The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-01-29

- clans and liter
airy folk frequent
1t. But the Pilsner is yet good, and l
take some diversion from the converse
ton of waiter No. 10.
For many years the customers of Old
Munich have accepted the place as a
faithful copy from the ancient German
town. The big hall with its smoky raft.
ers, rows of imported stems, portrait of
Goethe and verses painted on the walls
translated into German from the orig
inal of the Cincinnati -poets-seems at
mospherically correct when viewed
through the bottom of a glass.
But not long ago the proprietors add
ed the room above, called it the Little
Rheinschloss and built in a stairway.
Up there was an imitation stone para
pet, ivy covered, and the walls were
painted to represent depth and dis
lance, with the Rhine winding at the
base of the vineyarded slopes and the
castle of Ehrenbreitstein looming d.
rectly opposite the entrance. OF course
there were tables and chairs, and YOU
could have beer and food brought you.
l went into Old Munich one afternoon
when there were few customers and
sat at my usual table near the stair
way. l was shocked and almost dis
pleased to perceive that the glass CT
gar case by the orchestra stand had
been smashed to smithereens. | did
not like things to happen in Old Mu-
mich. Nothing had ever happened there
before.
Waiter No. IS came and breathed on
my neck. l was his by right of dis
covary. Eighteen's brain was built
like a corral. 1t was full of ideas
which, when he opened the gate, came
budding out like a flock of sheep that
might get together afterward or might
not. l did not shine as a shepherd. As
a type Eighteen fitted nowhere. l did
not find out if he had a nationality,
family, creed, grievance, hobby, soul,
preference, home or vote. He only
came always to my table and, as long
as his leisure would permit, let words
f1utter from him like swallows leaving
a barn at daylight.
How did the cigar case come to be
broken, Eighteen" l asked with a GER
tain feeling of personal grievance.
81 can tell you about that, sir" said
he, resting his foot on the chair neXt to
mine. did you ever have anybody
hand you a double handful of good luck
while both your hands was full of bad
luck, and stop to notice how your fin
gers ~behaved?'
mo riddles, Eighteen" said l.
leave out palmistry and manicuring."
"You remember" said Eighteen, 1.-THE
guy in the hammered brass Prince Al
bert and the oroide gold pants and the
amalgamated copper hat, that carried
the combination meat ak ice pick and
liberty pole, and used to stand on the
first landing as you go up to the Little
Rindslosh? ?"
"Why yes" said 1. "The halberdier.
1 never noticed him particularly. l re-
member l thought he was only a suit
of armor. He had a perfect poise."
HE had more than that" said
Eighteen. HE was me friend. He
was an advertisement. The boss hired
him to stand on the stairs for a kind
of scenery to show there was some
thing doing in the has-been line up
stairs. What did you call him-a what
kind of a beer?'
"a halberdier," said l. '"That was
an ancient man-at-arms of many hun
dred years ago"
Some mistake" said Eighteen.
'This nj wasn't that old. He wasn't
owe twenty-three or four.
at was the boss idea, rigging a man
up In an antebellum suit of tinware
and standing him on the landing of
the slosh. He bought the goods at a
Fourth venue antique store and hung
a sign out: 'Ablebodied h%alberdier
wanted. Costume furnished
1.-THE same morning a young man
with wrecked good clothes and a hun
CRY look comes in, bringing the sign
with him. | was filling the mustard
pots at my station.
"T'm it. says he, whatever it is.
But l never halberdiered in a restau-
rant. Put me on. Is it a masquerade
81 hear talk in the kitchen of a fish
ball. says l.
"'Bully for you, Eighteen says he.
You and I'll get II Show me the
boss desk
"Well, the boss tries the Harvey
lied pajamas on him, and they fitted
him like the scales on a baked red
snapper, and he gets the job. You've
seen what it is. He stood straight up
in the corner of the first landing with
his halberd to his shoulder. looking
right ahead and guarding the Portu-
gals of the castle. The boss is nutty
about having the true old world flavor
to his Joint. 'Halberdiers goes with
Rindsloshes,' says he. just as rats
goes with r~athskellers and white cot
ton stockings with Tyrolean villages
The boss is a kind of a antiologist and
is all posted up on data and such in.
formation.
"From 8 o. m. to 2 In the morning