Evening star., 1900-06-30

store. and in one afternoon there last sum-
ner. in the length of time it took to get
real American ice cream Soda | saw
there the Countess Of Craven. who used to
be little Miss Bradley Martin. Edna May.
who, in spite of all her denals, is likely to
out-title the naughty little countess pres
entity. and Mrs Paget. who is almost as
much of power here as her mother Mrs.
ParaR Stevens, was in New York in her
day.
The west side of Regent street is other
wise just as interesting as the east side,
but after watching that side of the street
rather curiously for several seasons l SOL
ennly aver that l never yet saw an Ameri-
can tourist there.
Haunts of Americana.
II the American you looking for is not
on Regent street in the afternoon look for
him on Bond street. block further west.
That used to be the promenade of the beaux
in Brummers day, and even now you will
find better dressed men on that street than
any other in London. except Piccadilly and
St. James. 1t is narrow and dingy and
pretentious. but behind its shop windows
are the most costly wares to be found any
where in the metropolis. If your American
Is not sauntering by these shop windows
try for him in Burlington arcade-unless he
has brought his wife with him. in which
case it is not necessary to look for him
there. In the morning the Strand. between
the Cecil and Trafalgar Square, would in
the season turn out Americans enough to
populate good-sized town. In consequence
many of the shop windows in that region
display American prices as well as English.
For some reason two-thirds of all the
American visitors to London who do not
stop at a hotel gravitate toward Blooms
bury, and lodge somewhere within half a
mile of the British Museum. Russell
Square has lost most of the patriarchal
character 1t had in the days when dear.
stupid little Amelia Sedley lived there and
m IN har U,bi Ia
Becky Sharp laid snares for joe. 1t is rum
mig TO boarding houses and hotels as fast
as anything SO solemn and digniIied could
run. and block after block Of the streets
leading off from 1t occupied by an unin-
terrupted line of fairly high-priced bcaI ding
houses that have become hotels by virtue of
a fancy name on a large brass plate. From
now till October they will be given over
wholly to Americans, who pay there any
thing from IS to s15 week for breakfast,
tea. dinner and one comfortable room.
usually getting their luncheons out. l ven-
ture to say that if a straw vote were to be
taker in Bloomsbury any time this summer
between Americans and Britons the Amer
leans would have it by large majority.
Housekeeping Made Easy.
Fer some strange reason the Baker street
region in the vicinity Of Regents Park is
also becoming strongly Americanized, and
when the queen drove that way on the oc-
cas;on of nsr last visit to London l counted
half dozen American flags in one block.
1t is to this region that any one
who is going 70 stay in London for
one month should come and plunge without
preliminaries into housekeeping if he has
brought his family. The suggestion may
sound little odd TO any one who is not
familiar with one peculiar phase of living
in London, but the scheme is perfectly
practicable. All you have to do is to take
at moments notice a floor consisting of
two or three rooms in any one of the many
houses of the Baker street region that are
1lfI at tod n n
your luggage and proceed to be as much at
home as if you had lived in London for an
age. If it is chilly, the maid has fire
burning for you in the CRATE, and If It is
) IN the afternoon she is serving tea before
you have fairly had an opportunity to OBJ
serve that the place is even provided with
piano. You so around the corner to the
grocer and the green-grocer 1.-TWO wholly
separate personages), the butcher. the
poulterer and the dairyman, and order what
you like for dinner. They send it around to
your cook. and presently, without your CIV
ing the matter any further thought, it 10
served in your own dining room.
Cheaper Than Boarding.
1 never could understand why more Amer
leans who are going to stay a few weeks in
London do not try this plan Of ready made
housekeeping You have absolutely no re-
sponsblity or worry except buying what
ever food you want, and struggling with
the English currency system. 1t is quite
as cheap as boarding; you avoid the horrors
of the boarding house table, have two or
three rooms aside from whatever you
choose to pay for food of from $40 to Sl6 a
week for two fairly comfortable rooms, and
much more you want to pay for more
elaborate accommodations. For two per-
sons, or two and child. 1t is considerably
cheaper than boarding-unlesS you are in
too great a hurry about counting your
change.
1t would be interesting to estimate how
much good American money. translated into
English coin. will be left unnecessarily in
London by this sun mer's army of tourists,
all because of the American habit of impa-
tience. I never yet knew a visitor from the
states who, unfamiliar with the cumbrous
English coinage system, willing to
stand at a shopkeeper's counter and pain
fully count his chan Sc. if 1t was at all COM
plioated. He has al notion that the shop
keeper will take him for a greenhorn and
consequently empties his handful of silver
and copper into his. pocket. after a BRIEF
helpless glance at 1t.
Now the English shopkeeper Is no more
and no less honest in the average than his
American cousin, and he cannot always
resist the temptation thrown in his path
by such reckless financing. Furthermore,
instead of being impressed by the custom
er's seeming disregard for money. he mere
ly thinks him a cfump. and would have
much more respect for any one who puz-
zled out the difference between two shilings
and a half crown, even If it took ten
minutes. MARSHALL LORD.