The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-08

Country Hotels and travelling Men.
w. /. Endicott in Cedar Rapids
Gazette: There is one thing connect
ed with the life of the travelling
man. on the road that is puzzle ito
all students of conditions, and that
is the discriminating honors with
which he is received at the country
hotel metamorphosed for his benefit
from % cent restaurant to two
dollar-a-day" houseno change of bill
SO far as accommodations are con.
cerned. The man who approaches
one Of these wayside inns with the
idea of appeasing his hunger should
appear detected and should not wear
purple and fine linen if he wishes to
satisfy his cravings at the minimum
rate. The corduroy costume IS all to
the good in the town and village
hotel. Its wearer is affectionately
welcomed by the landlord, the attrac-
tive cashier hands out her most at
tractive smile for Jim" and reserves
her severe looks for the suspicious
Mr.. Smith from the larger town
who wears real linen collar every
day in the week, supports patent
feathers and stands in front of the
looking glass while parting his hair
with the one comb that belongs to the
institution. comb from which most
OF the teeth have, been torn by the
ravages of time and contact with tan
gled whiskers from the vast wind
swept prairies of the state called
beautiful. The travelling man for it
is he who gets it in the neck-is
ushered to table just like all the
others, is helped to viands just like
the grub consumed by common clay,
only when he longs for corned beef
and cabbage his agricultural friend at
the other table has an abundance
while he is denied the feed under the
false impression of the waiting-maid
that he prefers to subsist on dainties.
She has an idea that Juggling two sarp-
pie cases and racing for trains IS
mere pastime as compared with the
bone labor of calling the cows and
rendering the "pooey" solo for the
benefit Of the pigs The travelling man
is not supposed; to wish to do any
thing at dinner time except to spend
his money It is this misapprehen-
sion that is responsible for hunger
and lamentations The traveller is
charged SO cents, 25 of which is a
compliment to his superior position,
and the man who has an appetite de-
rived from an effort to consume the
surplus of $40 acres of prime Iowa
land is charged 25 cents as matter |
of business. There should be more
fellowship. There should not be SO
many class distinctions Really the 1
travelling men are not stuck up They
would esteem it privilege to eat
with the farmers and to settle their
bills at the same cash register.
The idea that they are rich is |
all wrong - nearly all wrong. OF T
course some of them are million /
aires and are carrying their [
grips merely as entertainment, /
while others are wrestling 500 pounds
excess baggage in an effort to staye (
OF tuberculosis or cure some organic +
weakness of the back. They have
plenty of money and do not at all
mind the charge. But there are some
beginners who need the money. They
would do we'll to rent costumes so
that they could approach the tables
In disguise and mayhap they would
land where the pile OF victuals was
highest and the penalty for intefer-
ence with the table decorations the
lowest.