Evening star., 1946-10-28

all powerful deity.
Because OF the strike, the hotel
was only half filled and traveller
could actually ask for an outside
room or corner accommodation
without having the clerk look at
him as II he had asked for room
with a merry-go-round in 1t.
We all had to carry our own lug
gage, and we all made a game of
looking for our rooms. Outside of
those maZes in which mice are
turned loose to find out how smart
they are, nothing is more confusing
than the floor plans and direction
markers of a big hotel. Room 1901
never Is anywhere near Room 1902,
and when you reach Room 1923 you
can bet your last dollar you are
half a block from 1924.
The arrows on the walls which
are supposed to guide the way are
always so small that they should
be on the head of a pin or grain
of rice. There are always punches
OF arrows and numerals together,
and it is next to impossible to tell
which arrow goes with which set
Of numbers.
Learns to Find Room.
The first time I tried to get to
my room it took me about eight
or nine trips down blind alleys to
locate it. Before I left the hotel
I was able to hit the room right on
the head after only two or three
BUNDLES. This gave me great sat
isfaction because it proved that I
was smarter than the average mouse.
My room was much more peaceful,
too. with the housekeeping depart
ment on strike. Maybe 1t happens
to others too, but my room has
always seemed to be the room that
the maids and housekeepers picked
out as the one in which they would
leave things. 1t kept me busy
answering the door to return to the
maid a broom she had left, or a
bucket and mop, or the linen that
was for the room next door.
Also. I always get a room that is
just about to fall apart and is
undergoing repairs during my oc-
cupancy. The engineer has to be
let in to fix the radiator, the cleo
trician wants to replace some faulty
bulbs, the man comes to put a new
pane of glass in the window, the
carpenter has to bolster the table
and chairs, and the window washers
have to wash the windows. This
time 1t was bliss, pure bliss. No one
bothered me and lived in splendid
slovenliness.
Made Own Bed.
I had to make my own bed. yes,
but I was glad to do that. Hotel
maids make up bed for beauty,
not comfort. They tuck in every-
thing, the sheets particularly. so
that a man is likely to break both
arches if he slips into bed without
remembering to loosen the linen
and bed covers.
Another thing, maids are awfully
tidy souls. They are likely to throw
wv Oid iOWcPaPC4S Juco bCS0uSC yuu
happen to have put them in the
wastebasket, or because they are a
week old. When I left Washington
1 was happily surrounded by every
newspaper I had bought in a week.
With room service not function
ing, it was amazing how much
money I saved. I just jingled with
change when I left Washington.
Usually there isn't jingle in me
when I leave hotel. 1t pleased me
to find out that I was in such trim
physical shape that l could 60 down
to the drug store in the hotel and
buy my own razor blades and maga-
zines without taking the easy way
out and picking up the telephons
and having someone else do It for
me.
Another benefit of the strike: It
furnished the material for a column,
and when you make a living writing
columns, that is no mean cortribu-
tion.
(DjstribI,ted nv McNaurht Svndicate Tnr