The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-10-19
Partisan ExtOrtioh.

Lucy Hooper writes from Paris to the
Philadelphia Telegraph:
The general theories of recent writer
in Lippincott's Magazine 1.-THE September
number) respecting foreign boarding
houses, establishments wherein he states
that he ever met with scrupulous homes
ty and many evidences of kindly feel
ing" would have received severe upset
had he been present, as was a few days
ago, at the recital of an American lady's
experience. This lady (she is Philadel-
phian, and a widow recently took up her
abode at one of the best recommended
and best frequented pensions at st. Ger
maln-which, by the way, is one of the
most delightful of the suburban resorts
OF Paris. As she merely wished to re-
main there during the continuance of the
not weather, she engaged her rooms by
the day; fact which, by all laws of
continental travel, leaves one free to de-
part at twelve hours notice. When came
the chill and rainy weather a week ago,
she notlfed her host one morning of her
intention of leaving on the following day,
ana requested that her bill, made out up
u the moment of her departure, might be
brought to her as soon as possible, so that
she might look over the items at her leisure.
The bill was withheld till the carriage
was at the door and part of her baggage
mad already been sent to the railway sta
ton. On glancing over it she found that
1t contained an item of $50 francs $3.50
for not having given a weeks warning,
the right to which was claimed. She re-
monstrated, declaring that, as her rooms
had been taken by the day, no such claim
was allowable. Her landlord made an
swer by selling such of her trunks as had
not already been taken away. In this
strait, being woman of sense and spirit,
she made appeal to the law. She went
before the juge de la pair, but found the
Court occupied in hearing an intermina-
BILE case about somebody's dog which had
bitten some one else's cat. Next she pre-
sented herself before the Commissaire
of Police, who hearkened to her case,
looked over her receipted bills, and then
dispatched an officer for the recalcitrant
landlord, who was compelled to relinquish
his unjust claim, to give up the lady IS
trunks, to accept in the presence of the
COmmissaire the amount of his Just dues,
and to receipt the bill forthwith. More.
over, he was treated to lecture on the
improperly of his conduct, and was sent
off with metaphorical insect of gigan.
tic dimensions in his organ of hearing.
The lady in question, being a widow
and travelling alone with her maid and
children, he probably thought that, to use
a vulgar but expressive bit of slang, he
had gotten a "soft thing of it, but he
reckoned without his host, or, rather,
without knowing the pluck and spirit Of
sensible American woman. Such Incl
dents as these are of daily occurrence in
the experience of American travellers
abroad. As to the claim for a week IS
warning, that is always usual and legal
where rooms are taken by the week or
month, but never otherwise. And the
landlord is always particularly careful
never to state the fact that such warning
is necessary when the rooms are first en-.
gagged or when his boarder announces his
or her intention of leaving. 1t is only
when the trunks are strapped, and the
carriage at the door and the last train on
the point of starting, that he puts in his
claim. And nine times out of ten his
bill is paid, with certain amount of an
ger and remonstrance, it is true, but still
1t is easier for the traveller to submit tc
such cheating as general thing than tc
be detained for some days and then prob
ably be obliged to pay at last.'