St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-09-04
IN NUMBER 66.
A Commercial Missionary's Experience In
Strictly First-Class Hotel.


Strictly First-Class Hotel.
With all the other commercial tramp
have always taken two and two fifty
per day rooms in the hotels in tn,
various towns and cities on nv route
Arriving at Richmond the other day
and being a little over in expense &C
count l determined upon the pleasure
of experiencing the best room in the
house for change.
'Show the gentleman to 65. Sam,''
(Which was first floor front at S5 PEI
day).
This way, boss said the sudden
smiling Sam, and was shown into a
really comfortable, cheerful-looking
apartment. Now had only carelessly
thought of the extra expense as
amounting to $3.50 per day, but alas, ]
was mistaken.
When l had not been too proud to
occupy rooms at half the price l was
now paying had also been content to
pay the porters and bell-boys few
dimes now and then and l occasionally
invested in bottle of claret or sherry
at moderate prices, and in taking my
first floor room ut first never thought
OF such thing as consistency, but
when the aforesaid mentioned Sam had,
bowing and scraping and smiling,
shown me into 65. 1.-The best room in
the house. sure, boss, and had patron-
lied me with those many little tokens
of respect and esteem, such as attend
/ mo tn tho chnnc hoe
etc.. 1t struck me that a quarter would
be more consistent with room 65 than
the amount l had previously donated
Sam and his confederates; so to keep
| up appearances and to prevent attacks
on the responsibility of 65, sent Sam
off grinning with quarter. was
lost: for every half hour that morning,
| different porter came into my room
bringing an extra towel or something,
and inquiring after my health ana
wants in tones of gentle but dusky
sympathy: one of them insisted on
brushing the wrinkles out of nv
clothes. and he went off grinning with
q quarter.
At dinner l said to myself, .We;l.
;his waiter don't know L m in Co." I
thought of wine and was about TO
write down claret when the idea of 65
taking claret prevent ID me. and cham
pagne went down in its place; the
waiter saw the number of the room on
my card and the order for the cham
pagne. Lost again! That waiter
picked up lif, and energy in an alarm
ing short space of tine. He verify
flew and waited on me with so much
attention that | almost became an OBJ.
ject of conspicuousness during the
meal. l thought quarter would
satisfy the waiter. but when that per-
spring machine had waited on me an i
me alone for the space of nearly an
hour, had seen to nv wine glass and
had treated me with that distinguished
air that all walters and only walters
can assume. | thought fifty cents would
be more apt to keep up the dignity of
65. He got it. Two walters assisted
in pulling my chair from the table, and,
rs l walked leisurely down the room
found the head waiter at the entrance
with head bowed low and hand with
tooth-picks extended. took tooth-pck
and in my abstraction dropped a quarter
in his hand. 1t was Saturday. and
a busy day for the merchants in my
line. so concluded to do no business
that day. and being in want of some-
thing to relieve me of ennui. / thought
of a drive around the reservoir. At this
moment little bell boy came up to me
breathless, with letter saying he had
been to my room with it, but
that l was not in. l thought
dime would do for this.
put my hand in my pocket and pulled
out some money; the smallest l had
was quarter. | couldn't disappoint
the boy; he got it; room Cd nccessitated
it.
My thoughts went back to tn.
drive; ] was n good driver, and if
65 went driving, 65 ought to go
driving in a double team; it was or
dered. 1t cost a V. l gave the man
who ordered it quarter. two porters
helped me in. while third held the
horses, fourth the whip and the fifth
one put the robe around me. started
off with five black heals bowing to the
ground. In rounding the fence on the
reservoir was SO unfortunate as to
scrape the wheels, knock the varnish
off and do some other little damage to
the hub; when arrived in town the
stable keeper demanded $3.50 extra.
1t would never do for 65 to dispute q
charge. SO paid it.
managed somehow to escape into
my room that night without paving
anything else. l slept late the next
morning. Sunday. and did not get up
when was called. was aroused later |
by Sam saying breakfast would be over |
in fifteen minutes. "Should have it |
sent to me?" l replied yes" Sam
got quarter for doing something; 1 |
forgot whether it was for anything else
besides sending the waiter up. The |
breakfast came; l finished it; the
waiter got a quarter. was becoming
almost callous as to quarters. sat |
for short while thinking, and then | |
pulled myself together. l packed up,
had my bill sent to me which amounted
to 1915. which paid. got out of the
another quarter be hind
me. Went to cheaper hotel (and
a good respectable one) and
that would be in town a
week, and got room on the third
floor at Sl.50 per day. Iwent into my
new room and made the following cal
culations for one days expenses:
HOTEL BILL.
One day at E. Hotel tel...........S5 90
Bus fare to aud from hotel. l............. 90
Pr. Champagne. Observation-Disclosures. . 80
Porters. walters, etc............ ........ 2 50
Carriage hire ...................... 49,. 50
Total -. -..............-... &ls 25
Il laI xLa& II llor III 1