Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-10-10
SI'NMERlNG IN TOWN.
Flats and Hotel Rooms 70 " iiaa
'hcap-Work Of the NanddlS

Now is the time of year sara Inc
real estate man when foxy people
come. tn town to rent flats from othcV
leoplc who are going away. You just
take u; any new splprr and read tn
rumt-r .f advertisements calling f"r
'urnf>ncd flats for tn" summer fnh
will ..lso ind 4 long list " apartments
thar may be, sub-let IN summer iuliS
furnished fnt a nominal rent.
1t il quite possible 10 live IN town
YER, luxuriouslv in summer without
paving much. Many people al" quit"
aware of this and take advantage OF
it. Most natters have mania fur suit
letting when they 90 away. although
people who have houses clusr them N
ana seem Ia think nothing Of IL.
People who live IN flats either store
their Things o. else they get In ten
ant who will practically pay the rent
for them while they are out "i town.
They haven't the same prid" IN Their
homes that dweliers IN houses have.
And many of them suffer by it. Sud
the experienced fiat renters follow IN"
plan OF getting nearly everything out
~ the apartment before the n"w tenant
moves in. They pack NJ their books.
curtains. linen and silver. some times
they take up their good rugs and put
down mating There is nothing much
left but the chairs and tables.
II will tell you an odd story about a
tenant OF mine who wanted to sub-let
his fiat He advertised ana finally h"
settled on a married couple who mad
unexccptionahle references. He lett his
apartment in their charge quite con-
tented and without any fear as To the
care of his furniture. Two months
rent was paid in advance and nothing
more was heard Of the new tenants
until the allotted time was up an the
owner OF the fiat came home. He
opened the door With his latch Key ana
went in.
The Straneest sight greeted him.
Every piece of furniture had its legs
sawed off. The piano rested about
foot from the floor The chairs We're in
the same condition. The tables from
the drawing room TO the kitchen had
been treated in the same fashion. :"
had the beds. The man was 50 aston
ished that he almost forgot the amount
Of damage that had been done. for. Of
course, everything was ruined.
He walked into the kitchen with its
absurdly low chairs and table and tou'ld
blue china bowl fall Of gold pieces In
il was a slip of paper II had written
upon it: Hope this will pay YOU Tor thr
uamage We nave done.
People steal all sorts of things from
furnished mats They will take away
window shades and even the gas jets.
These are things which arc almost useless
except in the houses they are made for.
but fiat vandais are malicious. most nt
them. ! never advise my tenants In sub
let their flats.
Another class OF people who take ad
vantage Of the summer exodus are those
who secure rooms at the fashionable hn
fashionable hotel in New York for SlU Il
week in slmmcr while suites are always
low in price AT one well-known hotel.
II room and bath are ohtannbe for - Il
week which would bring 81 Il day in the
regular season. Some of these summer
renters never get their meals at the ho-
telS, hut eat in cheap restaurants and
sWasSer around in the deserted corridors
as thought they owned the hotel.
Many of them are Schemers and pose
as rich capitalists. using the hotel sta
tonefy oStcniatOuSly in their bISineSS
CORRESPONDENCE.
there are who are impressed by this sort
of thing ana imposed upon by clever
sharperS. But III. big hotels are not
turning guests away in the summer time
1hey send away their orcheStraS and re-
duce their force of help ana the rooms
might as well he occupied as idle. 1t IS
not generally known that the rates ar.
50 mich reduced. but il is a fact never
theleSS.