The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-12

The object of his remarks sat quietly fin his chair, while the walters, the omni- buses, the golf players and the travellers put down knives, forks and spoons to watch. He dropped lump of sugar into his second cup of coffee
 'Im perfectly willing to take my hat off" he began, stirring the coffee the while. As 1t was I hated to be guilty of any lack of courtesy to the ladies here. But I suffer from neuralgia. The electric fans in this room are driving the cool wind through here at the rate of 20 miles an hour can't stand it. I asked the waiter three times to stop one of the things, but he said it was impossible"
 The pasty faced detective stepped back. The head waiter looked as if the stroke might fall on him at any moment. The guests still stared. The hat reposed on the bald pate of the wearer, who care fully lifted a slice of fish from his plate and chased the last drop of melted but ter about the tiny silver platter.
 Ask that man there" continued this stubborn guest, If he cannot feel the cold draught," and he pointed to & man whose few thin locks stood in the air like a pennant on mast "Or ask that lady there" and he pointed to woman who had just drawn an automobile veil closely about her neck as she watched the comedy that was going on. "Or ask that man there against the wall who has just tried to shut the window down and has been doing so much talking under his breath about my having my hat on. Ask him if he isn't so cold that he'd like to put on a coat"
 Then he pointed out other neighbors who showed every sign of suffering from the whizzing and whirling of the fans. which spasmodically blew guests of cold air into the faces of the guests or played deliberately and with concentration on their heads or the back of their necks.
 In vain some of them tried to avoid the look of the man with the hat. He pointed them out, however, and the wait CT went to some of those he had named just to inquire If the room really was too cool.
 They could not deny it. The woman who had tried to protect herself with the motor veil, the man who had been caught hed-handed in the effort to pull down the window and the oldish chap with his hair blowing in the wlnd-they could not deny that the wind was too much for them It had been too much for every body In the room, and yet with the self sacrifice of Americans who never com plain in their own country, they were submitting quietly to the danger of cold to the immediate discomfort and to pos SlDle worse eHects.
 The head waiter motioned to one of tho men in the group about the table and slowly the fan ceased to revolye. The de- tective moved toward the bar. where he could stand by the cashier with a tooth pick in his mouth and look as if he were waiting to bag gang of counterfeiters AS the fans at every second table ceased to fly and the draught ceased the temperature became more comfortable and there was less of the look of strain on the faces of the guests. who no longer had to adjust their features to the wind. The hat had been dropped on a chair so soon as the fans stopped "I was perfectly willing to make mar tyr of myself" the rebel said to the waiter when he had paid his check, tipped him lberally and was moving out of the room. That is the only way to make Americans feel how uncomfortable they are. Tn Europe they will never hesitate to kick when they ought to-. but hers they are very patient and even seem to resent at first the efforts of the man who wants to make them comfortable. But that has been the fate of every man who tried to help his fellowmen-s