Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1870-10-12
THE OLD HOTEL BILL.

I wonder if one could write mans his
tory if there remained no record of him
beyond his bills? | cannot help thinking
that if such ones bills-receipted or not
for the last quarter of a century were
ylac1i before me, could make very good
guess as to his life; just in the same way as
Professor Huxley, on merely seeing one
bone Is said TO be able to construct the en-
tire animal, antedeluvian or otherwise
Certainly, nobody could make more of me
than that vas an average Englishman-
Iarhsps | might say very average Eng
l.>nI ln-it they were to take the trouble
- analyze this pile Of old bills that is lying
before me now. They are all old hotel
l',, pleasant record-being all paid-of
i-Dpy sQjourns in sunny -climes; peaceful
memories thcy bring bacI, of careless holi-
G4ys and well earned recreation, and
would not put them in the fire or conSign
them to the waste paper basket on any ac
count
Look at this BILL for instance Cham
paigne and diners apart figure largely in it.
The operation Of changing more than one
circular note had to be performed before
tia. reckoning could be discharged. | re
neuberit well Here, again. is another
. .er!ect contrast. The Sybarite appears,
l.. the items, 10 have been converted into a
hermit. The former bin vas incurred at a
l'ra. in my first long vacation after | had
successfully passed the intellectual suares
aal pitfalls .: my little-go Oh how fear
t-iy | should be pucked if l were to try
to pass such an examination now. The lat
ter represents my mode of living with
rea. reading party in Normandy. We all
worked hard-there can be no mistake about
that. The pension, | see, was five francs
tay and the wine account must have been
considered contemplate by mine host Here
Is another batch of subsequent date All
this was when was on my honeymoon.
The Paris bill IS unquestionably heavy; but
after tAa. they grow lighter-nuch lighter
Paying for two. it appears, is a very differ
eat thing from paying for one. Here Is one,
merely slight reckoning at az inn upon
mountain pass in Switzerland. All but
as look At it more attentive, | REMAINDER
that thereby hangs 4 taie-a somewhat ro-
mantle tale; and it is briefly this:
Five and twenty years ago my wife and
We're crossing over into Italy After We had
been slowly ascending for some time, we got
out Of the carriage, thinking we should get
On quite as fast, and perhaps more pleas
ant.y, on foot; and By taking short cuts
across the zig-zags we soon got far ahead of
oHr conveyance. | had been over this same
PAS twice or thrice before, when happy
i mean an unhappy-bachelor, and | re-
memhered the bypaths pretty well and we
We're soon in sight of the inn where we in
tsaiel to pass the night, not very far from
the summit of the pass. As we toiled on
W overlook a gentleman, apparently an
EHS.lShman, and little boy. | believe
tlst-teelIng pretty sure, from the appear
a1;s Of the man, that we were compatriots
SAID something or other to him, remarked
that II was q fine evening, or that the scene
rg vas very grand forget what. He,
however, made some monosyllable reply,
and dm not appear inclined to traterni2e
AMI 50 We passed on. Still took a hasty
a5;cof him. He was a man apparently of
some eight and twenty or thirty years of
age Of delicate frame, and almost femi
"'Ae eountenance. One thing particularly
hoteed-he had 4 slight but peculiar
mark under the left eye, what Box or Cox
might have called strawberry mark. The
t'y that vas with him, a child Of not more
than SIX years old, was evidently his son. for
Both and my wife traced a very strong re
s-mUance between the pair, and the little
fellow looked very pale and tired as his faith
sr dragged him slowly up the steep ascent.
We soon left them far behind, and my vile
remarked that it was a curious circumstance
That these two should be thus going over
The pass for we could see no other carriage
On the road which could belong to them, and
sAe naturally thought it very hard that such
young child should be forced to make such
tedious journey upon foot. However,
shen We arrived at our destination we tho
No more Of them and, after pleasant and
sppetizing supper, in which red trout