OCR Text |
Show Winslow and Willie. Winslow, who is a New Yorker, was in Chicago last week on his way out to Denver. Shortly before be-fore his arrival a new bell boy had been added to the hotel force. When Willie came every one said the limit had arrived. Not but that Willie meant well. He was undersized, with great blue eyes and a sensitive mouth, and he took "guying" with a pathetic smile that earned him many a dime in recompense. No one seemed able to decide whether Willie was a stray angel or merely deeper than the average boy. From the time Winslow first saw Willie's innocent in-nocent face he took a fierce and unreasonable dislike dis-like to the boy. Willie, on his part, became terrorized ter-rorized at the first sight of Winslow. The sound of that gentleman's voice caused him to tremble violently. Owing to the fascination that Winslow had for him it became practically an impossibility for Willie to remember any order he was intrusted with. Half way down the stairs he would wake from his transe and realize that he did not know what he was going for. After two attempts at going back for a repetition of the order Willie's whole moral nature became deranged. Although he invariably forgot 418's wants nothing but brute force could have dragged him back for further instruction. in-struction. Thus it was that Winslow got shaving water at noon and stamps in the morning, lemonade lemon-ade when he sought a directory and cigars when he asked for a telephone. After a day of it Winslow settled down into a cola study of the boy. In New York boys were bod enough. In Chicago they evidently, through some climatic idiosyncrasy, drew for hotels servitors on the State asylums for the feeble-minded. So with endurance born of experience he gave his orders and grimly awaited the always startling results. Then he talked to the boy and sent him back. Willie's eyes grew set and his brow despairing, but he toiled on. On the afternoon of Winslow's departure for Denver he was paying his bill when he called Willie, hanging fascinatingly near. "I want you," he said, slowly, glaring into the boy's eyes, "to go upstairs and see if I left my tooth-brush and comb in my room. Tooth-brush and comb, tooth-brush, tooth-brush, tooth-brush! Don't forget what I want, boy. And hurry, too. Got to got my train." "N-no, sir, y-yes, sir," chattered Willie. Winslow hung about impatiently, watching the clock like a hawk. Only two minutes to spare! Just as he caught up his bag to depart Willie came on a dead run across the floor, his face aglow with the senpe of a lofty mission well performed. "Yes, sir," he cried, eagerly, "you left 'em." Winslow gazed hard at his empty-handed emissary. emis-sary. His lips moved, but no words came forth. Then with an inarticulate snarl he stepped into the waiting carriage. Chicago News. |