The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-04-22
IN A RIVIERA FLAT.


viera is a complicated business. An
English couple who tried 1t relate
their experiences with profusion of
disheartening detail. They got out of
the beaten track by going to Tamaris
across the bay from Toulon.
The fat had four rooms and was
supposed to be furnished. The rent
was S22 a month. This seemed cheap
enough until the extras began to
spring up at every turn. For instance,
as soon as they had paid the first
months rent in advance they were re-
uuired to pay another ten francs as
the cost of putting the apartment in
order after they should leave it.
A furry of welcoming attentions on
the part of the concierge called for an
other ten francs Next they had to
get their own belongings across from
Toulon, for which they were compell-
ed to hire a boat and crew at two
francs an hour. The affair occupied
two days, which made the total close
to forty francs. Next came the taking
of the inventory of the furniture.
This required the services of two
men and also the payment of another
ten francs. Every scratch on the
furniture, every nail hole in the wall
and every Clipped cup or saucer was
noted down." says the account in the
Queen. This inventory was taken
again when we left, and we paid
well, we paid the ten francs origina-
ally and fifty cents more for crack
ed plate.
CAS- for furnishings, they can hard
ly be defined as complete or yet as
lacking There was mortar and pes
tie with which to make aioli, the Pro
vencal's national dish of garlic, but
no knives, forks or spoons; there
were two elaborate French clocks, but
no bed covering.
eve found that the agents wife
would rent bed and table linen for
thirty francs a month. Upward and
upward as the sparks rose the price
of our Riviera fiat, but there was moth
ling for it, so we ordered in the linen,
from the agents wife. The linen ar
rived in due time in sufficient guam
tity and of excellent quality-real
linen and all monogramed even down
to the kitchen towels.
"The next day we bought an outfit
of knives and forks of the picnic
brand, and this cost another ten
francs. They didn't match up exactly
with the linen but answered their pur-
pose we'll enough. At last we were
well enough equipped for our modest
household needs.
Next came the food question. Be-
ling busy folk, we thought we might
larrange to have one or two of our
meals each day at the neighboring no.
Itel. 1t was simply an impossible prop
osition. We had hired an apartment
of a competing concern and the hotel
proprietor would have nothing to do
with us except on his own terms,
which were the same as if we were
paying the rental for his villa and for
our meals besides.
There was nothing to be thought
of but to patch out our daily menus
from such local supplies as could be
had. There was a huckster who pass
ed every day with job lot of dried
vegetables though the garden spot OF
France was within sight across the
, bay, the same that furnished spring
vegetables all the year round to the
Paris markets.
) "Only one other procedure was oper
| and that was to bring our supplies out
from Toulon each day. The objection
. to this was that we had to pay the
, local octroi officials for every sprit
I of celery which we landed, for every
+ tin of sardines and for every kilo o
tomatoes. Every going concern a