The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-06-29
SOME QUEER CUSTOMS.
They Order Things After Quite An
other Fashion Across the Ocean.

other Fashion Across the Ocean.
One of the most interesting fea-
lures of an Americans first Euro
pean tour is the comparison OF
transatlantic customs in hotels and
in railway with those of the land
OF the brave and home of the free,
says writer in the New York Trib-
une. Many things that TO the sea-
soned traveller became commonplace
long ago strike the tourist on his
initial trip as highly amusing.
Col. Brotherton of Kentucky. for
instance, had been recommended to
a quiet Italian hotel. Returning
late from San Carlo, where almost
every tourist goes on his first night
in Naples, he was amazed in passing
along the corridor to see outside
nearly every door in addition to
the boots on the floor sundry dress
skirts and trousers hung upon large,
branching brass hooks. A garcon,
who was sitting in the corridor
tried in broken English to explain
That it was the custom for travel
ers to leave the clothing they had
worn during the day outside their
doors to be brushed. But the col
onel was incredulous. Never saw
anything like it in America - he
Scilu blhSly as not II : some sort
of skin game, and all those fools
will wake up in the morning and
find their clother stolen. Not I!
III brush my own
So he turned in, not even daring
to leave his boots out to he polish
ed, so many stories had he heard of
the dishonesty practiced abroad to-
ward unsuspecting American tray-
elers. Awakening early in the
morning, he peeped out cautiously,
FULLY expecting to see a row Of en-
PITY hooks. But every garment was
IN its place, every pair of shoes
shone with a polish eQualed only
by the face Of a small boy that has
been scrubbed with soap. Very eau
tiously he set his own boots out
side and turned back for another
cat nap. But his trousers still
adorned the straightforward chair.
l have another pair of boots,' he
thought, but l have only one pair
of trousers. 1t took three days or
more before the colonel dared to
trust his precious jeans to the
suspicious hook.
Miss Clarisse Blythe of Vermont,
was perfectly astonished at having
her chambermaid rush after her as
she carefully deposited the key of
her room in her beaded reticule and
eXclaim:
But Madame, Please leave yur
key beside the door. | must have
1t TO go in and do your room"
But where is your pass key?"
she demanded.
Il have nOne,'' she replied. See"
she said, pointing to the hook at
tho ciGn nf he l..
dedicated to skirts and trousers,
you must hang your key here
when you go out
Miss Clarissa cast upon the maid
a loOl; of whitening scorn. Not if
/ know it," she said. Il haint got
much, but | don't want TO be rob-
bed of that little. That's a pritty
note. Might just we'll leave your
door unlocked as fer's / kin see.
Anybod- can take the key and walk
in. No stree. You don catch me
that way" and replacing the key
she walked downstairs and sailed
out through the office majestically.
When she came home to luncheon
her room was not done up. And not
until She had reported the poor
maid to the concierge did she really
find that such was the custom of
:he European hotel.
An Englishman who was sailing
from Boston not long ago was re-
duced to one pair of really comfort
able boots. These he placed out
side his door to be polished on the
eve Of his departure and he woke in
the cold gray dawn TO find his boots
gone and not a porter in the hotel
who could trace them. He was fore
ed to descend in slippers and buy
pair of stiff, uncomfortable boots
to wear to the steamer, and to this
day he has not ceased to curse
American hotels.
In Germany one of the up-to-date
hotels has a little locker in every
guest room between the bedroom
and the corridor, with a door on
either side. He opens the door in
his room, puts in his trousers and
boots or whatever clothing needs at
tention. The valet passes along
the corridor opens each door
with his pass key and removes the
clothing to brush il and locking the
door carefully upon it and when the
owner awakes, he has only to open
his little door and there are his
clothes all ready for him.
The European bed always strikes
the uninitiated American traveller as
huge joke. In France they COM
mence to impress him with their
peight and narrowness and he looks
thlbiously at the enormous Turkey
prd cotton "couvre-pied" of elder
day'n, which looks something like
AfteHtain, and he wonders how he
p"GJer going TO bear all that extra
weight on his person. But when he
has slipped between .hc sheets and
the grateful warmth communicates
itself to his cold bones-if it is win
ter they are sure to be like icicles
he DISCOVERIES that is is deceptively
light and deliciously comfortable.
In Switzerland the beds attain a