The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-10
EXPENSIVE HOSPITALITY.
4 Host Who Put Up Sign For the Bene-
6t OF Visitors.


Down In nearly any Of the southern
states" remarked the New York drum
mer Sundaying In Washington, 1.-THE OPP
preston of hospitality, II I'may so express
10, Is something tho northerner has no idea
Of. have travelled In New England, as
well as all over the south, and / have ao-
tual knowledge OF what / am talking
about. / never heard OF a Yankee being
eaten out Of house and home by his friends
but i know Of dozen families in different
parts Of the south who have a continual
struggle for existence simply because they
haven't the courage TO put up the bars and
shut out their thoughtless visitors, who
drop in at any and all times for n meal or
night s lodging, or both, or half dozen
OF them, for that matter. OF course they
are just as ready 10 extend a similar cour-
tesy, but it isn't every family who can
make itself even by boarding IL out, and
the result Is that burdens are thoughtless-
ly thrust upon many who are kept with
their noses to the grindstone as long as
they live
II never knew Of but one who had the
nerve TO inaugurate a new order OF things,
and he, or she rather has been at IL so
shortly that cannot ray how IL will turn
out, though so far IL is glittering sue
Cess. his man ~ BoOu ulu -
raft Of friends who seemed TO think that
his house was theirs free Of cost, and used
IL accordingly. His first wife was native
of the same county, and she couldn't turn
people away, though she and her husband
both felt that they were gradually being
devoured and worked TO death for their
friends. Four years ago she died, and
year ago he married a Pennsylvania wom-
an Of sense and courage and with no ira
ditions and customs 10 observe. She said
nothing for the first six months but went
ahead keeping free hotel and listening
to compliments on the superior kind OF a
woman she was and then she called for a
change.
'She had comfortable competence Of
her own, and out of that she took enough
to paint and enlarge the house and inn
prove the grounds, and in the meantime
she announced that she was going to keep a
hotel OF course while the workmen were
tearing things up, the visitors had to stay
away, and in this way they quit for a
time.
"At last she opened up the place, which
she had made very handsome, and began
waiting for guests The only indication OF
hotel there is is an archway over the big
gate on the pike about quarter of mile
from the house, and on this is a four foot
square sign, reading:
Hotel Bountiful; best meals and beds in the
county; everybody welcome; entertainment
for man and beast; prices, IS per day up; sin
gle meals. sl.50; lodging. 81: no reduction
by the week OF month; dogs and children not
admitted; come one, come all.
Mr.. and MRS. BLANK, Proprietors
"As / said, concluded the drummer,
81 don't know how the scheme will result,
but when i was in that neighborhood ten
days ago they hadn't done enough busi-
ness 10 pay for the sign. In fact, they
hadn't had single guest, and never saw
two hotel proprietors as thoroughly con-
tented and happy over the exceedingly bad
business they were doing. Washington
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