The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-22
DEAL THATWASN'T MADE.
FAILURE or AN ATTEMPT TO SELL
LITHOGRlPHIO STONES.
Information Encountered by n Visitor at
an ltnlisa Restaurant from HIS
Noighbor ut the T~nbie-Some Commer-

you are in tho restaurant. You do not hnd
yourself first in n hall, ms you would expert tc
do upon entering an ordinary. threo-story, high
stoop brick house, JUS rs commonplace on the
outside us any of its neiGhbors. and rather
shabby. This house is not at all commonplace
on tho inside. and so you find yourself at once
In tbs dining room OF the boarding house. TIC
rive the restaurant plenty Of space In which
to extenh itself at its case, the t%artition which
would divide the baseme into hall and din
Ing room in an ordinary. commonplace board
ing house has been abolished. Perhaps that
adds to the democracy OF the place. Neither
is tho place shabby on tho inside. True, the
floor is bare, but It is scrubbed under tho eye OF
n woman with IL conscience, and sometimes
therc Is n sprinklinC OF white sand upon 1t
when the etrcets are muddy. No one could
cnll n well-scrubbcd floor with white sand on 1t
shabby. Then the walls hut ono doesn't re-
member much about them. Thoy are proha-
bly, commonplace. papcred, perhaps. or plas-
tered, with somc forcign-looking enGrnvirGs
Of no great Importance hung on them ono
commonplace American boarding house fca-
ture that has survived the transforming touch
OF light, free, Italian fancy; fcf the estab-
lishment Is Italian. One thing 10 certain. mono
OF the artists, budding or mature, to be found
there has paused long enough in the discus
sion o: eternal art In Its everyday phases t" do
soineIilnH really nsclui III Ihc way U u uCSoIat-
ing these walls. and this has an air of inGrati-
tudc in view OF the long accounts that might
be .iphered upon them.
Two long tables. covered with the whitest
! and most tenuous Of cloths, stretch the length
of the room. ono on each side. and onto them
what dinner there is is brought in great steam
ing plntters. sometimes by n swarthy hero In
his shirt sleeves. sometimes by an Italian girl
with great eyes. bowed mouth. and graceful
carriage. Who has not been among civilized
customs long enough to have learned even to
lay aside her massy gold earrings and Roman
shawl Of many colors; an artists model as che
stands. The what referring to dinner. in
the preceding sentence was used aivisedly;
but 1t should be considered in connection with
the price OF tho dinner. which is only 30 cents.
Too much should not be expected for the money.
Those big platters of spaghetti alone seem to be
worth the cost of the whole, cooked. as il is, in
the way in which spaghetti used to he cooked
IN the days when tables d. 6te In New York
Wee dirty and the cooks were dirtier aud
could impart a different flavor to the spaghetti
each day in the year, and all the tiavors deli
cious; before they thought OF Hungarian or
chestras and liveried footmcn TO take your
coat, and long lists of Understanding dishes,
all tasting the same. But the spaghetti here.
though excellent. is not necessarily to be dis
NSNS 'H NhS IN '"0 A"No NS-
tablished your footing, you will find yourself
welco ned in the kitchen just beyond the din
Ing room. Virtue is found In unexpected
places. So Is cleanliness. In this Italian
kitchen. where they know how to cook spa
ghetti. tho pots shine, and the neatest Yankee
housekeeper would not feel herself out OF place.
This will be of interest to-tbose seekers after
good who have come to the conclusion that
pro per Italian cooking and dirt are inseparable.
There is moro to the dinner than the spa
ghetti. like it on %platters. and II you are hard
hearted you may enjoy 1t. Like virtue and
cleanliness. quiet is also found in unexpccted
places. Here 1t is used to make a specious display
OF great plenty while keeping well within tho
limits of a thirty.cent table d'h6te dinner.
Tho great ~platters make a brave show. but
their contents vanish when hungry men on
each side of the table get forks and spoons in
them. Some of the guests go there to eat for
sustenance. & and others from curiosity. II
you belong to the latter category and have Cd.
posi.e you a pair OF hungry eyes watching
each move you make in your attack on tho
platter. 1t is not likely that you will be able
to resist the mute appeal. and so you may go
way from the table unsatisfed. The guile
of the proprietor has taught him to play thus
upon the better feelings Of his customers.
and so keep his table d'h5te down to the Won
d~erfully low price. Then there Is salad, and
the guests are privileged TO dress this for
themselves, and they do it. with pungent garlic
and oil II discretion.
1t should be plain by this time thai the
guestS of the establis lment are also out Of tho
ordinary. There are tho regulars, and the
occasionals, and tho semi.oCcasionals to say
nothing of casual visitors. Among the first
Is the Italian ballet dancer, who makes corsets
for a living when out Of stage employment.
Than tt,.A. l. Al. D--- a.
unquest.oned lineage. one Of the few real Ro-
mans in the city, nc explains proudly: but
poor. very poor. There are conspirators and the
talking artists. and Italian commercial travel
lers. 1t Is n resort fo- some girl art students:
perhaps they think it is in the land of Bohemia:
but 1t isn't only II Chcap Italian boarding
house. Then there are the usual people one
sees at such n place. All these are satisfied
with tho present. II iSam ing the occasion
ais and the scmi-occAsionals that one finds the
drcamCrs and the souls chatting against their
fate. The thirty-ccnt feature OF the place
makes it very convenient for men. and wo-
men. too. who expect their lack TO change soon,
hut must eat IN tho meanwhile. 1t is also
among these shat for the most part the casual
visitor secs the hungry. appealing eye that
prevent him from satisfying his appetite. Ono
Of them has remained historical. lie had leen
used TO luxurious living, and disaster over
whclmcd h!n.in n doy. Above all he was fat.
fat. fat. How It came to be crdsined that go
fat n man should ever lie driven to n thirty
cent table d'h6tc must always remain one OF
the iuscrutablo workings of Providence. How
his conscience pcrmittc so fat \ man to ap-
pear NJ n tillrty.cvnt table dlI0to has never
boon explained. Ho,J tho proprietor permitted
so fat n man 10 ent at n single fire Is easily
answered; he did it AS an advertisement. But
IL WAS II costly advertisement for tho other
guests who snt ut his end OF the table. and tley
blessed the day when prosperity smiled at
him again. Lastly. it was among the sent
occasiona!s that was found the man who had
the liuLogra phic stones to sell.
He was slight and dark AID quiet and we'll
hammered. He show ed himself to b" II cCsmo-
politan by tho discreet uvianIty with which
he met the advances Of tho other guests
and the dcNterity with which he turned
aside the shafts Of the inquisitite. lie
Showed himself 10 he "a scmi-OcCusional lbs the
affected satisfaction he exhibited at the oevin-
ling. by tbs regularity with which he appeared.
by the hungry, though well-breI. anxiety win
which he watched the progress of the platter as
IL lnulp ito a. ii InII nv luui toward him