The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-22
LODGERS AND L~ANDLADIES.
soHE CURrosITIEs OF THE LONDON
LODGING HOUSES.
Ths LansiaJy Has Curiosity. and Knows How
90 GrntIry 1.-THE Musical LandiadJ-rhe
iodErr no picks Up small Articles to satisfy
,rnyIuE Tor Drink-An Americnn's study.

~ ranu the bell. Any ono who knows the
C,lpncl intimately can tell to a nlcety Just how
many times he has rung without results, The
frs, rins is q gentle little pull: tentative, apollo
sc,iU. lie knows that in his lodgings a first ring
/, never answered, so 1t is useless to waste forco.
The second ring is a quick. nervous jerk. once
mr. twice repeated. The third is the ring Of vlo-
,.pce. ias. and hard, and long continued, till tho
iI,ele OF the bell in the easement hall Is heard
nil over the house. That was the ring he gave
when he got up again; so, obviously, 1t was the
third attempt.
"no you know these lodging houses are a
erra, study T. he asked, in q sort OF rcsigncd.to-
hts:a,e manner. after listening in vain for a
foots,oa On the stair or a knock at the door.
"yes. sir. they are a great study. l have de-
xotel d great deal OF time and some money to
Incoming familiar with them. and II Is no self
,ral,r 10 say that | know them pretty we'll.
ANY one can know them in q short time who
gives his attention to them. oh. yes, l know
them 60 well that l am thinking OF adding VI.
Il T. 10 my ~name-master OF lodging house
tricks, you know.
WHY. sab g 1.-THE Colonel has been studying
The London Cockney dialect so faithfully that
he seldom drops into his native Georgia manner
of speech NOW except when arousedl. why,
sab. | don't believe there is a single lodging
house trick In this town that l am not ac-
ona,nted with. They have all been practiced on
me. some OF them Ia great many times; and the
dear land!adies had no idea how glad l was to
be their victim. simply FOR the experience. You
ace in the last eight months l have been in 80
many different houses. Let me see; there was
the Imperial Mansions, that was the hrst: then
Russell square, that was two: then st. James
street. three: then Pccadilly. four; then Hamp-
stead, five; then Bedford place. six; then Upper
woburn place. seven; then in Richmond, eight;
then the Gordon Mansions, nine: then Gordon
suuarc, ten, and uow this place. eleven. Eleven
places in 2Io days; average, % days TO a place.
You know the town." he continued. and
you will see from the neighborhoois that my
experiences have been in lodging houses OF
various c~lasses-e,most all classes. in fact, eN-
cept the very worst. When l once got interest.
ed in the thing l determined to do it thoroughly.
That use OF the term mansions by the way, for
lodgings and cheap flats has always amused mo
very much. and | was delighted the other day to
see that ons OF tbs London Judges ridiculed 1t
FROM the bench. Maybe you saw it in the papersl
MOL Well. a woman was testifying and a law
yer on the other side asked her:
"'Yol live in one OF the improved tenements,
do you uotf
: she answered; 4 have not fallen so low
as that
You are very ungallant, Mr.. Smith said
the Judge 10 the lawyer; you know improved
tenements are called mansions in these days
The Judge knew what be was talking about"
the Colonel went on. These Londoners ridi-
cue our American way OF giving ErandiloG uent
names to small things. but they are far worse at
It than we. Every new. enement house Tor fat
house., II you choose; it's much the same here,
Is christened So-and.So Gardens. or This-and-
That Terrace, or Somebody's Mansions.
However, 1t is the lodging house Of the old
style that l devote particular attention to-the
kinE so dear 70 the heartR of EouliahpleD re-
cause they can remain secluded, and run no risk
o. meeting Objectionable people, don't you know
That ts the lodging house we Americans think
We know through the classic English novel.
Now that suggests one OF my first important
discoveries in this fertile field. I did not notice
It specially at homo, but here Oh this spot IL did
not take me long to find that the Dickens lodg-
ThsSkeray longing; Perhaps each man wrote
. Aoout the KIND, be knew best. II you take the
Dickens lodging is always cheap and nasty: il
not always, very nearly so. There. is a pail of
s%crt5bine SrasE ca 10 next t' step. 4 s1si.S
maFca toness lnswers tho bell, when it is an
Ia his pocket and bfoiIs it over the open
IRE. Everything 10 cheap and dirty. I know
. Tin. sSsT Se.t tnssf livE R1sefis IN s seHe Of th mlsh /
s saTs visi,sG them by The score: It + my
means nisaa,F at 1 teasS ioat d. on a l0E nssk day 70 ' xaik ' oas
and stop whenever l see the sign Apartments
n rhG.st APd Res ses,dsnG e.. and s 20 in in l ,5., MAKE yak
Crescent, Or other | saw Jaw the :AR5s 'H: ''s s!sa
young slavey. who looked as II she had Just
craT.ed out OF the lust bin.
L. You have apartments 10 letf l asked.
tH see, she snswered. trying to make a
knot In her back hair. She went 10 the head OF
Inc basement Stairs and called Gown:
Mrs. Jones', a man wants 20 see you
What does he want = came in 4 sharp growl
".Lotgin's.' said slavey.
"Te.I him I'm full ! came the growl from be-
IeSrot That the poor woman became full SO carly
The Thackeray lod ging house is of an entirely
dinerent character. II is a home OF ease and re-
saspsnt. as ne pictured ii; Of large apartments
ngs were more OF the Thackeray sort, and the
EssssIi square place was some approach TO 1t.
1et even those places, which were very expea.
ave. were far from comfortable. The food and
service were poor. and the extras always some.
The fact is that no English writer has given
any adequate itea OF the London loiging house
NIT: To have a hne, large sitting. room. with a
your rooms at stated hours, and a servant al
ways on call, seems. when you read OF it, TO be
S SsSe' Y 'si sfn .a o. F an! Il We s eaiy S 2s3fH ioa 4sf5s
houses here. on the London system. instead Of
o. uf s5dS SwSq b6 So@tdipg nUase;!' Their bcd snGw!et III
no. know that in real life the boarding house Is
ial Rreferab!e 10 the London plan.
Ihat idea or fine large rooms 10 one of the
htst air castles 10 be toppled over. They are the
hardest things in the world to find In this town
i mean large rooms that are situated al
kol require them. II is easy enough tc
Ghd one large one; but If you need two
Or more. You must take them in differ
Snt parts OF the house, which is inconven
{ent, There Is no dwelling house in London that
Ekho" OF that was built for d lodging house
hhvery one is a private house at first. built fol
.ht occupancy OF one, family; and as fashions
mo helghborhooaS change the dwelling hous
district gradually becomes a lodg!ng.house re-
E!9h' Now. you can easily see that a hous'
fnr ara : Is sFrahgfa tor one FAMILY Is not adaPtee
aoh houses are alike IN their Arrangement. Tn
Norhing part Is In the basement. which docs no
ehfet iHtO the question. The ground floor has
S,G.ng room in front, and a very small room bacl
Pm ana a tiny room at the end Of the nall. Oh
tue next moor are the two parlors, and nothing
sss ihc 'wo upper floors contain three or foul
sn!t.! s.ccping rooms each. That is the house.
Now tel me, sab, II YOU will or can, how yoI
s.et 10 get comfortable lodging rooms out OF tina
sr[SnSenent, Alb. yes; you say take the from