Evening star., 1896-06-16
A STARVING nRDAL oourLn.

They Were Not Up II the Customs u
. Modern Hotel.
From the New York Tribtfhs!s
Starving amid plenty II hard fats. yet
Such was the case af = dihident bridal
couple that stayed forlasweek at the Hotel
Netherland recently. They came up from
the south. and the period Of reconstruction
did not seem to have left q mark upon
their open and genial characters. He was
rawboned and athletic and she was one Of
those typical southern girls who speak In
the languorous dialect of Dixie land when
they do speak. but carry on conversation
mainly by the use Of their eyes. The couple
we're well supplied with money, and mani
tested desire to have a good time, but
details of great city. TO the manager Of
the house the young bridegroom confded
the information that his family had once
been wealthy. but. like many others in the
south. had been drained by the war. The
girl also came from an old plantation fam
lily that had been left penniless by the war
and all either could boast of was a long
line of fine ancestry. health and good looks.
By dint Of hard work and extreme econ
omy the bridegroom had save a few hun
dred dollars. and he Intended to have
honeymoon that would be worthy of re-
membrance.
The couple came to the hotel about noon,
and passed most Of the afternoon in look
ing over the house and admiring the fur
rishings. When 1t began to grow dark the
wande red about the corridors of the hotel
and seemed to be at a loss for something.
Finally his feelings mastered him, and he
approached the clerk and asked: "Ah. say
can you tell me when the supper bell
rings? Ahm getting sort O hungry"
The clerk WAS amused, but he explained
to the southerner the mysteries of living
Upon the European plan. When the bride
11- bot
paying for his room did not include meals
for himself and wife he whstled softly
and remarked: You all must max a heap
of money cha'ging like that fo rooms.
Well. we'uns are going to have good
time. an l suppose we all might as well go
in and get something or other to eat"
He walked off and went up to his room
to get his wife. He manifested q peculiar
liking for the elevator, and insisted on rid
Ing in it at every occasion. He found his
wife as hungry as himself and. under the
tow of a bell boy. made his way to the
dining room. Previous to entering this
1com his honeymoon had been a dream of
joy, without g. cloud to hide the sunshine.
When he seated himself at the table the
first rift in the lutte" came. A white
aproned obSeQuious waiter laid a carte de
jour in front of the southern visitors, AMI
then hurried off to get glasses plates, and
so on. A consultation at once took place
The card was printed In French, and after
studying it from every side, and reading 1t
backward and forward. the husband gave
1t up and passed it over ruefully to his
wife. She looked in hopeless bewilderment
a the card and it was evident that she
was at sea also. so far as French was con-
cerned. They gazed hopelessly into each
others eyes ard then at the card, and
them back into each others eyes again. He
was game to the last. and suddenly Il
thought struck him. He called the waiter
to him and said softly: "Waitah, is this
all you'uns have for suppah?'
The waiter replied that everything that
had been prepared for the meal was on the
card. The husband sighed and the wife
looked glum Then the young fellow said
quietly: We'll, l guess we all don't want
any Of what you 'uns have got fixed. We
'uns will get something or other to eat
later" Then he arose and went up to his
room, his wife following obediently. For
two days the young couple haunted the
house. They did not seem to think that
there was any more OF New York than that
which lay Immediately within the range of
vision from the hotel. They eyed the dining
room iongingly. but did not enter. One day
one of the maids came to the manager of
the hotel and told him that the persons in
the room occupied by this young couple
were lttering the place with cooking. The
manager, who felt that something was
wrong with the young fellow, called him
aside and told him kindly that the manage
rent did rot allow cooking in The rooms,
as it interfered with the regime of the house
and damaged the furniture. The young man
b,urted out: "Ah don,tJ see what We all is
to do, then. All cant get anythin' to eat
in the dining room, and we 'uns has got to
eat"
When pressed for an explanation he ex-
planned the trouble about the bill of fare,
and confided TO the manager that he and h s
wife had finally grown so hungry that he
slipped over to a. corEsr grocery and got
some vegetables and other eatables and a
frying pan. The couple had used the gas
jet for a stove and managed to get along
pretty well. although he admitted that it
a rather poor makeshift. The man
ager explained the intricacies of a Frehch
carte de jour to him, and also gave him
broader idea of the city's resources. The
young fellow was deeply grateful, and for
the remaining few days that the coupe were
in the city they entered the dining room
with the air Of persons who knew all about
it. and ordered the waiter to get them some
thing TO eat. They branched out over the
city also, and paid visits to the various
points of interest AS he was leaving the
hotel the husband graspe1 the manager by
the hand and said feel!ngly: "Ah'm 'bligeG
to you. sab. person who don't ask ques-
tionS should StarVc, and we 'unS came pretty
near it,