Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-04-20
A LONDONER's EXPERIENCE IN ST. AL.
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A LoNDONER's EXPERIENCE IN ST. AL.
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BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS sAuA
.- sMINE HosT" OF THE FREMONT.
Mr.. S. the landlord of the fremont
Hotel, st. Albans, Vermont, for little
man with bald head and clad in a suit
of homespun, was decidedly the most
solemn and imposing parsonage l ever
bcheld. 1t was easy to gather from his
port and mien, that he considered st. AL
bans to be the only real, genuine and i'm
portant city in creation; the fremont
House, St. Albans, the only establishment
deserving the name of a hotel in the uni,
verse; and himself, subject to the con-
stitution of the United States, the sole A
/, copper-bottomed, teak-built, water
tight-cempartment, life belt provided, ex-
periented-surgeon carrying supreme un-
equalled and enlightened Vermonter,
Green Mountaineer, aud hotel keeper, to
be found between the two ends of rain
bow Or the apex of the Fmpyrean and the
basement floor of the unfathomable limbo,
down below Nathaniel. Struggling to
the bar as we'll as bags and buffalo robes
would allow me- l mildly informed his
Tr'remendousness that I required supper
and beds for two. He loftily waved me
off with a pen ;'appearcd for some mo-
nents absorbed in pure mental abstract
tien; then pensively consulted several
ledgers; then. IN a tone of calm authori-
ty, demanded to knowif we were "going
North" replied that we were going to
Canada, and that, as the train was to
leave st. Adams for Rouses Point at six
o'clock on Thursday morning, we wished
to be called at five. 4" You will be called
at quarter of five," responded tremen-
dousness. This is a key to the entire
system of treating travellers in the Uni
ted States. You. are seldom allowed to
have will of your own. 1t is not what
YOU want to do, but what the landlord,
or the waiter, or the scullion wants. that
is to govern you. You are to breakfast,
dine, tea, sup. rise and 60 to bed precise
ly as it may suit, not your. convenience
but theirs. We asked for something to
eat and drink, and we're told in grave
and almost reprobatory tone, that "sup-
per was preparing and that we should
be informed of its being in readiness IN
due time. We certainly did not expect
soup .or fish, or made dishes; but after
the high encomia we heard passed on the
fremont, we were led to hope for a hot
and plentiful meal. Itgrew, however, to be
SO near midnight before it was announced
that my companion, who was fatigued and
in delicate health, gave up all hopes OF
obtaining any refreshmeut, and went to
bed Being myself cast in coarser mould
and "death on victuals," as is observed
Of one having a hearty appetite. wait
ed. The doors Of dining hail. which
had been hitherto kept locked, were flung
open, and was suffered to enter white.
washed apartment, containing long ta'
bic laid out for supper. The style was
was perfect. Nothing at, New York, OF
Boston, or Philadelphia eonld have sur
passed that dining-hall for style. II
equalled Mivartls. 1t threw the Grand
Hotel into the shade. The landlord look
cd in for moment to see that the style
was as it should, lie, and then withdrew
l saw him afterwards pacing up and
down a wrctchcd little vestibule contain
ing stove and spittoon, and nothing
else, his head thrown back, his pen be
hind his ear, his entire aspect full Of calm
and most melancholy couscquentiality. |
any doubt or perploxity could enter tba
placid bald head, 1t must have been or
the question as to whether he mad
Mother Nature or Mother Nature mad
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