New-York tribune., 1906-08-13
JOYS OF A HOTEL CLERK
Women, She Says, LeaUe Their
Brains at Home When They TraUeI.

4Oh my. but aren't women'-she cast around
Cor an appropriate adjective-"tIresome?
She was a hotel clerk And the hotel was
Uonlans hotel Every hotel clerk is target
Cor absurd unnecessary questions but the woman
clerk Of a woman's hotel is made 20 feel fifty
zines day that she is the very bulTs-eye OF the
target.
Travellers abroad, IL is said. go TO their con-
sul when they have lost their money, their
Friends or their heads" In this country they
20 10 the hotel clerk
When the traveller happens 20 be woman
and the clerk is woman too. then the sup
posed community OF feeling between the guest
and her sister behind the desk gives rise TO d
series Of demands and questions that not even
the most gifted OF her be expected TO
meet.
"No woman on her native heath would ask
she postnlan what TO wear. or the grocer how
% get position as inspector OF schools" walled
enc OF these long suffering individuals. 81 won
Ger what makes them ask me?
Women seem TO drop their reasoning powers
the minute they leave home" she went on.
Mentally they hop. They forget that such
things as a directory or a telephone exist they
absolutely refuse to use their brains-and then
they come 10 me" She sighed
The confidence Of the average woman traveller
in the emniSclence of the hotel clerk is touching
or comic, whichever way you like to look at it.
sample day in the hotel will contain Ques-
lions ike these
When does the matinee begin at the-theatre?"
The inquirer has daily paper in her hand, but
has moi thought TO look at it,
Where can I adopt a baby ?'
Where can / learn to carve?'
distracted girl says she finds she has put
her mother on the wrong train, and wants the
CLERK 20 Do something about il at once.
Another girl wants TO know how much news
papers pay column, ana another where to place
kni led bed slippers in St. Louis
The woman who has lost her pOcketbook is
moi uncommon caller. The pOcketbOok in
yariably contains all her money and her ticket
home.
I know lost it on the streetcars," she means.
But she has not thought TO look for il at the
lost and found Office OF the company. and her
only solution Of the difficulty is 10 borrow Of
the ansiaDle clerk.
When she is told Of the possibility of finding
II by applying for 1t at the proper place and Of
The further possibility of sending a telegram
Collect" 10 her nearest friend, asking for
money. her face lights up perceptibly
Stories Of great distress are unfortunately,
not rare Strangers who have failed to find
their friends, who have met with accidents, or
who have been unable 10 get the employment
for which they came are surely in a hard place
IT city Especially at night do such difficult
ues appear very perpleXing. The clerk finds,
moreover, that the most plausible story may
have not word of truth in II. while, on the
other hand. the widest may be capable OF proof,
Nor are the clerks troubles over when, turn
ing from the procession OF strange faces that
passes before her, like a never ending roll Of
moving pictures. with a confusing foreground
Of bags and shawlstraps. she begins to open
her mail.
Here she finds herself confronted by questions
quite as silly and quite as puzzling TO answer.
Some years ago." writes woman. ~
boarded street with a lady whose
name began with r and had -tyvo syIIaBies
remember that some one IN your office gave me
the address, and would be obliged If you would
send Il 70 me again.
\ mother writes: You must see many trav-
ellers. Do you suppose that you could find some
one Who would take my baby from here to its
aunt N New Orleans. il paid her fare?"
oddly enough, a candidate for the baby ap-
peared The very day that letter arrived.