The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-07
EXPENSIVE HOSPITALITY.
A Host Who Put Up n Sign For tho Benc-
fit of Visitors.

Ill of Visitors.
Clown in nearly any of the southern
states, " remarked the New York drum
mcr Sundnying in Washington, "the op-
preston of hospitality, if may so express
it, is something the northerncr has no idea
of. 1 have Travelled in New England, rs
well rs all over the south, and 1 have ac-
tual knowledge of what 1 am talking
about. never heard of Yankee being
eaten out of house and home by his friends,
but l know of - dozen families in different
parts of the south who have continual
struggle for existence simply because they
haven't the courage to put up tho bars and
shut out their thoughtless visitors, who
drop in mt any and all times for q meal or
nights lodging, or both, or half IL dozen
OF them, for that matter. OF course they
arc Just us ready to extend IL similar cour-
tcsy, but it isn't every family who can
make itself even by boarding it out, and
the result is that burdens are thoughtlcss-
ly thrust upon many who arc kept with
their noses to the grindstonc as long as
they live.
~ never knew of but one who had tho
nerve to inauguratc n new order Of things,
and he, on shc rather has been at il SO
shortly that L cannot say how it will turn
out, though so far it is Il glittcring sue
cess. This man had good farm and
raft of friends who seemed to think that
his house was theirs free of cost, and used
it 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
ucvourcd and worked to death for their
friends. Four years ago she died, and a
year ago he married a Pennsylvania won.
an oil sense and courage and with no ira
ditions and customs to observe. She said
nothing for the first six months but went
ahead keeping Il free hotel and listening
to compliments on the superior kind of Il
woman she WAS, and then she called for Il
change.
"Shc had Il comfortable competence of
her own, and out of that she took enough
to paint and enlarge the house and i'm
provo the grounds ana in the meantime
she announced that she was going to keep
hotel OF course, while the workmcn were
tearing things up, the visitors had to stay
away, and i'll 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
q hotel there is is an archway over the big
gate OH the pike, about quarter of IL mile
from the house, and on this is IL four foot
square sign, reading:
Hotel Bountiful; best meals and beds in the
county; everybody welcome; entertainment
for man and beast prices, So per day up; sin.
glo meals Sl.5O; lodging, 81; no reduction
by the week or month; dogs and children not
admitted; come one, come all.
Mir. and Mrs. BLANK, Proprictors
"As l said" concluded the drummer
don t know how the scheme will result
but when l was in that ncighborhood ten
days ago they hadn't done enough bust
ness to pay for the sign. In fact, they
hadn E had single guest, and never saw
Two hotel propretors rs thoroughly con-
tented and happy over the exceedingly bad
business they were doing. ''-Washington
Star.