Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-02
HE is A HOT WEATHER BUFFER
Aevator Starter Blamed for Every.
thing These Warm Days.
SITS AND SMILES PLEASANTLY
wheat DuIl Trying 90 Play hear,
Woman who Collects Tar on Six
teenth and All Vent Their
spleen on This Man.

When the thermometer hovers around 100
and the hot winds wither everything in
their path, most everybody Is uncomforta-
Die, and. being uncomfortable. is peevish.
And being peevish, there is a crouch, and
having crouch, II must be vented on some
one. All OF which is very logical.
But speaking of jobs. who wants to be
an elevator starter on hot day? II is
upon this official that the peeved ones vent
their hot weather irritation. just because
he happens to be convenient, handy and
receptive.
A. III. Roberts, starter of elevators in the
City National bank building, is something
OF philosopher. He has grown so from
taking the gruff OF persons who are out Of
sorts with the weather.
For instance, the woman with q last
years bonnet, for which she has paid a
current season price. Is out of breath and
'~6lsgruntled because she had to walk across
the street from the car line Then, per-
haps she has some Of that sticky tar
formerly on Sixteenth street on her suede
shoes. She snaps a question at the ele-
vator starter, because he is convenient
so-and-so has moved his office from the
building and failed to leave his new adj
dress, he tells her
Who gets the blame7 The elevator starter
She blames him for the Sixteenth street
tar, the torrid temperature and the former
tenants error of omission. Not categor-
icaily, but by snippish remark which re-
heves her pent-up anger at all of the con-
ditions.
Roberts Only Smiles.
Roberts only smiles He is used to IT,
such performances are many in the 400
to 800 questions he answers every day. 1t
is his business to look pleasant He goes
through the business of looking pleasant
automatically as the trained seals In a
circus Juggle a ball.
Here comes a woman from the country.
She refuses TO ride in the elevator because
II might fall And then she blames the
starter because Blank & Blanks office il
on the ninth floor. But she will walk.
And the starter gets a supposedly cutting
remark because the weather il not and
because he tells that It Is far more judici-
Gus to ride than to walk The woman IL
certain that death awaits any one who
rides in one of those cages, and the starter
Is at fault
30 II goes all day. The man who dabbles
In the market snaps at the starter becausc
car is slow. He IL peeved because the
hot winds have made a bull market when
he was playing bear.
The telegraph boy is perspiring when he
enters the corridor.
why In the blankety blank don't you
have fans in here7'' he wants to know Of
the starter.
A negro woman, irritated by the heat,
insists on taking the wrong car. She
breaks loose in an attack on the starter
because he steers her to the right car.
why won't the other one take me up7'
she peevishly inquiries.
He IL q Philosopher.
So II goes all day long. But Roberts
wears heavy uniform coat and philoso-
phizes. He is paid to be pleasant. The hot
weather peevishness Of the public Is part
of the thing he contracted when he took
that authoritative position. And he smiles
as with a crack his announcer starts u
car roofward. breaking off the sentence
OF a cross old tenant. who has stopped
TO tell him.
"If 1 pass another summer in this coun-
try you can"
The irascible one addressed to the starter
as though he were to blame for his pres
ence in sweltering Omaha. instead of fac
ing cool lake zephers. or mountain breezes.