St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-08

basket of provisions is passed through
the wicket or small opening in the door,
but that they live more and seem no
where so happy as in a hotel rotunda.
Hotel hermit is the name applied to
an eccentric character, wealthy, talented
and capable of adjoining any society in
the world, who, since the Gilsey house
was opened in New York, has been an
inmate of the hotel and has never set
foot outside of its doors leading to. the
busy thorOughfareS of the metropolis.
Possessing ample means to crafty
every whim he has a suite of apart
ments which prince might envy, but
he is not content to spend his time
there. but is usually visible in the ro-
tunda of that hOstelry. In the morning
after breakfast in his own apartment, he
Saunters down to the Office, inquiries if
there is any mail for him, scans the
register for arrivals and then ensconces
himself upon one Of the leather SetteeS
in the reading room.
To vary the motony he occasionally
walks to the vestibule, looks out on
Broadway and then returns to the read
ing room where he remains until din
ner time. He pays no attention to any
body, in fact he has forgotten or lost
track of old acquaintance and lives as
much alone as Alexander Selkirk ever
did on Juan Fernandez, when he was
making material for that boys hero,
Robinson CruSOe.
Strangers visiting the hotel are at
tracted after few days by the actions
of this solitary parsonage, and upon in
Quiry at the desk for information con-
corning him, there is an upward move
ment of the eyes and jerk of the thumb
from the clu> ter-diamOnded monarch of
the desk as he drawlS: "Oh, that is our
hermit. He has never set foot on the
sidewalk since the first time he applied
here for lodgings"
St. Paul cannot boast a hotel hermit
with such a record as the occupant of
the Gilsey apartments, but there is one
man at a leading hotel in this city who
WILL if he keeps at it, soon achieve
ALMOST AS GREAT A REPUTATION.
Imagine cOmpactly-built, grey-whis-
kered Englishman, always attired in a
pepper-and-salt tweed suit and wearing
a small-brimmed, big-crowned derby
hat, who is usually the center of a
happy, laughing group at he relates
anecdotes for their amusement and ell
tertainment. For the past three years,
no matter what time of the day person
might enter the hotel, he would
man in grey, and he would
invariably drift Into some coterie when
he was welcome. Theaters have no
charms for him, and the traditional pc
deStrian qualities assigned to natives of
Albion seem to have been neglected by
him, but he retains his health and vigor
to remarkable degree. Those who
have his confidence say his family re-
sides across the big pond in Lunnen
town, but he shows no inclination to
give up his present mode of living and
rejoin it, and is content to take life
pretty easy, vary the monotony of exist
ence with rubber at whist in the even
ingS with several kindred spirits. Any
one who inquiries as to his business is
told that he dabbleS little in real eS-
tate, but when he goes out to examine
property is mystery, for he is always
in the rotunda of the hotel in the day
time, and does not seem to be in any
sense an owl.
Always genial and companiOnable, it
is frequent expression, ''Why does this
this man limit himself to such narrow
contines" But he keeps on in the even
tenor of his way, and while his ac-
QuaintanceS are prOmenading the streets
in quest of recreation or business he is
content to hold down a chair near the
the big sheet iron drum that radiates
heat from the blazing cordwood packed
within it, oftimes with some periodical,
but rarely with a newspaper in his
hands.
Day in and day out for over three
years he has been the
CYNoSURE OF HUNDREDS OF EYES
and the subject of countless inquiries,
but beyond the facts already related,
nothing of startling nature has been
revealed concerning him.
He is an early riser, too, and is al
ways among the first at table for meals,
and his ruddy face and beaming eyes are
among the last things to be seen at mid
night when the work of cleaning up the
rotunda is in progress.
Never loud but always comfortably
attired, he looks to be a well-to-do man
of the world, and it is whispered that
he has enough to last him for life, and
is content to enjoy living after his own
fashion. Upwards of fifty years of age,
it is generally believed that he is of a
type known as blase, and finds no en-
joyment in the pleasures that would
tempt other men, but is thoroughly at
his ease in hotel lobby.