The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-21
MRS. MRAsLY.
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almost immediately atteF the hFst week's bin was presented. lt was the most hil- ious bill ever say. The charges of the New York ha'cL keepers are like the charges made against General Swain, They are of very serious and damaging character, aud amount to actual sWind- ling. It would make Vanderbilt peAAive to put ap at one of these expensive estab- iixhments for three weeks. don't think he would put up with it at all. He would find 1t cheaper to build hotel Of his own.
 As l had e letter of introduction to Mir. Sykes, hunted the gentleman up, and as he was very kind and polite. requested him to assist me in unearthing board ing house, where the rates were more in harmony with the depression prevailing in business circles. He eheesfully ac- ceded to my plaintive vail, and finally he told me he had found boarding-houa which he thought would answer. Leav- ing my family at the palatiai hotel, ac. companied Sykes in carriage, and afteE being bounced over the rough streets for hali an hour we arrived at our dcstina- ton. A hungry looking colored woman answered the bell, and requested us to enter the parlor, informing us that Mrs. Measly, the landlady, would be down in a few minutes.
 Owing to the copiousness of the heavy curtains, demi-relgious light filled the room, and us with the solemn feelings that come over person who inadvert- antly enters a cathedral. It was. how ever, light enough to enable us to discern on the mantelpiece among the bric-a- brac and other articles of virtu, a large photo graph of a solemn looking clergyman. He was holding an open prAyer-book in his hands, and he was looking over the top of it with troubled expression, as # he had his eye on the deacon who was passing the hat, and who might pass out the door into the cold world with the hc- cumulated assets.
 On the wall hung a picture of General Lee. Sykes pointed to 1t with a cane, and in low voice said:
 "You can't have any idea what heads for business these New York boarding house marms have. In summer, when most of the boarders arc from the south, they hang up pictures of Lee and Stone wall Jackson, and work the secesh racket. In the winter, when the boarderx are from the north. they hang out Abe Lincoln, and are distressingly loyal. once hunted up a boarding house for friend. a wealthy Jew. hope may die if that boarding house marm did not remove from her parlor picture of the crucifix- ion and put in its place a cheap engrav- ing Of Abraham offering up IsaAc.'
 He, the Jew boarder, not Abraham, hadn't been in the house more than half | kAn~ hAkNxA ek =; ;aA AN kA k~ lieve that her maiden name was Rebecca Levi"
 Sykes was going on to give some very interesting particulars about the init macy between his lsraelitish friend and the New York boarding house marm, when the door opened and Mrs. Messly entered with beaming smile. Some of these days I'm going to get Sykes to tell me the rest of that story about Rebecca Levi and her e~ boarder.
 Mrs. Measly was stout, elderly wo- man. There was nothing peculiar about her, except that whenever she talked she giggled. l shall never be able to eompre- hend why that woman giggIed It may have been caused by some nervous affec- tion or afectation, or by force of habit. It certainly was not caused by an hilari. ous disposition, for when conversing about the most serious and tragic sffairs, in which there was no element of mirth, she giggled more than at any other time For instance, when she spoke of the price of the board and lodging, and said she must have the money in advance, she giggled necessarily. l am sure did not see anything to giggle about in that
 Mrs. Measly said to us:
 Would you -giggle, giggle, giggIe- "ike to go up stairs and "-giggle, giggle, giggle-" see the rooms?'
 There is nothing very comical in look ing at rooms, but the giggling seemed to be contagious, for Sykes looked at a pic. ture of General Lee that was on the wall and giggIed, and giggled at the clergyman on the manteipiece, and then Mrs. Measly giggled and led the way up stairs.
 Ascending three flights of dark stairs we were ushered into room, which Mrs. Measly hilariously in- formed us was one of the rooms was to occupy.
 As Sykes had a great deal Of expe. rience in such matters, allowed him to dc the talking. He called her atten- ton to the tired and worn-out appear ance of the carpet, and suggested that 1t was not in harmony with the price she demanded.
 She dodged the carpet question. and giggling as if she was a giddy young thing, called our attention to the fact that in case of fire we could jump down to the roof of the adjoining honse, only twenty Ene4 hAln~ and that in SnrnYuey the rooms were very cool on account of their facing the Atlantic ocean. Sykes shook his head and called Mrs. Measly's attention to the debiiitased con- diiion of the furniture. He also sug- gested that the automatic chairs be re- placed with others. call the chairs au. tomatic because whenever anybody sat down on them, the sawdust, shayiags, and other debris oozed out of the bot toms and filtered up the floor. nH-