar
tbev would be receiving a railroad pres
idents salary, too, no doubt.
Works in Office.
After breakfast Oscar repairs to his Of
fee and there plans menus and makes out
orders for the steward to purchase the
necessary supplies. and goes the rounds
of the pantrles and the other departments
Under his charge and engages new walters
and dismlsses inefficient or fractions ones.
and devises new delieacies for the table.
No . he says. in the midst of this
work ''once you have gagged the public
taste YOU may proceed on the basis of
ysnat YOU have learned ABOUT 1t indefn-
itelv What / mean Is that that taste,
ca far as food is concerned, Is not revo-
| lutionary. If the public likes certain
things. why it continues to like them in
a General sense. The delicacies and dishes
n
,a,a seasons for various foods are so
numerous that there is no ground for
fear of huctuation In taste no ground for
fear that the public will overturn estab-
Iished gastrononic precedents." and Oscar
glanced meditatively at the big white,
Found volume, The Epicurean," which
5e found time to write despite his mani
fold duties.
"rbat is true; in fact such thing is
| imnossible unless the public should grad
| uailv turn vegetarian" was suggested
Rut oscar only smiled indulgently.
Lunch being served from l to p.
m finds Oscar roaming about the vari-
o,Is dining halls taking notes. adjusting
| anv difficulties that may have arisen
tbev arise most infrequently-then an
hour in his office receiving orders for
nrivate banquets or public banquets. nam
ing snap off the reel, the price for which
he can give them. and tevising plans for