The Portland daily press., 1886-02-10
OUR FOREIGN LETTER,
Adventures in london During the
Holidays Searching for a Home
Appearances are Deceitfui-A Land
lady whose Performance Fell far
Short of Her Promise.
rspecial correspondence Of the Press

| disastrous state of politics, that ''the yonng
men had to leave the country, for everything
was pumped dry in England" That may be
| true in business point of view, but the sup
ply and sources of lively incidents and expe-
riences in the daily life of an American resi-
| dent in London can never be exhausted.
We shall venture to break, without asking
your permission, the thread of the story of
our letters, and thrust in, while it is fresh in
our memory, and we can really paint from
| life, a little sketch of the adventures of your
citizens in Merry Old England during the
| Christmas Holidays of 1885. After we had
finished our summer ramblings and the chilly
winds of autumn began to whistle, the chill
dren longed for home, especially as our New
England Thanksgiving came around but
happily two of our own kith and kin were in
London, who were glad to join their forces
with ours in keeping the day, making it pass
| off merrily. We tried as far as possible to
| spread complete Thanksgiving menu, ana
were surprised as we looked over the table
to count the articles that America had FUR
nished. There were cranberries. apples,
| sweet potatoes, pork, beef, preserved fruits,
| cheese and breadstutfs. The little ones
went to bed quite satisfied with the days
| festivities but in short time. as children's
memory of good times is brief, and their ca
/ pacity for amusement is unlimited, they be-
gan to saw. ''We shan't have any Christmas,
/ Mamma: there is nobody here to give us
presents: it won't be like last year; we wish
we were at home''-the last years Christmas
having been one which many Portland juve-
niles will remember as a "lchite day." They
were reasonable enough to see the impossi-
bility of. our making holiday like those
spent at the firesides in the old Maine State.
| We persuaded Them that instead of receiv-
| ing gifts they could be doubly blessed by
giving to the needy about u.s. and we would
take them to see the entertainments given to
the waits and despised ones in London; in
short, if they would leave the matter to us
| we would give them Christmas in England,
which they would never forget. At the end
of my tale think you all will unanimously
admit that the parents faithfully kept their
promise.
As 'the cricket ON the hearth began it."
the very first night we gathered around our
English hob, so must go back bit, and
begin at the beginning. After spending
some days in tramping about London streets,
and examining boarding houses and apart
ments, most of which had such ''Dickensy'
| look about them that we became entirely dis
| couraged, till at last we fairly turned sick as
one after another of the greasiest of maids
| would open doors into dingy halls, and lead
us up crooked staircases to dismal rooms
furnished with battered chairs and grimy
beds We were quite in despair about our
|
friend was moved, by Providence lit is al
ways easy to see His hand when it points the
way we want to go), to direct us to London,
S. E., which is considered the most attractive
suburban part of the city.
Twenty minutes ride in the train landed us
at N, where we sought an agency for
renting houses and supplying boarding
places for transient residents. We explained
fully to the proprietor that we wanted a
quiet home, where we could be served ac-
cording to our own ideas of comfort Fortu-
nately he had just the place registered on his
books. Taking ticket, permitting us to ex-
anime the premises we turned our steps up
a pleasant street, and at each step we were
so pleased with the surroundings, we gath
cred increasing proof of kind overruling
ltuQ CAbcluGQ Ill Jul DtIldll. AS we entered
| the little gate of 1.-THE Laurels'' the sun
bathed the windows in its morning light,
| and the plats of flowers sent forth welcom-
| ing fragrance. A tap at the knocker was
answered by pretty maid, whose snow
white cap and tasty blue bow and dainty
| pinafore gave us at once relish for the
dishes she might serve us in future We
were ushered into a pretty sitting-room,
where lady of imposing manners received
u.s. and after few words of greeting, showed
| US about her apartments. The rooms, at
| cursory glance, her dignity restrained US
! from scanning anything too closely, like her
| own elaborate toilette, looked highly respect
! able. In the most delicate way she gave us
to understand she thad never kept boarders,
and rather leaving us to infer than stating
| directly, that owing to one marriage recently
consummated and several more contempla-
ted matrimonial alliances, her domestic cir
Gle was much reduced numerically; for
which reasons she had concluded to-receiye
a family into her household to take away the
loneliness of the house, to give her servants
employment, and to occupy her mind with
little domestic care. We were much pleased
with her straightforward way of closing
bargain, as she remarked, II might make
much lower charge and then put in all man
ner of extras, but it is undoubtedly best for
all parties to have definite understanding
at the outset and shall include everything
in these terms but spirits and liquors" We
laughingly replied, "Our bill for such extras
viii not be very heavy" and SO the bargain
was made, and we found ourselves settled in
a very desirable locality, the children in
school, season ticket to the city purchased,
our seats in the sanctuary paid for, and all
the knots tied to fix US for the winter. Our
first toilet opened our eyes, as the very neces-
sites for cleanliness were of the scantiest;
then our breakfast was so meagre it might
have come to drawing of lots, who should
go without that day and take his chance for
the next, had not one of us been little all
ing and consequently very abstemious. This
went on for some days, when we beg an to
use moral suasion to convince madame of
the organic difference between the English
and American digestive organs, that the for
mer required nine-tenths drink and one
tenth solid food, while the needs of the latter
were exactly reversed Our landlady ex-
pressed in most gracious terms her regret
that we were not pleased, and promised bet
ter things in future; but the reformation
was not of the kind that evinces a change of
heart, as we found it was soon forgotten.
Our food was of the meaneSt sort, and
cooked up into the most fayorless com
pounds Our arguments grew more and
more forcible, assuming at last the form of
threats of our departure if we were not served
better To save our landlady some trouble
we had cheerfully consented to join her fam
lily at lunch, where in an English household,
old and young meet, and all ceremony is set
aside so far that even the servant is not ex-
pected to wait upon the table. In this way
we entered into close fellowship with
the members of the household. Some
times the whole conversation seemed
directed to the appetizing theme of
the high prices of provisions and the impos-
sibility of supplying family with cakes OF
luxuries such as we had considered in Amer
lea merely comforts. We naturally heard
family matters alluded to, and involuntarily
grew interested in their affairs, which drew
forth ouy svmnathies for orr 1and1adv Pa