A Woman's Wit.

Evening Star, Issue 8506, 4 May 1891, Page 3

A Woman's Wit.

was eleven o'clock at night, and I was going to my room in a Florida hotel, when a woman came out of, her room, fully dressed, and asked : " Do you belong to the hotel ?" "No ma'am." "Are there many people hereto-night?" "It is crowded." "And it won't do to start a panic. Let me say quietly to you that the hotel is on fire. I have known it for ten minutes, but did not want to create an excitement." " Are you sure, ma'am ?" I asked. " Entirely sure, sir; I emelled the smoke while in bed. You go quietly down and tell the clerk, and I will knock on all the doors on this floor." She was wonderfully cool and collected, and I never thought of doubting her assertion. Going down by the stairway, I beckoned the clerk aside and told him of the fire, He went to the elevator with me and ascended to the third floor, where we fonnd about twenty half-dressed people in the halls, The woman who had given me orders came up and said: " Come this way. I don't think the fire has much of a start yet" We followed her to her room and began to sniff and snuff. There was certainly a strong odor of something burning, but the clerk had taken only one sniff when he went out and rapped on the next door. "Hello!" called a voice. "Are you smoking?" "Yes." "Smoking Florida tobacco?" " Yes; what of it ?" " Nothing. Ma'am, you can go back to bed. Much obliged to you for your sagaoity and wit, but both were a little too keen this tirre. The stingy old cuss in that room is smoking swamp tobacco, and it always smells like a fire eating its way under a pine floor."