The National tribune., 1910-01-27

course, altogether these extras didn't
amount to 50 very much, and did not
bring the total up to more than 81 a
enough for all we received. 1 would
day at the outside, which was little
unhesitatinsIy recommend Pension Ncef
20 anyone wishing to avoid the greater
expense OF hotel, with its demand for
fine toilets and all that fuss. The loca-
-fion is most desirable, being SO near the
Avenue Louise cars, which take you
everywhere, and the house itself, with
the pleasant garden opening directly
out of the dining room, its plain but
extremely well-cooked and abundant
food, and its very nice rooms. is quite
good enough for anyone, even those
who could easily afford a more eXpen-
sive place. | admired your Aunt E.'s
sang froid as she paid her bill, and
when / complained of mine she said
"Why. that's all right; everyone eX-
poets all those little extras 10 be tackled
on over here. It's done in every Euro
pean country, and no one but a very
unsophisticated person ever gives them
a thought" which superior remark
squelched me completely, of course. II
Is strange how we hate TO be found
lacking in savoir faire. We can bear
anything better than that. 1t is not
agreeable TO be told many things t'foT
your own good, YOU know. dear'D. that
we are selfish. for instance. or too cTiti-
cal. OF that we do our hair fTightfuily.
etc. but to have it even insinuatcd that
we have committed q faux pas is a
crusher which is supported with diff
Guilty. Ignorance OF the worlds ways
is all very well in your sweet country
maiden, with her childIike. w!de-open
eyes and fresh beauty, but we older
people. living in the thick of things
must possess the wisdom of the serpent
(tho we may look like the innocent
dove) in order to receive any considera-
tion whatever at the hands of this ex-
tremcly wide-awake. up-t0-date day and
generation What you don't know you
must pretend to know. Nearly everyone
is bluffing something.
The short ride over from Brussels
only about three-quarters Of an hour
was very enjoyable. The second-cIass
cars were unusually roomy, and seemed
very cool and clean with their stra W
seats, and to me the scenery was inter-
esting, tho / do not think Elizabeth and
your aunt paid much attention to il,
having been over the ground before.
Miss n. had recommended Pension
Kern-Loss to US. and we had written in
advance for rooms. When we reached
Antwerp and found that this was not
far away we decided we would walk,
following the boy who pushed a cart
containing our luggage. He was rath-
er delicate-looking fellow, and we didn't
see how he could bulge the cart after
everything was piled on it, for we had
six trunks between US and many small
pieces: but he said ne could. and he
proved that he knew what he was talk
ing about. isn't he regular Yankee -
said Elizabeth, as we trotted along after
him, nearly killing himself in order tC
make more money? If he came over
TO America he'd be a John Rockefeller
in a few years. I'll bet a cookie"
Antwerp impressed me first as being
q very modern city. The street which
we walked along on our way to the
pension reminded me very much, IN
deed, OF the lower part Of PENNSYLVANIA
avenue, in Washington. of that portion
beginning about Seventh street and con-
tinuing to the Peace Monument II was
a fine, broad street like that, and the
buildings on both sides, just TO glance
at them casually, seemed strkinsly like
those in this neighborhood of our Ma
tional Capital. One building in Darticu.
lar was such counterpart Of the old
National Hotel, on the proper side oI
the street, too, that l was half inclined
to cross over and see what it looked
like inside.
We found Pension Kern-Loss some.
WHIT Shnalier ana perhaps rather less
imposing than Pension Neef, if you
could use so grand q word in connec
ton with the latter, but very nice never.
theless. 1t also has a garden in the
rear leading from the dining room, a
long, narrow garden, at the end OF
which are some seats and a small plot
of grass. The amiable-looking woman
who keeps it, and who is, l suppose,
Miss or Mrs. Kern-Loss, does not pre-
side at dinner in the grandeur of full
dress, as did Miss N, very red of face
and neck, casting cold, steeIy eye
around the table before taking up the
carving knife TO divide the beef or NUT
ton; in fact, this lady is not present al
any of the meals for the excellent rea-
son that she does all the cooking with
her own fair hands. and cannot there