The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-05
HUNGRY AFTER MIDNIGHT
STRANGERS CAN GET NOTHING TO
EAT IN LONDON AFTER THAT TIME.
No AII-NiGht Restaurants in the Great
MetrOpOIis-A Starving Amer
leans Experience.

place of letter of my own. Besides II
bristles with Americanese and has the
SAVIOR Of it's soil to a degree that may in
terest those whose English is off the parent
stem, and has not been transplanted like
this:
Dear Sir-Please pardon my intrusion,
for. like yourself. I'm but trav'ler here:
heaven is my home / see you are intend
ing to write somethig about London when
it is cooler, but before you do SO, / hope
you will read what happened to me in this
city last night. You know how it is in New
York, where you can go to Burns's, and
that other restaurant near by on Sixth
avenue, and to Stewards large chophouses
on the east and west sides, and Everett's
at the market where they cure 5000 appe-
tites every twenty-four hours, and employ
night and day gangs of cooks and walters
so as never to shut the doors. And when
you come to little all-night places, like
Hitchcock's in Park row. 1 think that If
you named all you know that keep open
all night, and then If 1 began naming where
you left off, we could locate fifty more.
It's different in London. ! left Paris
yesterday with only a cup of coffee under
my waistcoat and did not eat anything at
Boulogne or on the boat, because-well, [
find its throwing money overheard to eat
crossing the channel. l arrived in London
at midnight, and took cab to my hotel,
reaching there so hungry that 1 was all
one large and clamorous appetite with a
hat on and suit of clothes. 1 mentioned
this popularity to the boy who took in my
luggage, but he said he could not even get
me a biscuit. ] should have telegraphed, he
said. Before did get mouthful l thought
CHI how fo 90 hoo tn ta1a
grapefruit am ahead of my story
The boy said that any cabman would
the hotel and regular clubs and restaurants
were shut down at midnight, or earlier.
l stated the case to a cabby, and was as
sured that should find myself surrounding
good meal in a quarter of an hour. He
took mel don't know where-to an all
night club, and called to man in gold
man bucked He fatty refused at first, to
let me into the club but afterwards said
l could enter by signing an application for
membership, and paying the initiation fee,
though it was hardly worth while, as there
was not thing to eat in the house except
a few sandwiches. Drinks he said, were
as plentiful in there as fresh air in Hyde
Park-but did not want any drinks. Then
he showed me a house close by, and said |
could get anything | wanted to eat in there,
but must pay guinea tor potato
guinea for bread, another for coffee, and so
on. thanked him., and remarked that the
mere knowledge of such place had al
ready greatly relieved my hunger.
IN SEARCH OF MEAL.
"Then / returned to my cabman. who said
he had never had a fare turned away from
that club there, but that he saw a strange
man loafing around who might be a police
man. and might have made the doorkeeper
extra cautious.
would a plain chop answer, sir, If it
was nicely cooked?'
9 1T would answer if it was raw said l.
The sides of my stomach are knocking to-
gether like castanets. I'm starving-starv-
ing in London with money to burn
Why, L could have got you simple
meal long ago, said he. I thought you
Il did not let him finish. Head the horse
for that chop said l. and drive quick, for
fear 1t will get away
In the roadway in Piccadilly-that which
he spoke of as my shelter A man came
out of one end of it, and was told that l
had been in France, and could not get any
thing to eat there, and had come over to
London, and -
found the police watching the eat
ing houses to see that no one gets in,'
said I.
come in at tother door, said the man,
and III very soon make this ere world
look smilin to you
He was much the incest man 1 have yet
seen in London.
when [ entered the queer little caboose
box-and-coXish way from the other, and
bidding me be seated before a low shelf
at the side, offered me a chop or steak,
with potatoes, and bread, and tea but
strongly recommended the steak. When he
left me to study my surroundings / found
that everything in the little stranded ark
was as neat and clean as possible. Pres
emily the cook-for such was my host-re-
appeared, with a small steak done to
turn, with platter of steaming potatoes
and a small plate Of delicious bread served
in thin slices. A knife, fork, teaspoon, bowl
of sugar and cup of tea followed, all being
as clean as any one could wish. l ate and
drank, and the world not only smiled at
me-its smile broadened to a grin before
finished. True, a sour-looking man in
painted stove-pipe hat, who had ordered a
chop, Scowled at me as II he resented my
intrusion, but he only disturbed himself.
not me- He was followed by another man
who had one foot bundled up the size of
two-gallon jug, and as he looked pleasant
ly at me asked him what allied his foot
It's very bad said he. Stepped on
NAIL sir, and got to go to hospital, sir. Itll
be many a week before | git back on the
box again, sir Many a week-and yet it
looks very tempting, even now
Il can take a hint without waiting for
house to fall on me and drive it in, SO
asked him to join me in steak, where
at the man who had been scowling ceased
to do so, and took part in a four-handed
conversation, for the cook took hand.
FRIENDLY CABBIES.
was astonished to find how nicely these
cabbies express themselves, how much they
know and how well-mannered they are. OF
four or five that / saw eating not one
showed himself a stranger to the more inn
portant rules of good table manners. A
tipsy cabby came in and used language
that would sprain a telephone but all the
cook said was, Come, Bill, you see that
sign and he mended his speech at once.
The sign hung on the wall, and announced
that improper language was forbidden. And
when l went out there sat my cabman on
his box. I'd give something to know
whether he stayed out because / had his
place or whether it was from a sense of
politeness-because, for the moment he
was in my pay, and felt himself in a SUBJ
ordinate relation.
However, you see the idea. 1t is that in
the biggest city on earth there's nothing to
do if you need food at night except to take
your hunger to bed with you, and nurse 1t
and develop it till morning, even though you
than you are yourself-Yours truly, Mad
ison Park
l read this to Canadian lady who said
that being in the same plight as this
American one day last week, she was ac-
tually obliged to drive from Charing Cross
to Hampstead and rouse the household of
a friend, whose servants got up and cooked
q meal for her two hours after midnight.
/ have myself given several realistic imita-
lions of famine stalking through the town
at various hours after midnight, and no
longer ago than jubilee day. at in the
morning, was taken in by a Knight Templar
at least he lived in the Temple-and had
my life saved with pennyworth of cream.
the rocky end of a loaf of bread and some
EA hAH fD haN Fn