Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-22

turkey (the latter never stuffed" but with
its scattered members sprawling in sea
OF watery gravy, then salad. then
sweet, and then fruit, with cheese and
coffee and the little glass of cognac.
The table is so decorated, the dishes have
such pretty names in French, the various
courses are served with such gravity, that
the utmost value possible attaches to each
1t not delightful, and SO French! First,
there Is big sea shell-one big shell for
every guest. Whatever fish has been left
over from the day before is reinforced by
a few slices Of expensive turbot; the fish is
cut up fine, mixed with a dreaming paste,
diluted with chopped mushrooms; the mix
ture is then spread into the sea shells.
powdered thick with grated cheese, and the
whole mass Is baked lovely brown. OF
course. it Is not nourishing. but it looks
we'll. The boarders think that they have
eaten something when they only have been
playing with their shells. In the. same order
OF ideas new peas are mixed with equal
quantities of shredded lettuce and young
onions, the whole being cooked together in
thick sauce. The boarders think that
they are eating peas, and, then, besides it
Is Partisan" The little steaks and chops
are very cunaing-each surrounded by a
wreath Of water-cress.
Undoubtedly, wine drinking at the table
helps the stomach to think that it is being
fed, when 1t is oEly being complimented.
Wine! The young American holds the de-
canter to the light, looks at it lovingly,
on his left and right hear him with rapt
attention as he speaks of vintages. Wine,
Partisan wine, boarding house wine, 1.-The
red ink of Bercy!' 1t is acid to the sharp
ness of vitriol when it Is white, heating
to the strength of mustard when it is red,
always flavorless. always headachy.
1t is not family board, and family board
does not exist in Paris The principle is to
get money every way, at every turn. Sup
pose your room is one at IL francs G2.2O)
day You have your room, your morning
coffee, lunch and dinner for that price.
Your wine is extra, your after-dinner cof-
| fee is extra. Your bed room has no gas,
and the petroleum burned in your lamp
| Is extra. Your fires are extra. Use of the
| bath room is extra. And. lastly. madame
dictates to you who shall be your laun-
dress, for she has an understanding with
the laundress.
There is more of splendor than of COM
| fort in this Paris boarding house. 1t al
| ways is so full that there is not much room
| for any one. An American naval officer,
| his good wife and his charming daughter
| lived all the winter in two rooms, the
| largest of which served them as a private
| parlor. The pretty daughter. a grown-up
girl in society, slept in a closet Off her
parents bed room. No one knew, and 1t
| is quite Partisan to sleep in closets.
Looking round this pension bourgeoise
| the visitor from the United States must
| note it has its good points when COM
pared with boarding houses In his own
dear land. 1t is clean. The furniture is
solid, handsome, artistic and with very
| little of the factory look about it. There
| is taste in wall decoration, all the win
dcws are of splendid plate glass; reaching
almost to the floor on every story. the
floors are slippery polished oak. The dis
advantages are draughts and currents Of
air from the long plate glass French win
dcws, the Intellectual but esthetc hea ting
apparatus of the open CRATE, the practical
lack of bath rooms and the necessity of
kerosene for lighting.
The ladies say the servants all are jew
els. They are so neat and willing, so con-
fidential, so enthusiastic and SO helpful.
Encouraged by continual tipping they
transform themselves into so many pri-
vate femmes de chambre. to curl the ladies'
hair while they neglect the men of the
establishment: they run the ladies' err
rands, smuggle brandy, cigarettes and
extra food up to the ladies' rooms. The
stoutest, Oldest, plainest maids make up
the bachelors rooms.
STERLING HELLO.