Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1896 — AMUSING HOTEL GUESTS. [ARTICLE]

AMUSING HOTEL GUESTS.

One Ordered o ’£qj£,'aiid Another Wanted a Gig; and a Saddle. “The most peculiar call I have had in my experience desks,” said A 1 Kohler, the of the Clifton House, to the Dally National Hotel Reporter scribe, “oiriie one night last week from an old lady In rw>m —. She rang at about 2 o’clock lrfjhe morning, and the bell boy, a brigfij little darky, returned and said: ‘Sheiioue want a cat, sah.’ I said: ‘You a cap, I guess; a night* gap.’ ‘No, she done said I eat, c-a-t, fo’ Shaft.’ > “Tom, the hotel lylng in one of the big chairs, and. I sent the boy up to the old lady with Tom under his arm iiMfl sat down to try 4a. figure out what she could possibly want with a cat in her room. The bay'bbturned, his face ■ Wreathed In smiles, Arid said that she had merely taken th’e cat, tipped him and shut the uoor. “The next morning* (be ol<] lady came, to the desk and thankbd mb for fulfilling ner request, saying that she had been lKitbered so- by that she was unable to sleep, but'that Tom had ; disposed of her and enabled her to enjoy a night’s; re#|.” —“You meet mariy Ivlfl characters, I suppose,” ventured, thCreporter. ‘‘Yes, indeed. One,came in here one rare June day—in isct, it was more than rarb, it was ripk, with a coW, damp breeze blowings]© from the lake. A young Jew stepped to the desk and asked for a room. that I was unable just then to a£Soiumodate him. but I eoulcl fix him qp all right before 1 night. He was from, St. Louib, where the weather at that season was balmy, and wore a suit of color and -material. He renmlfiCfed that it was rather cold in Chieasl- and said that he would wait nwhlhpfor a room. He started for the Walisbh avenue entrance and we thoughtihe had gone out to sit down. An hour later a man dressed, in a heavy suit of dark clothes stepped up to the desk arid asked if I could, give him the room hevwas waiting for. I looked more closely and discovered that be was my Jewish friend from St. Louis. He had stepped Into an alcove opposite the elevator and had actually changed his clothes., there, where at least a score of have passed him. "A few weeks ago. >ye took on a new bell boy, a bright-eyed Jittle nigger whe had never’ ‘hopped’ -before. Tbe first time I bad occasion tp use him I sent him up with a list of changed and also a pitcher of water for No. 135. The changes are in the form of a double list showing the old room numbers and the rooms to which the guests were golng. The boy came back In a few minutes. and, pushing his way through the crowd of guests at the desk, he laid down the list and sai();: ‘A gig and a saddle, sah.’ 1 . ‘ i “I told him that this was not a policy shop, but he said that the gentleman in 135 had said it was a gig and a saddle. The guest had crossed off a number iri eaich list and serit the boy back, thinking to have some fun.”