The Rewards Of A Good Deed

 

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered 

the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the 

rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some 

shelter for the night. 

"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the 

couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All 

of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice 

couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. 

Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly

 a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable 

for the night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry 

about me, I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them. 

So the couple agreed. 

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the 

clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the 

best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you."

The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good 

laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful 

clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both 

friendly and helpful isn't easy.

Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when 

he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and 

enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the 

young man to pay them a visit.

The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth 

Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building 

there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting 

up to the sky. 

"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."

"You must be joking," the young man said. 

"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing 

around his mouth. 

The older man's name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent 

structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk 

who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young 

clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become 

the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels. 

Author Unknown

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