Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
PICKING OUT A PLACE

That little narrative, more or less sa-
tiricai, In last Saturdays Star about the
adventures of man and wife while en-
gagged in hunting for a boarding house.
came home to u.s." said young WASH
ihgton matron who is more than moderate
Iy familiar with the boarding house situa-
tion in Washington.
But 1t didn't touch upon one feature of
the boarding house hunting business--I re-
fer to the really acute powers of observa-
ton that men exhibit while on such quests.
Most young married women, fancy.
imagine that their husbands are hopelessly
unobservant until they undertake their first
boarding house hunt together. There was q
time when used to demand my husbands
services on a boarding house-hunting ex-
petition simply as an escort. i did not
suppose that he knew the first principle
of picking out nice place, and did not
think that he could be of the least pos
sible help to me. I merely took him along
for company.
ing houses, I take him along as court OF
first and last authority on that subject. I
hrst found out his ability as a boarding
house expert when we were looking around
for new place about a year ago. He had,
on former hunting occasions of the kind.
allowed me to do all Of the criticising and
suggesting. but this time he took 1t all into
his own hands.
"Hypercritical? Why, he had finical fan
cies about things that never even dreamed
OF. AS usual, we took with US checked
off list of places. Well, I found that he
could tell by just looking at the outside
of one Of the houses on our list what sort
OF an outf1t'-his way of phrasing tit
would turn out on examination to be, and,
from that exterior inspection. he could
also almost exactly approximate the rates
he
ent rooms.
I'VE approached one corner house. up in
the northwest, that we had on our list. He
stood off and looked 1t over, and then he
said
shell want about ninety month for
the second-story front, and $50 for the
third-story front, II those two rooms are
vacant, and 1t looks as II there might be
| member Of Congress on the parlor floor.
| In that case, the legislator will have the
whole thing virtually to himself, corner
on all the towels in circulation. cinch on
! the attendance of all the servants-the
whole thing. Guess we'll pass this one up
and scratch 1t off the list
II asked him how he knew all these
things. He replied that If we'd go in and
investigate he'd be proven correct. He
was correct. The landlady was snuffy
little woman with a red wig. and we hadn't
been over the threshold two minutes be-
fore she mentioned her member where
upon my husband shot me triumphant
glance She wanted 500 for the second
story front, and $50 for the third-door
front, not yet vacant, but about to be: My
husband gave me the signal. and we left.
Z "And that's the way 1t went throughout
the entire search. He noticed a couple of
unkempt young ones sliding down the step
ratings of one of the houses on our list.
Nothing doing as to that one-house not
cleanly,' he said, and when we went In, l
found he was right We mounted the
steps of several houses that really looked
splendid, but there would be something
dingy and shabby about the looks Of the
vestibule and hall, and this ogservant hus-
band of mine would Immediately whisper
to me that the place wasn't going to do.
We had almost picked out place, and
were making the usual inquiries about
the table. when an overpowering aroma
Of cabbage swept through the hall when
one of the rear doors was opened.
well he told the landlady, we've got
and we'Il look at that. and if and SO on.
when we got outside, Probably bum
table at that house. was his way of put
ting it, and I haven't a doubt in life that
he was right.
THE place that he finally picked out
didn't impress me particularly for some
reason or other. But 1t has in reality
proven to be the best boarding house we've
yet found in Washington, and If we haven't
been in all Of 'em I'd like to know the ad-
dresses of the ones we've overlooked.
Il asked my husband why he had picked
this place out.
Because ne repneo' rather elapora'eiy
for him, the landlady herself was scrupu-
lousy clean. Because she wasn't enusiye.
Because she wasn't landladyish. Because
the front steps, the hall and the vestibule
were neat. Because there weren't any kids
with their stockings hanging down run
ming around IN front. Because there was
a sweet smell all over the house. Because
there were Swiss curtains in the basement
windows. Because there We're no soggy
towels chucked over the bannisters. Be
cause there were no heads poked out of hall
rooms to examine our makeup when we
were being shown around. Because the
landlady didn't glibly tell US that she put
the very best in the market in her table, nor
tell us the prices she paid for eggs and
chops and steaks. Because Of whole lot
of other things
And that gave me an idea | had never
possessed before as to my husbands pow
ers of observation. I am free to say that l
never thought. before that experience, that
ii was In him