THE LADY WAITRESS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2431, 20 January 1882, Page 3

THE LADY WAITRESS.

A correspondent of the " New Fork World," who has been to Mount Washington, discourses as follows of the lady waitress : A soornful young person thrust the bill of fare before us, and stood in a protesting, self-oonsoious way to receive our orders. She wbb a " lady waitress," a school teaohor from Bangor. Portia in some way, being native to to this sort of thing, made her answer questions ; but she did so always in the same high and mighty manner. " Are there many lady waitresses here ? " asked Portia. " Yes; there are ten school teachers in the dining-room, twenty student chambermaids, and tha head laundress and under housekeeper are Boston doctresses." Think of having ones disgust at sloppy coffee or an overdone steak observed critically by the light of German philosophy and Greek culture! Think of asking a creature who may be a contributor to the" Atlantic Monthly " to bring you the toothpicks! I couldn't do it. The scornful young person, who leisurely oarried in our breakfast by such easy loads, received no command from my lips. The ooffee went down without milk or sugar; the superior one had forgotten to bring the bread. After a while an Englishman sauntered in, took a seat near mine, and called out to our Hebe—" Heah! Ah, I say, waiter." You should have seen the Scornful. She sniffed the air, she bounced, she flounced, and flushed and bit her lips ; the angry tears were in her eyes, and she banged down a bill of fare before the offensive stranger as if it wero a barrel of lead. The astonished man curtly and sharply gave his order, and Hebe sauntered down the room, and was evidently agitating her wrongs with the rest of the culture that posod about the pantry door. " I'm afraid you've offended that young person, sir," said our professor to the Englishman. " Offended the servant ? How ?" the dull creature asked. " Why, by calling her * waiter.' " " Oh! beg pardon ; should it be ' waitress ?' " Neither, sir." "Well, and what should she bo callod, then?" Even the professor couldn't answer that. The funny man suggested "high-toned joathful individual " as a name that might go trippingly on the tongue. But how the lady waitress is really to be addressed remains for Congress, or posterity, or some other great but irresponsible power to determine.