Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-04-26
L III 4 CHIC CKABIDDY HOUSE
"A Tale of Tavern
BY JOHN w. WATSON.
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I.
THE CHICKABIDDY
Every body knows the Chickabiddy House
Ever5 body that has ever be en- to Smushray, and.
In tact, everybody who have not been to Smush-
ray including IN the last list those only who
stopped at Smushray to dine. For when that
'Sentlemaaty conductor" j. Napoleon Titus.
calls Smushray, twenty minutes for dinner,H
II embodles the whole idea, Just as much az
though Mr. Titus had said, ''Now. then, ladies
ana gentlemen, We have telegraphed to Messrs.
NnPP, onapP, Snorem, the 'gentlemanly
Proprletors' Of the Chickabiddy House, that
there are two hundred and fifteen dinners on
tne up-train therefore, 90 Immediately in and
pay your seventy five cents, or loose your res
peetability for this trip
The up-train dimes at the Chickabiddy, and
the down-traIn sups at the same place. The
thIckabiddy Is a No. l. The Chickabiddy
Is fashionable house. The Chickabiddy is
sufhclentiy rural t. be rural, and sufficiently
metropolitan to be metropolitan. In the sum
ner IL Is the resort of migrating and stationary
fashion, and In the winter the headquarters
OF the fashion of Smushray, The central sun
TO which all diners turn. The terror of wives
and the bug bear of latch-key hating mother
The balls that agitate the country round, find
a focus In the Chiekabiddy and the respecta-
bic caucusses that manufacture governors and
senator's, over champagne, and just a little
drop OF brandy and water, can be found at ag-
stating times in the private parlors Nos /, =
and 3, OF the Chickabiddy House. From the
oalconles OF the same private parlors, many
eminent patriots, VINO have stood for Smushray,
or wish to, have addressed the sovereign peo-
Pic below, on the occasion of an extempore ser
enade, or cOngratulation, at which though
coming at uncertain hours Of the night, and.
OF course, entirely unknown to the patriot, he
always makes his appearance in the baIco-
ny IN full dress, with his hair thrown back;
ana commences by telling his fellow-citizens
how much he is taken by surprise, all of which
can only be suggestive of the idea that the pa
trlot sleeps In his boots, with his hair ready
combed
There is something impressive in the very
appearance Of the Chickabiddy House. From
the very moment you enter it's black-waInut
portals, You feel that you are on sacred ground
that You must tread lightly on the hallowed
dIst. just observe that exquisite book -keeper
whose intense knowledge of human nature has
allowed him, within the minute you have taken
to pass from the door of his dread tribunal, to
study, and weigh you accurately, and tell to
nlcety what he shall do with you; in fact to
Try and sentence you off-hand, as a police
justice would his case, without botherng him
self, and prejudicing his mind with hearing.
That exquisite bOOk-keeper, who is got I'D per-
iectiy regardless of expense, frem the whisky
TO the patent-leather, not forgetting a single
stope-diamond ring, without which no canli-
date Is eligible, will fix you with his eve, and
II You nave not previously had the freedom of
the Che ckabiddy conferred by him on former
visit, and received your donors under cham
pagne, and travel round town at your ex-
pense, IN that single minute will make you un-
derstand, though you may be somebody where
ever you came from, you are no body at the
Chlckabiddy Hsuso without his oonOon.- s.
entirely will you be impressed, that when he
shall say, ''Here, Sam, show this gentleman to
BIZ, though intuitively you know that 3l7 is
on the eleventh story, yet you have not cour-
age enough to say, ''Couldn't you do better
than that" something tells your sinking heart
that the answer will be, Couldn't, really, so
full, though as certain, you know that the
Chlckabiddy has not done paying business,
for at least three years, and that three -fourths
OF the rooms are now vacant. Why, o why,
did you como to the Chickabiddy with only
carpetbag? good sized trunk would have
been warrant for No. 30, third floor, and two
trunks and hat-box, certain pass for No II,
psrlor fat.
But when once that cerberus Of the Office was
passed, the Chickabiddy was a free fight, if we
may so express it without offence. He who
knows the magical effect of halves and quar-
ters who has studied chambermaids, fremen,
and walters at hotels; who has gone down, not
to the sea in ships, but to the dining rooms of
other Cniekabiddies, in a crowd, and suffered
accordingly, learns, by sad and bitter expert
ence, how 10 be a ''perfect gentleman with
{ csc democratic servitors, be they black r
white, at the Chickabiddy or elsewhere. A
"dlter Il only nulndn, ne Is Dut a type OF oil
other men of business, and with such attributes
he does better for cash than credit Let, there
fore. the retainer be placed under the edge of
the plate, pleasantly in sight from the moment
of sitting down. 1t may bring good dinner,
and if it be the only one to be taken in that
house, nothing is lost, only to withdraw the
fso and pardon the case; We have certainly
right to lay our own money where we please,
and TO return it at will to our own pockets.
The Chickabiddy was preeminently family
house, fashionable family house, when fami-
lies could be found to occupy its rooms and
pay its prices, which were also fashionable
1t was the boast of the house that there was
nothing low about it, and nothing could ex-
coed the contempt, unexpressed by words,
with which the book keeper magnificent would
make out bill, when there werc no extras,
and the departing guest indignantly repudi-
ated the odd dinners, wines, etc, that by
some strange mistake always found their way
on it. Two dollars and a half a day was the
charge at the Chickabiddy, which, if a guest
came on the afternoon of one day, say o. IN.
and departed next day at the same hour,
usually summed up as follows:
One days board. rd................$2 so
Two fire. l 90
Il