San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-26

Beds, the Furniture and the Bill of
Fare-Pri,ate Rooms for the Afiuent.
Much has been said and written about the
cheap hotels of France and England, but
Chicago can discount both those ancient
countries in respect to low priced lodgings.
The ten cent lodging house is continually
satirized IN the newspapers and in the comic
songs of the day, but very little seems to be
really known about these economical hotels
after all. Accordingly reporter set out one
dark and foggy night to ascertain the facts
for himself He was determined to learn the
truth of the blood curdling tales so often told
of combats with predaceouS fellow dodgers
and murderous insects; of dodgers packed
sixty-four to the room and arranged in tiers
like sardnes, and all the other horrors of the
dime sleeping place.
Down on Canal street, close to the Union
depot, is a dingy building. Above the en-
trance to a dark stairway hangs an illumi-
mated sign which announces that beds can be
had for ten and fifteen cents night. Upthe
dark stairway the explorer stumbled. A fair
sized room, furnished with three chairs, a
long bench and "a red, little stove, opened off
from the hall. Several brawny fellows in
blue gingham shirts and rusty trousers were
gathered around the fire. From the, center
of the group advanced a grizzled veteran who
seemed a living image of the 'ancient mari
ncr" He surveyed the reporter, who had at
tired himself for the occasion, very critically.
Thereforesthe scrutiny proved satisfactory to
the old Roman.
FRIENDLY WELCOME
WANT u bedN he asked.
The reporter did.
Had your soup YETI"
The reporter hadn't.
The ancient mariner led the way to a ban.
quet hall wherein was a long table and u
cook stove A huge tureen was on the stove
The visitor was given quart of the contents
of the turecn and three slices of bread. The
table equipments We're not precisely such as
the Palmer house offers its guests. The soup
bowls were heavy and yellow; the spoons
were iron clad ladies. The soup itself was
not bad. Its composition was a dark mys
terry. and is yet. The soup was of a consistency
about that of river water. But it had no
trace of dirt and did not taste unlike ordinary
restaurant bouillon.
In large, uncarpeted room up stairs were
half dozen shake down" beds. The room
was well ventilated, and the beds were quite
comfortable in appearance. Another room
across the hall was similarly fitted up. These
were the quarters of the ten cent dodgers.
The landlord informed his latest boarder
that for fifteen cents he could have an entire
room t. himself. Accordingly the reporter
selected room so located that its occupant
could hear everything occurring III the
house and could, by pe2ring through hole
in the door, "a" H." creator part Of IT," adi".
cent rooms
The room selected, like all the rrat, was
uucarpeted; dimensions, Q feet by ). The
ued was the same i'll appearance as those as
signed to the ten cent dodgers, the extra five
cents merely alurding greater privacy to
.hc aGluent Doarder.
The bedding was ample in quantity-a
huSk mattress, two sheets, two blankets and
a huge red quilt. The sheets were dingy and
ripped i'll places. A curtain hung at the
window, from which a good view could be
obtained Of the Madison street bridge. The
host handed his guest key and asked at
what time ne desired to be called with the
average courtesy of a downtown hotel
clerk.
Hardly was the reporter locked into his
room when a number of dodgers arrived
Seating themselves around the sto" in the
nd Looming room they listened with rapJ at
tenton while one of their number-a brawny
coal HEAVIER whose brOgue had not long been
absent from the banks of Eillarney-read a
romance of the plains aloud. The reading
lasted about two hours, and the reader was
not once disturbed or interrupted by his au
dicnce. Finally the story was ended and the
dodgers sought their cOucheS. Then came a
number of thumls on the floor as each man
kicked of his shoes Then dead silence
A MIDNIGHT MINSTREL
Presently some one stumbled up stairs, and
in n loud voice commenced to detail the woes
of Mr. McGinty, the perfume of his breath
in the meantime penetrating the reporters
n'striIs A chorus of shut up" rang out
Vigorously. Then was heard bang as some
body hurled a shoe at the singer Silence
again.
Five minutes later the landlord discovered
ten cent boarier smoking in bed. Put
out de snipe.' quoth the ancient mariner.
y short scutlle ensued, which terminated
in the expulsion of the devotee of the weed
For the next hour no sound, except an oc-
c;talonal snorc and the putting Of locomo-
tive across the street, disturbed the repose Of
,':o guests The reporter had begun to doze,
When something rubbed his ear and he awokc
to ? conflict with powerful "cimex lectu
i"rius. The umwricone visitor was soon
dispatched, and, to the credit of the house he
It said, no moro Of it, kind disturbed the
>leepcr's dreams
About 4:@O the dodgers began to arise and
descend to the sitting room. On bench,
just where none could pass in or out without
arousins him, lay the landlord You bet
nobody does any prGNimg while l sleep
here,' he remarked, proudly.
As the dodgers crowded around the red hot