Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-11
AN IDAHO Roy IN LONDON
Continued from Page H.


sor Castle soon. / accordingly went
up on the appointed day and found
a vast crowd of spectators who had
assembled in the hope of getting a
look at the royal family. Most of
them were disappointed but, acting
on the tip given me, saw not only
the king and queen, but enough
sweet little lords and dukes to make
an American heiress stand on her
head and kick the ceiling. On ar
irving back at the board house that
night, Scotch lady, who had been
disappointed herself, called me down
for chasing after royalty. She ask
ed why Americans, with all their
boosted democracy, are always so
anxious for look at a crowned head.
could only reply that, while we
might occasionally look at a king out
of curiosity, we might look at cam
ell or a hyena for the same reason;
and that, while we did have a few
fools who were apparently carried
away by the glitter of a crown, she
must not forget the millions of true
Americans at home who would rath-
er take one look at William Jennings
Bryan with all his faults, than at all
the crowned heads in Europe l am
not sure that she believed it all but
| made bold bluff.
The American abroad can expect
little Tits like this whenever he
comes in contact with the English.
However, it seemed to me that the
English in London were more civil
than those we meet in other coun-
tries. True, most of them have an
air of quiet superiority and smile
knowingly at our American accent"
when we say bath" instead of
'bawth," but, after all, the people of
London are, as a rule quite civil,
much more so than many of the
American tourists we see there. 1t
is our newly rich who go abroad with
supply of bad manners, criticising
everything they see that give Euro
peans an unfavorable opinion of
Americans in general. l remember
two American women at our board
ing house who were continually re-
marking on the ignorance English
displayed concerning America when
| told them l was from Idaho, one of
them had heard of it as a town Sen
ator Mcconnell came from; the other
asked if it was near Kansas.
One thing that surprises Americans
in London is the cost of living, for it
is apparently as high there as here.
A meal that would cost SO cents in
Chicago costs the same in a London
restaurant. In one restaurant which
is fair sample, / kept account of
everything the waiter brought, and
here it is: ham and eggs, IA cents
bread and butter, four cents; coffee,
five cents; potatoes, five cents; green
peas, four cents; a napkin, two
cents; total 35 cents. The question
of tipping is nuisance here as it is
all over Europe, though right in Lon
don l was in two restaurants whose
bills of fare were marked mo gratu-
tiles allowed"
We hear of the English as great
beef-eaters, but that seems to be a
mistake. In the morning they usual
ly have a "rasher" of bacon-pro-
nounced rawsher''-and an egg; for
the other two meals they incline
more to mutton than to beef; we saw
mutton in some shape or form day
after day until l could shut my eyes
and smell an Idaho sheep camp.
Clothing made in London is about
half the price it is in America. The
looks of them must be taken into
consideration, though, for your true
BTitisher glories in a misfit. l got
Tuxedo made for six pounds or $50
WuAOll WOulO easily NOSl 9OU III ALltI-
lea. However. 1t proved to be the
old story of the American who gets
his clothes made in London-tries to
have them altered in America and
finally throws them away But there
are tailors in London who will make
clothes that really fit If you will just
take pains enough in explaining them
| beforehand.
We have them beat on shoes for
theirs all run to the toothp'ck va
riety. l looked in vain through the
stores of London for pair of shoes
of normal shape. They acknowledge
our superiority in this line and l re-
member seeing a sign, Shoes as
good as American"
In the way of theaters there is
nothing particularly fine in London.
| saw ElIan Tarrv and Mavina Eli.