Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-03-06
"sODE" IN NEW ORLEANS.
Tribulations ofa Ledger in the City of the
south.

written letter To the brooklyn E0gic
lam writing in room which is 80 cold
and damp that even the paperlrss walls
are clammy to the touch and the door rat
ties in sympathy with the rickety window
with every blast of wind. With Il heavy
overcoat and II big muller wrapped
around me and my hat fixed well down
over my ears am waiting for the dinner
bell The charges for this room are very
moderated quiet little 81 II day secures
all the comforts of the mousse. II is typi-
cal boarding house, and on looking over
the eXtortiOuatc demands of the people in
charge of the houses here compared TO the
miserable accommodations offered | am
not surprised that the New Orleans Elk
position is not II pronounced success.
a word about the climate. The train
which arrived here last Sunday morning
dsgorged several hundred northerners
into Il city that was simply swelterngly
hot. After a sultry night in the sleeping
cars thctouristS wandered ont on the plat
form of the station, heavy and dis
cOntented. Beads of perspiration stood on
their forcheads, and they began the usual
fight with hackmen languidly. They had
Il foretaste of the spirit of greed which has
suddenly taken possession of the citizens
of this city, with the haCkmen, who charge
all sorts of fancy prices and Will not fall
below 81 an hour. They are raw-boned
fight for an extra half-dollar with per
sistence that would put Il fellow cab
driver to the blush Their vehicles are
modelled something after the style of IL
Victoria, except that they are much small
er than that style of open carriage The
horses are of the solemn, unhappy and
mOrOse character common to black horses
all over theworld. 1t was so sultry and
close on Sunday morning that the travel
ers all rode and the haCtmen reaped II
small harvest The new arrivals We're
driven to various parts of the city, but
their experiences We're similar. The
boarding hOuse-keeperS-they never call
them by that name here. it is always "the
lady of the house. had put up their prices
by seemingly united movement, and
prices for the most meagre, unsatisfactory
and unpleasant accommodations were
from 81 30 to - Il day.
drove to six houses and then, tagged
ont by the heat. took up my present abode
in street equally distant from the city,
the Exposition and all other points of at
traction. 1t was the best of the houses |
visited, but what Il house it is The mud
dy street with its tlree-tect CUTTERS stand
ing Il foot deep with green water, Stops
and refuse covered by green film is Dor
dcrcd by Il narrow sidewalk. \ big wood
en- gate leads to the front door of Il mann
moth two story house which spreads over
about Us much ground as the Brooklyn
Academy of Music and Yet has small aC-
COmmOdutlOn for guests. The door was
opened when rang by slOvenly-dressed
ncgrcSS, who showed me into the parlor
aud went to call the Lady, There We're
two parlOrS. both of extraordinary size
and SO large that the further end of the
second one was quite out of sight in the
dusky interior y small, modern bed,
which had not been made up, though il
was then O'Clock in the afternoon, stood
opposite a spindle-legged piano, and there
were Il few pieces of hOrSe-hair furniture,
pretty well worn scattered about the
place. Prints of famous leaders during
the war hung ON the walls. There were
no carpets on the floor and old newspapers
were thrust through the holes made by
broken paneS of glass in the windows
1t was cooler than in the sun without
however, and leaned back on my chair
while waiting for 1.-THE LADY, to appear
When leaned back the chair creaked and
| jumped up just III time to avoid wreck
ing it. She entered Il moment later.
had encountered half II dozen earlier ed
tiOnS of her and was not surprised to meet
IA very lank, sullen and snappsh looking
female in il greasy black dress She wa:
Il pronounced snuff taker. as most o
these women are down here, and the evi
dcnces of the habit We're not very pleasant
She sat down Sti!lly while stated my cr
rand.
$50 want to bolc hrah ?" she said slow
~, with the accent OF Il nun blown negro
rs she stared at me nard, tWlrled her lonl
fingers slowly, wei, dunno AZ caI
bother with any IN" boders. m Us Worrie'
to delh with the northern people IN TIN
, house ana don take kindly to any m
{ sch likes. tom to stay long III on
city"
month or two IL 1t Is amusing
seems 10 LIE you must he hard Il
muse II You can't be-
Yes, yes, quite 50, W hat ana yen Na.
about rooms
, 81 sald only had one room III IN
house, FL YOU want to see IT 20 rlGh
along with the man ana ne II let you lool
= at 1t all over.
went up an uncarpcted par oi starr
, to "A long dark passage, and AFTER stunt
, ling over several pa emerged on IL MAJ
row wooden gallery winch ran along tn
outside of the rear wing of the house. .
narrow stairway, which was rs steep us
ladder and led to second gallery, wa
then assembled, and we worked our wa
, around to the rear of the house, where
, was shown into this room. It IS the sor
: of an apartment one can rent III IL NeN
|, York tenement-house for - orS5 month