The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-29


 first publisher of books for children and thereby the father of the enormous bus mess which is now done in such books in the Anglo-Saxon world.
 What Pierpont Morgan Could Not
 Speaking of Pierpont Morgan he is look ed upon here as the Croesus of the twen- tieth century. The old painting for whi,h he paid $50l,O00 is now on view in the na- tional gallery, He will leave 1t there and give the people q chance to see it before he takes 1t home. The London papers are full of stories of his wealth and power. He is supposed to have so much that he can buy anything or do anything, but heard just yesterday of one bargain which he failed to make. It was for the services of a middle-aged Englishman, and poor one at that. The man is the head porter at one of the leading hotels here. He stands at the front door and greets the travellers as they come in, looks after their baggage and gives them all sorts of information as to how to get about the city, and other things He wears q bright livery with gold lace on his cap and brass buttons on his coat. He is always ready to accept a fee, and if you don't give him one when you leave he will have his own opinion of you. There are such porters at every ho- tel. The man whom Morgan coveted had been head butler to one of the best-known of English dukes, and as the story goes. Mir. Morgan wanted him for his Amer ican home and offered him the position at a royal salary. To every ones surprise the offer was declined. The porter said he was doing well enough where he was and that he did not care to leave Eng land. It may he that his receipts from fees are so large that he cannot afford to exchange them for the butlership of even so liberal a millionaire as MT. Nor gan.
 The Europen Fee System.
 And this brings me to the iniquitous fee system winch is in vogue all over Great Britain. You cant turn without finding some one at your elbow ready for a fee I have not yet met man who will not take one, and the more style the official puts on the more sure he Is of getting his fees. I have lately gauged my gifts according to the yards of gold lace and brass buttons, the average be- ing something like a penny or sixpence a button, according to the surroundings. You fee the. guards on the trains, the pOrters at the depot. the men servants. women servants and hoy servants at the hotels and almost every one who gives you information In the more expensive hotels of New York the system is almost as bad, but there you fee when you get the service. and when you leave there Is nothing but the porter to pay. Here the sensible man pays nothing until ne leaves when all the hotel servants come out for present. ,....
 "They Wee All There" "
 This feellnS Is very ODnONlouS 10 AH r. icans 1 heard of one Yankee who ere ated quite a sensation in regard to 1t at a hotel in Fra lkfurt - the Main the other day. He was a liberal man, and he scattered money after the American fashion during his stay, He dropped sil- yer marks everywhere, compensating each service with a present at the time it was made. Nevertheless, upon leaving he found score of greedy-eyed under llngs in brass buttons and caps lined up to bid him good bye He had not come down until hls baggage was on the cab ard he looked at the eXpectant crowd with surprise. He had ,pent so much ai- ready that he had not thought more would he needed on leaving. His heart grew hot as he realized the cheek of the proceel- ings and he said:
 "Ah, Indeed! and are you all there?"
 The servants thinking he wished to make every one happy looked up and down the line and the porter thought of his sister, the chambermaid. and replie l:
 No! Minnie, the chambermaid' has not come
 Well" said the American. you hal better get Minnie"
 And a few moments later in came the rosy checked Minnie with her cap of snoV whteness.
 And, now" said the American again, "are you all thcre?"
 "Joi Ja! M"in Herr, Ja la, ja!' were the replies. with low bows.
 Well" concluded the American, sup pose you stay there" And he thereupon got into his cab and rode off Frank G. Carpenter.