The herald., 1898-12-25
IN THE MIDST OF PLENTY.
BOTAsSI STARVED WITH $50 IN
HIS POCKET
Victim to an English Custom His Life
Was Saved in a French Cafe-How
a Meal Affected Him

Demetrius Botassi, consul general OF
Greece, tells the following story l nearly
starved in London, although | had ten SOW
ereigns ($50) in my pocket. 1t happened a
few years ago, when | left New \ ork to go
to London on important business reached
the British capital without accident and put
up at the Charing Cross hotel In Trafalgar
square, opposite Lord Nelson's monument.
As my business necessitated my going to the
city proper, 1 took the local train, which
starts from the court yard OF the hotel, and
started at 8 a. H. without taking my break
fast | had been to London before and /
knew a number OF lunch counters in that
part OF the city. | said to myself, Il can
have breakfast at any time i'll one of those
eating houses"
/ finished my business very soon, and at
about 10 o'clock | began to feel hungry. /
knew IA large place near by, called the Pal
merston building, where | had often taken
lunch on former visit to London. The
whole ground floor is given up to lunch
counters. Usually these counters are liter
ally covered with all sorts of eatables, more
or less indigestible. l had some misgivings,
therefore, when / saw that there was moth
liiS Oii tiitiu III tHt tdtiiiS liIt cACtpl
OF oil and pepper salt cellars, and that in
evitable complement OF an English lunch
counter-any amount of bottles of ginger
ale. Still | summoned up my courage, ap-
preached one of the counters confidently,
sat on a high stool with the bearing of Il
judge at picnic, ard asked one of the
maids what she would give me for breakfast.
| need not describe an English maid to
You. They are all more or less alike. They
have beautiful blonde hair elaborately az
ranged; they have a horid complexion; they
have blue, expressioness eyes; they have a
plump figure and red hands And, of course,
the maid is adorned with lot of bright rib
bons.
what can you give me for breakfast %
| asked.
Nothing ready before l 2oclock," she
answered in snappish way.
Cant you have something cooked for
me?' / answered pioading,y.
Nothing before H." she repeated.
'But can / not have. cup of coffee and
some bread and butter?''
Coffee not ready before 49,
Can You give me sandwich" I asked
in despair.
Cant do it, sir" she repeated. Twelve
o'clock
felt like strangliny her I strongly sus-
pected she guessed that was very hungry,
and secretly enjoyed my discontinue.
BAIL" | said to myself, there are other
places around here where there IS perhaps
less routine aboug tia lunch hour" And |
left the place.
Not far from the Palmerston buildings
there is another establishment called Cros-
by hall, and thither | went. 1t is not A.
imposing a structure as the 'Palmcrston," >"
nor so large, but il had a more home like
appearance, but things looked ominous as
| entered. A dozen maids were scrubbng
the immense marble counter and all
seemed hustle and confusion. Not single
customer except myself was inside, and the
hope Of getting someth ng to eat there van
ished completely as soon as saw how things
looked.
In the third and four:n :ab.ishments
which | visited instead of female holp thev
had men walters. | saw them running in all
directions, but no one apolra:h ii NE to asls
what | wanted. They only stared at my
palid face and ran away CARRYING empty