The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-25
WOE IN ADAMLESS EDEN
From the New York world.

From the New York World.
II HE wan light of early morning fl
Wy tered yesterday through the case
ment of Room All. which Is on
Corridor L OF the Hotel Martha Washing
ton, and awoke Mile. Butterflies from the
sleep of innocence. Her name is not But
terfiies. but the other bachelor girls at
the Martha just call her that because
her kimono with the big broad butter
flies on 1t is so fetching. Her long fiaxen
hair hung from a chair near by.
Wearing her kimono and her little
Japanese sandals Mile. Butterflies opened
the bathtub faucets Nothing came of 1t,
not even trickle. In all the forty-seven
years of her young life Mile. Butterflies
had never known anything so peculiar
She decided to complain to the manage
ment.
In answer to the push button Gladys,
the bell girl, appeared. Gladys was fresh
from the toll of seven flights of stairs and,
despite the fact that Mile. Butterflies had
tipped her at Christmas, did not find 1t
necessary to be polite. She shifted her
gum and asked:
''Whatch y want?"
"Gladys, the water has given OUT
"Yeh?"
BY this time the corridor hummed with
voices and the subdued patter of feet In
locked rooms Then there were cries of
"Gladysl Gladyss. Glad'yssl" But Gladys
broke and ran and left them to work out
their own salvation.
Presently an excited troop of diapha-
nously clad women was vending its way
down the staircase officeward. At each
floor 1t was Joined by anotner troop until
at the ground floor they were a mob. In
trenched soldiers would have shot at them
for marauding dervishes.
The several hundred who wanted wash
ing found in the lobby a pIacard to the
effect that the main water pipe in the
hotel cellar had broken and that the
management was sorry.
1.-THE cellar Is flooded, ladies'" explained
the clerk in his most soothing tones. Tho
management is doing its best and there
will be relief presently. AS you see. we
have a dozen plumbers on the job"
And then for the first time the dream
of fair women became aware of the pres
ence of burly men in overalls. Each car
ried solder pot and was esquired by
a grinning boy with the tool kit. Their
remarks were of nature extremely per-
sonal, and their faces wore the rapt ex-
pressions of cannibal chiefs.
Immediately there were screaming and
scampering. Lily-white hands pounded
madly at the elevator doors until it
dawned upon the diaphanously clothed
that, there being no power, of course
the elevators We're out of commission.
Followed concerted rush for the stairs
and an immovable jam. Confusion became
worse COMPOUNDED.
A plumber who loved his fellow men
dashed into the street and tried to per-
suade a policemen to telephone for the
reserves. Instead. the cop went in to see
If the. reserves were necessary. and stood
enchanted.
Then one of the plumbers helpers
cried:
"Chee. look at de mouse!'
There are only about forty chairs in the
Martha Washington lobby, and ten to a
chair is close packing. And the brutes.
the beasts, the plumbers and helpers and
the policeman stood at gaze and howled
with glee.
The spell was broken by a married
plumber waving the monkey wrench
fiaming-sword fashion and yelling Come
on. boys: follow mel The others, mis-