Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-30
BOARDERS IN A PALACE
There Were Fifteen Tn Mrs. As
 tors Newport Cottage.
BUT MRS. AsToR DIDN'T KNOW IT.

They Were PIasterer~, and Her Gardener Played LandIord-Cots Set Up In Beach, woods Rig Rooms All Winter Long. John Was Promptly Discharged.
 NEWPORT, R. l., Aug 3o.-Mrs. William Astor, who lives at her beautiful country place, Beachwood, in Bellevue avenue, for several months every summer. was as- founded a few days ago to learn that her trusted gardener, John k. Hammond, had been using tho place in her absence all last winter as a boarding house
 When the story came to her, she could hardly believe it. for Hammond's father worked for the late William Astor years ago as a gardener. and tho son had d. most grown up in the family. He was n man of parts too, for four years ago he was a member of the common council of Newport.
 How Mrs. Astor got wind of the story is not known, but when she called Ham, mond in from his work on the lawn 1t is believed she had it in all Its details.
 John Had to Go.
 When she accused him, it is said, hs made a denial, but that, If so was of no avail with Mrs. Astor, for she discharged him on the spot.
 The trust rcposcd in Hammond made " essy TUT nun Io plan into execution. He and his wife lived in tho lodge in summer. but when Mrs. Astor left for town in the autumn they transferred themselves and their be- longings to the house itself, where Mrs Hammond entered upon the duties of housekeepcr.
 This took place last year early in Octo- Der. Hammond is thrifty and has n down. cast innocence which is not calculated to lot f,,,S Nf at so 1t is probable that when the idea of the boarding house came into his mind 1t l struck him in no other light than as a daZzler of the first water.
 There is one thing about John, howev- | CT, and that Is that he's thoughtful. If | ho discerned nothing out of the way in using Mrs Astor's house for bOardcrs he at least had the delicacy to infer that Mrs. Astor might not like to have his prospec tive guests sleeping on her superfine hair mattresses and under her downy comfort 1 CTS. That realization may have caused him pang, but he knew his duty and did ! 1t. He bought cots.
 There werc l5 of them, and hc wont to select them personally, because ho didn't | want the kind of canvas cot that has a hollow in tho middle and iumblcs a sleep CTS anatomy.
 John Set Up Cots. IIo got tho bcst kind, with slnts and mattresses and had them taken to Mrs | Astor's There he took great pains to set them on n correct level in Bcechwood' s many rooms.
 After everything had been arranged John looked about for his boardcrs. There were carpenters and plastCrcrs and other superior work folk who wore employed in interior alterations in some of the big houses along Bellevue avenue.
 To these he wont and told in glowing colors tho lifc ho could offer them at a country villa, and he said that 1t wUuldn't bc very dear.
 The picture was pretty one to the car penters and plastcrors, and John had nc difficulty whatever in filling his I5 cots.
 He could have got moro to come. but his everlasting scnsitivcness about doing something that Mrs. AstOr might not like probably prevented him from making BCcchwood the largest boarding house in town
 Tho function of Mrs John in the house was tho cooking of tho boardcrs' break lasts and suppcrs. Their dinners she gave them to carry to their work in tin pails.
 She must have bocn a good cook, for in the five months that tho boarding house was running John didn't loso q single bOarder.
 He too, made an admirable landlord it Is said. and tho boarders werv sorry tI leave whom the spring came and the house got ready for furnishing bcforc Mrs | Astor'S arrival