St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-07

personally have not "hit the pipe''
like it rather than otherwise, / kne w
enough of the shibboleth to ingratiate
myself in a very short time with the
young lord and led him to infer that l
was even greater fiend than himself.
/ bemoaned the want of good joint IN
London, which | had no sooner done
than he volunteered to take me to what
he termed the nearest approach to para
disc there could be.
A Secret Club House.
"a few of us got together" he said,
''about six months ago and took the
house and grounds. We practically re-
built it, and it has cost US pot of
money. 1t is really a club, and both
men and women members must be bal
loted for the same as at any other club.
We are awfully particular, and if take
you there you must give me your word
of honor that you will never reveal its
whereabouts. We are allowed to bring
friends, but only on this condition. and
each member is personally response BILE
for whoever he introduces that this Sec
recy will be maintained"
Ireadily gave the desired promise, and
in giving this account of what | saw in
the SWEETEST joint in the world, am in
no way breaking faith, as do not tell
where it is, and as to the fact of its ex-
iStence, that is known to many out
SiderS.
A cab took US to the corner of s.
place and M street, where we dis
missed it and walked the remainder of
the way. The house my guide stopped
at was large one, standing i'll garden
80 II HI n ~ of
the gate, and at the door of the house
we knocked, and then Lord A. pressed
an electric button which was hidden
under the ledge of the topmost step,
and the existence of which could only
be known to the initiated.
Like a Great Greenhouse.
The pressing of the button was fol-
lowed by the door swinging softly open,
and we found ourselves in a small hall
way with another door barring our
progress. Lord A. pressed another but
ton, and this door also swung open, and
we were admitted to the club proper.
Here we found three East Indians,
dressed i'll flowing Oriental robes, with
gold embroidered turbans, and who had
been summoned by the ringing of the
bell at the outer gate. They bent low
as they Salaamed and removed our hats
and coats. | found that we were in a
large, central hall, open to the roof,
which was of glass and of cupola form.
1t was really like large greenhouse
and was full of plants of all descrip-
lions, and the air was heavy with an In
describably SensuouS odOr. From the
hall we were conducted by one of the
East Indians to an inner room, gor
geously furnished, but at the same time
not grandly. and off this were small
cabinets, reminding me of the dressing
rooms OF Turkish bath. These, Lord
A. explained. were private rooms where
any smoker who so desired it could
have complete privacy. l saw the
doors of two only closed, and presumed
that those were the only ones occupied.
When in this room l heard
The Sounds of Voices,
and my guide led me toward where the
sounds came from, and | soon found
myself in large room, in which there
were at least fifty people of both sexes.
all in evening dress. The ladies were
one and all beautifully dressed, and
many of them were reSplendent in jew
els. Among them | was astOniShed to
see well-known countess and society
beauty, about the last person in the
world L should have suspected of
hitting the pipe Among the men,
also, l saw several whom recognized
and one | knew well, who seemed as
much astonished to see me as I was to
see him. This room was superbly fur
nished in the Moorish style, but the
carpet was a thick Persian. All over
the room were settees, Oh most of which
a smoker was reclining, although there
were one or two groups composed of
men and women cOnversing in a sub
dued tone.
The air was laden with the heavy,
drowsy smell of opium, and many OF
those lying on the lounges seemed to
be we'll ON their way to the opium
smokers paradise. Lord A. and |