The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-03
The BOARDING HOUSE MORGUE
ODD THINGS HELD AS SECURITY
FOR UNPAID BILLS.
4 Glass Eye That Drought About . Settle
mcnt-Dllemma over q Set OF False
Teeth Freak Pied ges Generally o
Security Articles Not OFTEN Redeemed


Boarding house Row has it's pecu-
liar vocabulary. For instance. there Is
the 'morgue.' 1t Ia the su~bterranean
vault or skylight tank room where bag
gage that has been seized for non-pay-
ment Of board bills Is stored pending nego-
tiations for its -e5c..ption
Ono landlady who has spent thirty years
OF her life In catering to the public was
yesterday induced to reveal some Of the
secrets Of her own particular crypt. The
visitor surveyed the trunks and barrels
and boxes curiously.
DO they all represent board bills?' she
asked
.Umph,' assented the landlady. Board
bills every one OF them. Big bills. %.
Lots Of 'em II l had all the money these
things stand for how much ready cash
do you suppose I'd have on hand2"
The visitor measured the length, breadth
and depth Of the plumber.
Two hundred dollarsi" she guessed.
More than that" said the landlady.
I'D have $500, at the very least calcula-
ton Oh. yes, l know / was foolish to
let people run up such big bills. That
Us all very true. but somehow as long as
I have been in the boarding house bust
ness / have not got hard-hearted enough
to set folks out on the street when they
come to me with a pathetic hard-luck tale.
But In spite Of my weakness. ! am still
able to put up a pretty sthf fight when
I find that people are deliberately trying
to beat me and sometimes l nave gone
to desperate lengths in holding baggage
for what Ia due me.
sTr.a payar uapt "a for aa 10 hold
q whole human being as an equivalent for
an unpaid board bill. as was done over In
In New Jersey the other day. but l did
keep q part Of man a once. It wasn't a
very big part Of him, only his glass eye,
but the section made up in importance
what II licked In size and he hustled around
at a lively rate and got the money to put
himself together again.
Another time I kept a boarder's false
teeth. ! got my money hat time, too,
but I have always felt rather mean about
the transaction. II the man had had any
thing else to seize should certainly have
seized Il and let the false teeth 60. but he
had nothing. He came to me without a
bit OF luggage, except a small valise, and
he stayed six weeks without bringing any.
1T was his own heedlessness that gave
me the idea. He was terribly careless
with his teeth. They didn't seem to fit
any too well and he'd take them out and
just after l had fully made up my mind
that the mar was a fraud through and
through and that I had been feeding him all
that time for nothing, ] went into the parlor
10 dust and the first thing / saw was that
Get Of false teeth %grinning up at me from
the centre table. They gave me quite a
start. but II didn't take me long to decide
what to do with them. ] gathered them
up in the dust cloth and a a bee-line
for the old gentleman's room.
Mr.. Canter.' ! said, II you don't get
me some money by 4 o'clock this afternoon,
-He glanced at the dresser where lay
the comb and whisk broom. and smiled.
Before committing himself In words he
began to look for his false teeth. He never
look for about five minutes, and then 1
said:
What are you looking for. Mr.. Cantery'
He pointed TO his bare gums.
M theeth,' he lisped.
AT that ! threw my trump GARD right at
You needn't look any longer I said.
I AVE them They are h baggage l am
gong TO hold
you never Jaw a man In such q tantrum.
He was all on fire in two seconds
''Oh, Lor' m theeth,' he groaned. over
and over again, and then he mumbled on
hysterically for ten minutes.
Il couldn't understand half he said, but
I finally made out that he had just found
work az ~spellbinder for one Of the political
parties In the campaign that was then
going on and that he was scheduled 10 make
bis first speech at 7 o'clock that evening.
Blu how en- | thpeak.' he said, In con-
c~lusion. 'Theeth are 10 me what hair wath
TO Thamthon. Without them ] an moth
ing. You are my Delilah. Madame re-
thiore my theeth
The situation was ineXpressibly funny,
hut the humor 81 IL was all lost on Mr. Can
ter. He actually cried and at last began
90 he oTy for him myself But ] knew
better than To let sympathy get away with
my discretion. The man had never shown
any inclination TO do the square thing 10y
me and ] did not dare trust him then.
Well 20 around and see the chairman
OF tho committee. | told him, and II what
you cay is true you may have your teeth,
but ] shall take the precauiion to draw your
first salary
I'VE went 10 the committee rooms to-
gether The interview was "a terrible hu-
initiation for the spellbinder, deprived a.
h. wac 81 both teeth and dignity, and h"
came through II more dead than awe
The chairman va aso "a little confused,
hut be- finally saw the Iadicrous side If tho
matter aud gave me he IsrsOnal check
far par 81 81 Canters TN. after winch
! returned the falsr teeth
y thlnk Tie phtrfrsi lhlng ! ever h'ln
Ia pawn wa a fbing machine A. lrast
thai wa What the inventor said u ~aS
The poor fellow worked uh u constantly
fnt about ten nun'lr A. last hls bll
rrarhad such PROPORTIONS that ! couldn't
Saii Any hunger ana Nicn d. vent a"ay
I kept hls machine a. al "N.drno" - suot
faith n hoads broke he heart g. pat
With the SUI hul ! promised lam ld take
suYd IA. ~ u aLd ] dd IL r,laoJ tho
Go .'ltln SIth ua m uH uuuf-u ~ o
mnniiis aid Nlsn be- 'amr 90 paok up
lIs tfaIs be- ru.d ukvf tilsW uk" a woman
y ho Lao Jurt Ouuf huIr CO. hri CiuUiurn
1hs Nis.iuf tsplrvi hsi uuulfrlia asaI.-t
tht bead n a iauu
Hove ,uu ans uti tulok q tia hlni
stuftsi AHay hsfr hupf che AHkfd
no said thr landlads I'm Suun
! haven't ~ IHsrI. - sh uinfli
- dYihuF Aial IHa a Ha ilaf
h. thr rt-iu % lao 81 t-ui H'iuHnlHt
! zeal Vltdgte aHf uaHff dfrlfailr o. 800
lab than utliul.p tassaFr o.
HiFlFtlls tisF 90, aiaHlutrIb rHuhli
Iu thr sIriliUI luf iNrb sir nr sraIf Co.
10 ulrltal ahd Ifsrtal tHui.U - nd"
llriH.i aud a. H ruHli 'H uHHf uaIrf
a. frilatf iistu tiiar 49, go iraafu lHI.
ll.at nf Iatu 900 4. o. tfiH Ytd u re-
Iulr slHh lnau Is IH.ii r.th u.sIH
i iH ani ialf fII.l.ni l..IYlsf D. D.
sHsfuHt Hi,sN slal $3.50 ltHl I'i