Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-28

INA &luHkk that would not seem
INV, NITMTAS> TO be a task present
WU WVM II Ing any special
II NV ~ trouble or difficult
FNt VIZ ty. Yet this particu-
,ho lar lady. who, is, by
q very particular lady, indeed
u ohe VINO has IDEAS that she ia deter.
eo 10 carry out, even II by doing 40
,ne VIII De carried out herself from the
,as' mousse she inspects. Well, this particu-
,~r iaoy owns up that che has entered and
'ooneo over Just exactly ninety houses
within a certain prescribed area in the
West End and she has not found vet ,,.,
exactly what she wants and her family
needs.
Wnen this statement was made the other
day to circle Of people who had been WIS.,
ting where the house hunting problem
mad been the uppermost topic and was
ukeiy to remain so, too. for some time yet,
all the gossipers commenced to tell house
stories. OF course most of the true tales
found their piquancy from the fact that
names. prominent ones at that, were freely
mentioned. All the stories were actual
occurrences or experiences, and some Of
them were rich. So were the people who
were the heroes and heroines Of them.
but you would not think SO from some Of
the small economies shown.
Rented Furnished.
1t Is a great fashion in this city, per-
haps more than any other. to rent your
house furnished, go to a hotel to live, and
get rid Of the sorrows and joys Of house.
keeping for a while or to go to Europe.
Some of the most particular friendships
In the world have been ruined by this
process. A wise woman who liked all her
friends so that she could not bear to fall
out with any of them would not rent her
house to anybody with whom she had any
In fact If one rents his or her household
gods at all 1t Is much the wisest course
to have all the business part of the trans
action conducted by real estate dealers.
Each person in the deal keeps inventory
of the articles in the house and at the close
Of the lease these articles or their eQuiva-
lent must be restored to the owner. The
owner and the occupant are not, unless In
exceptional cases. ever likely to thoroughly
agree on the amount of damage or ordi-
nary wear and tear that the house has
suffered meanwhile for the lessees are apt
to think that the rent was SO exorbitant
that 1t paid for abuse as we'll as use and
the owners go on bemoaning their losses
to the end of their days. Both sides In these
cases really have strong arguments and
and deserves the best of 1t.
Acts of Vandalism.
1t does not seem possible that people who
rent handsomely furnished houses and have
been accustomed to elegant surroundings
all their lives could be guilty of the acts
of vandalism committed by their orders or
with their permission in houses in this city
to which the owners have but recently re-
which TO
the attention of the owner of one of the
most artistic houses In the West End has
attracted no end of talk. This house is
filed from parlor to garnet with furniture
picked up by the owner in all parts OF the
world. Most of 1t has an historic value ana
more of 1t represents the patient labor Of
skilled artisans, wood carvers. etc, in the
most famous marts Of Europe. The dining
room was perhaps most admired OF any
room in the house. The square table with
its magnifcently carved edge and legs had
a surface polished to the highest degree or
perfection. Imagine the horror OF the own
er the other day when she found big mole
bored in the middle OF it. Last winter
tenant preferred round to a square table
and SO they covered over this beautiful
top with a round one made of pine boards
and screwed 1t In the middle to keep II
firmly in position. 1t is very fortunate for
these people that they have gone elsewhere
to live or they would have found some diff
ficulty in getting another house or this
character in which to leave so many char
acteristic marks of their little regard Tor
what belonged to others.
Two Things Lacking.
Just so 1t would be for another family
high I'D in the society whirl If the story of
how particular they were should ever get
out. The madame, after finding the house
she wanted, took the inventory of what 1t
contained and went carefully all over the
big mansion from the front gate to the
roof window. 1t was no easy
task. but she was quite sure that she would
not find everything the inventory mentioned
for as she said she knew something about
Washington's furnished houses. her rl-
umph was great when she discovered tnat
there was no front door mat and no starch
pan in the kitchen closet. The owner sub
sequently explained that the front door mat
was under the front steps In a closet put
there for that purpose, and that never nav
ing had any washing done in her house all
the minor requirements Of the laundry had
never yet been bought, but as their pres
ence would make the house entirely fuI-
nished" they would be at once procured
There would scarcely be one woman In
hundred particular as that In selecting
a furnished house, but this lady was, ana
actly what she wanted in every room OF
the house.
The Tenants Side.
The reverse Of this careful attention to
detail is the ordinary characteristic of those
who rent furnished houses. They give little
time to looking about, if the general appear
ance is satisfactory, and after they move
in they really begin to furnish.
Some very excellent tenants are obliged
to suffer a great deal from the owners of
the property. There is one rather stately
structure in this city owned by a family
quite important in society many years ago.
That house never changes occupants but that
shortly afterward a daughter of the owner
does not arrive to make visit to the new
tenant. Her stay is usually timed to in
clude several weeks of the gay season, when
she presumes that her presence will cast
sort Of protecting halo over her mothers
tenants and make their social path straight,
and 1t all goes in the rent.
There are landlords and landladies, too
who never seem to accord the tenant any
right but that Of paying the rent. They
make life miserable for them and use the
house as freely as If they were still in pos
session of 1t and the tenant was a guest
There is a funny story told of wealthy
bachelor who rented furnished house in
the west end, and when he moved out the
day his lease was up said: "Oh, you don't
know what 1 have suffered from that wo-