The Globe Independent

Who Said That Chivalry Was Dead!

This is the story of a visiting fireman, a pretty lady and two modern knights in business clothes. It is told to prove that chivalry, in Hagerstown, at least, is not dead.

Bob Tenney, who is the authority for the story, tells it to prove that all the knights in shining armor are not between the pages of books.

It seems, the story goes, that one day last week a charming young lady got off a noon train at the Western Maryland passenger station. There were no taxicabs about, so she started down the hill toward town and the somewhat dim possibility of a hotel room.

It happened that two gentlemen, officials of the Western Maryland who shall, as Noel Coward would say remain nameless, were going her way. Noticing that the pretty lady was staggering under the weight of two pieces of luggage, they offered to act as guides and redcaps.

It developed that the lady, one "Mrs. John Doe," Springfield, Mass. had just been notified that her husband had been returned from overseas and was a patient at Newton D. Baker hospital and Mrs. Doe was en route to his side, planning to stay in Hagerstown and travel back and forth to the hospital

Not a hotel room was available in the town. Not, that is, until one of the Knight of the Iron Horse happened to remember that in a certain hotel, a certain travelling fireman was sleeping happily. In a trice (whatever that may be) the sleepy fireman was out of the room and the pretty, tired lady was in.

Chivalry dead—ask the fireman!