The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-15
A LONDON GIRL
IN AMERICA.

When I engaged my passage in the
comfortable steamship Catalonia" for
Boston. I had never heard Of the famous
brew Of tea in Boston Harbor, In seven
teen hundred and something, but | have
often thought since that it was. perhaps.
a nunishment for that shameful waste
that America has never succeeded I'm
brewing good tea; nor had / heard OF
Crispus Attacks the martyred "colored
gentleman" whose elegant statue stands
in Boston Park. Nor, indeed, did / know
that in that free country, "colOred gem
temann is the American for African
Niger. In fact. 1 did not as the Yankees
say, know enough 10 come In when 1t
rains" on that mehoraDie voyage 1
learned three things. flrst, that you
must not call the souulerner Yankee;
secondly that you must not call the
canadisn an American: and thirdly, that
the sooner I found out how / like Amer
ica the better II was night when /
got n my "han room (as the small
room, in . boarding house over the front
door is called in America.) | was dread
f,uv sleenv and l suppose Mrs c.
no+icsd his for she said, kindly. in her
NJ E-,oland soprano. why, my child.
,,o,, 10y real tired. won't you 80 right
10 had9" YES indeed, L would; but /
looked In vain for he bed; the entire
s.,-.'t,,,.a 90 ,bis ballroom was a beauti-
mi hird's-eve-maple piano, at least. what
7 tboueht was a piano,-a pretty writing
bureau. and a rocking chair
"Tet me fix your bed for you" and
from the ledge Of the supposed writing
table she produced the magic wand, and
I'm a trice "unwound my bed, spring
mattress and all, but TIE piano had dis
O. l. 10. l.I..I
appeared; likewise my WIltinS-tabie hau
revolved into CHARMING Washsldnu
with clear flow or water from the
deep tank behind, when formed the SOLO
looking upright OF lhe bureau Inc
rrisb .sheln" uresenly brought me in
a large jug Of ice Watel ana some
"crankers." and asked II / would Ike
Some lunch. | thought she was trfe
..nrevious:" stin l reflected that in this
ranid land they might have adopted
Alice in Wonderlands system Of break
fasting at afternoon tea, and dining on
tho following day. but ! afterwards
learned that any neal served after 10
= N IS termed 'lunch" When / was
Ief, alone | took OF my walkng-boots,
and deposited them at the back Of the
door and proceeded % do my hair Pres
emily Mrs. G. came along and knocked
az the door: "EXcuse me, but would you
mind taking in your bootsy l can't be
responsible for them out there l eX-
planned that 1 wanted them brushed.
"Oh. my. but Tu afraid you'd wait
awhile: my help wouldn't brush a pair
OF boots. not for the President him
self. If youth take my advice youn put
these black leather boots away and
wear a dress-kd pair of half shoes, with
patent leather tips.
soon feel asleep on the comfortable
piano. and dreamt that | was surrounded
all over the bed clothes by little dishes
of Boston beans, succOtash, and cream
toast and that l must not move, or
the piano would play Home, sweet
Home"
When awolxe. the first thing l did
was to pull up the blinds and have q
look out. The street was not long one,
and quite straight There was an ice
cream and drug store right opposite,
and in large black letters on white
ground over the entire length OF the
building ran, "Black eyes mended here.
At the corner sat a "cOlOred gentleman,
and his sign ran thus. professor Monday,
shine cents, Varrish 10 cents. lie
wore a tall pearl derby hat and frock
coat. and was reading "ToWn Topics
50 lie IlhcA nave Uf'4l "a 4i-t.t' W ~N"i-'' 40
I said that after lunch ] would like TO
go out shopping. my companion at
table d'hote" offered 10 come with me
and SHOW me around, as she had some
commissions 10 do for 'mumma,' and as
She could not come out till hat psf
three" she lent me a local paper TO
study. as she said there were wonderful
"mark-dOwns" going on. When my
friend had finished all her commissions
for "mumma." and / had done my shop
ping, we went TO the drug department"
and there. perched up on high stools, we,
along with hundreds OF others, drank
"ice-cream- soda" through a straw. She
declared that she had Just the right
change in her pocket-book and insisted
that | should not pay for my nrst
American drink. / was most amused
when we took the elevator up 10 the
boot and shoe department TO buy Pub
bers." 10 see the American men take OF
their hats I'm the elevator when ladies
were present; II seemed almost absurd,
as they retain them in the stores and
"surface-cars." The goods are displayed
much more attractively In America than
with us; their enormous plate-glass
windows, which dwarf our largest, show
off the rich brOcades and illuminated
silks" TO advantage. In large store IN
New York they had rs an advertisement
al Christmas time the whole history OF
Columbus. IN tipe-size tableauy in the
windows: this store. which is the largest
I'm New York, takes up almost the whole
Of Fourteenth street. IL must have paid,
III only by the enormous numbers who
would go I'm to have an iced-drink at 10
cents Inside the stores the goods" are
displayed on long low tables with the
prices distincly marked; you can meet
your friends and look around without
being molcsted as 20 what you want
by the aisle manager' shop walker.
1t is an excellent plan, for If you are
left alone as you pass the motion coun-
ter" you are sure 20 purchase some tribe.
The American bric-a-brac Is irresisti-
bic. There is another capital institution
in n large dry goods store up town
Mothers taking their babies there can
have them cheoued on entering, alon1
with there umbrellas and rubbers, and
leave them in good hands In a large
room arranged FOR the purpose. When
the mothers have finished, on showing
the number OF their cheque. the baby
IS produced. This pays we'll, as mothers
are often driven out Of store by
crying baby. JAMES LEW IN.
Petersburg, April u, 1884.
s----
81. Sill. IN StI,o-