Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-12-18
The Blue Hen Hotel.
BY Mas Adeler.

Some time ago | had occasion to
visit the city of D in the State
of Delaware and / concluded to
stop at the Blue Hen Hotel, where
I had spent one night during a pre-
vious visit. When L reached the
place where the hotel use to be,
was surprised to see that the tall
building had given place TO a low
structure, with single row of viii
dows and the windows close to the
ground. However, | recognized
the keeper of the old hotel sitting
on a chair in front of one OF the
windows, and | asked him where
his establishment was
"There she is, sir, Pye enlarged
her since you were here last
"Indeedl Enlarged? l don't
exactly understand
"Oh, know she looks smaller
but ! tell you stranger, that I've
added four stories to this hotel
since January, rs"
"What's become of them %
I'll explain. After the hotel had
been built year or two she sudden
Iy began to sink. l dunno what
the reason is. A quicksand under
her, I reckon. Anyhow, she kept
going down and down and down,
until the first story passed under.
ground. Then I moved the bar
room up stairs, T ut another story
on top and begun business again
Pretty soon she sunk to another
floor aud we moved up a second
time aud added another story It's
been nothing unusual in this house
to go to bed in the second story
and wake up in the morning to find
yourself in the cellar. The mi k
man has regular instructions to
pour the milk down the chimney in
case he comes some morning and
can't dig out a window. Last month
I owe slept myself forty eight Lours
because tue room remained dark
and when I did get up the roof was
Just even with the street.
This part Of the house that you
see now | built on early last week
The Pr petty has hecome too yalu j.
bIe to lease. There are sixt er
stories to the B.ue Hen now, and
I've got to add anather before the
week is ou. Ii this hotel was
spread out sideways she'd be three
hundred yards long. Eventually
expec, sLe'l be six or seven hun
dred stories high, and it'll take vor
week to get in'o the cellar.
'spose, il l keep on this ht tel viii
| reach clear through to China. The
lover end will come bursting GU
into Hong Kong or Shanghae, an,
maybe Pil be taken CAinmen foI
boarders without knowing It, Thel
very likely they'll tax both ends o
the hotel and take money out o
my pocket They're alxays grind
ing poor man SOS be can hardl,
get along. Cus's like thunder, yo,
know, to run hotel like this tha
requires SO much to keep up re-
spectacle appearance. [ dunn,
exactly what I'll do if she break
out on the other side cf the ea.tl
and slips through the hole. can
carry Oh a hotel hoating out ii
eithe'ial space, you know.
+, II have some hopes that maybe
before che sinks more'n mile 9
= two, she'll st, ike volcanic veiu o
something and get shove up
C me all the way out, for all kno,
and stand on solid ground. II sh
does, you come round and see mt
and | II take you up aud show yo
the view, IL bet you can see Per
and Oshkosh, and Nova Z...nbli
and Tuckerton, and all those place
regular bi G's-eye view; yo
come round anyway, Iii take 80
doGn into the cellar.
| | said | would, and then hont
ed up safer hotel. The Is ue He
is too original. too eccentric 70
comfort.