Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
THE BOARD TESTER.
A Beat Who Finds His Wor, a,most
Too Easy

That fellow Is a board tester, cot,
one OF a group of young men standing
on the corner of 18th street and penns,f
Vania avenue, Indicating by a nod of tho
mead wel-dressed man who had inc
passed
Don't know what board tester iso
Well, I'll tell you. While he belongs 70 q
class OF dead beats not very we'll known
as yet in Washington. this field is particu-
larly fertile for him just now, and if won't
he long before his graft is worked bv
lots of others who don't care to wort he
tween meals
Washington has more boarding bous.s
than any other city of its size in the conn
try and competition between them is I,aan
They all do well during the winter months
and as long as Congress is in session. But
the dull season comes, and then all sor,s
of inducements are offered to prospective
boarders. Now, the board tester knows
this. and he is right at the present time
in his glory
His plan of campaign is simple, and ts
the easiest swindling game imaginable to
work. He sees card in a window an
nouncing that rooms and board NAV be
had within. His ring at the door he'll
is answered. and when it is understood tha.
he is a possible guest a warm invitation
to enter and interview the land}adv follows
from the servant The rest is too easy
The landlady hears that Mr. Tester whn
is department clerk, is dissatisfied with
the table where he is a present domicilad
The fare is simply abomnable. and so on
Then the landlady. before whose vision
arise half a dozen vacant rooms and a
dining table reduced to half its length since
spring fairly set in, modestfy intimates
that her partial and fndulgent young men
tns.y-n . I,,i, -
her house, and then she relates a LOT of
things that they have said about the chef.
who in all probability is an old auntie from
Virginia,
1T all ends, after Mr.. Tester has fnsinu-
ated that he has been deceived so many
times as to become skeptical of the excel
lence of boarding house fare in general
in an invitation to, remain to dinner or
lunch, according to The hour. He accepts
of course. and It is safe TO say that he gets
several tidbits which the regulars gaze
upon with envy. Testers appetite is al
ways good, and the way he clears his plate
makes the landlady fsnile in authorization
of an addition 70 her household Mr.. Tester
f1atters in a dgpified sort of way promises
to send his trCnk around at the end Of
the week and bids her good day. OF course,
that is the last she ever sees of Tester
who continues on his way looking for more
signs in the windows where he thinks he
will be likely to get she next meal
He has a small room somewhere for
which he pays ABOUT 5Sf or 81 month but
seldom does he Spendia cent for meals un-
til he has finished the rounds of the board
ing house district. The way | happen TO
know that fellow is because he made a bad
break not long ago. but l don't suppose it
turned the edge eof his nerve particle
HE worked sthe testing game on the
landlady UP where board about a month
ago, and when he failed to return after
eating about s. worth of food with two
orders of dessert, she naturally felt hurt.
Soon after she moved to another part of the
city and l went along because l like the
place. Last week just before dinner / was
in the front hall talking to the landlady
when the door bell tinkled and she went to
the door. That fellow was standing Just
outside preparing to give his usual spiel
The recognition was instantaneous and mu-
tual. He turned as white as a sheet and
started as If he had received a jab with
live wire. I thought he was going over
backward down the steps.
why, good afternoon said the old lady
in trapped voice which chilled the ice
in the refrigerator down stairs so glad tn
see you. Do come in; dinner will be served
at once
This was too much for Tester. He
turned and went down the steps in two
jumps. The last we saw of him he was
cutting across the little park in front of
the house, headed for the other side of
town."