The Cairo bulletin., 1907-07-29
where the
DRuMMERS STOP
Stories Of Odd Hotels.

r. Il. Cross land, In the Chicago Trib-
une The colored boy appeared at the
elbow OF the guest morning, noon and
night, and his simple inquiry covered
the entire ground;
How you laik yoh aigs?"
Indeed the south until within the
last decade, and in some spots still.
furnishes the limit in the hotel line.
remember one evening in March down
in Kentucky, ! had driven rs miles
over mud roads, and, arriving at the
| hotel which appeared tolerably com
| Portable, inquired il / could get hot
| bath, and to my delight, was informed
! that could fine rain, half snow,
was falling and a high wind blowing.
went to the room, disrobed. and,
throwing a bath robe around me, fol-
lowed the negro boy down the corri-
dor Pretty soon we emerged on to
latticed back porch on the second
story and in a lattieework that was
covered with vines in midsummer
stood bathtub, into which the boy
had dumped two buckets of hot water
The latticework was open, and even
the faring lamp, sizzling as the snow
flakes struck it, revealed me to half
the neighbors. | gave up the luxury
of the bath and retreated in as good
order as possible.
One of the oldest hotels ever
struck was up In the lumber district
of upper Michigan. hit the town one
election night, and found the place
crowded with loggers from all up and
down the river There was one hotel,
a small board affair. The Office and
diningroom occupied one side, the
kitchen was leanto in the rear and
one long bedroom extending along the
entire side of the hotel completed the
outfit. A double row Of cot beds with
heads to the wall made the furnish !
ings, and yet there was only about |
room enough for third OF the Wis
itors in town to sleep. Along about
nine o'clock I decided TO retire, and |
the proprietor after looking me over !
curiously and evidently debating in
wardly. assigned me to bed, and |
turned in
At midnight every cot was filled |
and half the picked log rollers were
snoring, when, suddenly and without
a trace of warning, every cot was |
the occupants dumped on
the floor. The sleepers- arose. put on
what clothes they had removed before
retiring and started out without com
ment | was dazed for minute and
then began to kick to the boss, who
stood in the doorway and yelled: 'All
OUT"
what the dickens does this mean?"
I demanded, hotIy.
First shift turning out" he ex-
planned, and as he did so line Of men
in and retired, while those
who had slept in the first shift slipped
away to the near by saloons. At three
o'clock the second shift was dumped
)nto the floor and at six, when the
third shift was dumped, / paid the
boss one dollar extra to let me turn in
and sleep until eight.
In earlier days, when ! was selling
arm machinery in western Kansas, /
struck some queer hotels, but the odd
,st of all was owned and operated by
/ genius named Richards in a little
'illage in Sheridan county, is or 20
niles from Hoxie
Richards was a queer character,
md his speciality wss invention. He
lad invented more worthless things
han any man in the country. Almost
he made would work, but
hey all required more time and la
,or than the things he tried to i'm
rove on. His barn lot and barn, as
veil as his little one.story hotel were
He'd with things he had invented
He put me to bed in a small room,
erhaps eight by ten, with one small
lindow, and one extremely narrow
DOR. / noticed as he showed me into
he room that the place seemed to
ave double walls.
! retired The night was sultry and
lose, but after a time ! fell asleep.
ometime during the night was {
Weakened by a Earring, rumbling, {
nd the thought flashed into my mind !
rat a cyclone had struck us / leaped I
no of bed and ran to the window. A {
ckening sensation of falling came
yer me. Everything was dark.
immed my arm through the window :
nd my fist struck solid earth. / was ,
error stricken, but with a jar the 7
Iovement ceased, and with a few $
iinutes we began to ascend again /
nd stopped suddenly. A gust of wind
ruek me and as was about TO climb
trough the window Richards opened
he door and asked !
How did she work?'
! demanded an explanation. 4
Cyclone" he said, cheerily Took d
le calf barn and two haystacks and {
art of Dobbs barn and his windmill Il
thought it was going to hit US and a
{ you down" q
The next morning he showed me y
10 mechanism. Every sleeping room y
as really a double room, the inside !
ing ike an elevator. and he had T
rrod weights and counter weights
It'll by puahing a lever he could drop
J the sleepers in the hotel down into
q cellar until the cyclone passed. E
/ n
Il Made a Difference. v