The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-05-12
He WANTED A BATH
And, CuriousIy Enough, That Fact
Won Him a Lot of Fame.
QUEER TALE OF A LONDON INN

tnS SoT1fHotIon Traveller FreSn from
Australia Kicked Up In the Blue Boar
Tavern by a Simple Request That
Made Him an Object of Wonder.
cfarish the thought says the author
Of the autobiography entitled THE
Record of Nicholas Freydon," that
have become something Of a tradition
at the Blue Boar inn in London, where
/ have reason to think | am remem
bered today by a now aged Boots and
others-many, many others-as "the
genelmun as ordered bawth."
l happened on the Blue Boar. a new
arrival from Australia, and stayed
there for two nights. On rising after
my first sleepless night | went prowl
ing all about the house in search of the
bathroom. Finally | was routed back
to my room by newly awakened maid
dn curl pins, who told me rather
GROSSLY that | could not have
''hawth" unless ordered it before
and | was in a hurry to get out
doors, so | did without my bath and
promised myself / would see to it later
in the day.
That afternoon footsore, tired and
feeling inexplicably grimy, interview
ed the lady again and begged permis-
sion to have II bath She was then in
much brighter humor and in curs in
place of pins. She promised to arrange
the matter shortly and to send some
one to warn me when the moment had
arrived Where could / be found?
"Oh, III 20 and undress at once" l
said
No. don't do that. sir; can't get a
bawth all In minute" she told me.
Perhaps you'd like to wife in the
smokin room"
| agreed at once and retired to the
hyblown smoking room, where there
was an ample choice of distraction for
writing man between a motheaten
volume entitled Kings Concordance
and Southeastern railway time table
cover, very solidly fastened. bat with
nothing inside Presently Boots came
in, elderly ana sad but furtyely bird
like both iii the way he held his head
OH one side AMI in the ter5y quickness
of his movements
You the 2euemun as orClud er
bawtht" he asked mlNiously | admit
ted it, and he gave long sigh Of re
lief
90. All right" he said, almost
gladly "Ill letcher know when it's
ready"
And he hoped out | yawned, open
ed the concordance ana shut it again
hastily, by reason Of the extraordinary
pungent mustiness its pages emitted
Then | went prospecting into the pas
sage between the stairs and the private
bar. Here passed sort Of ticket Of
fee window, at which middle aged
lady sat, eating wrinkles from a plate
with the aid OF a hairpin. Her face
lighted up with sudden interest as she
saw me.
"Oo!' she cried with spirit "Er you
the genelmn as ordud er bawth?"
Again pleaded guilty and with
broad, reassuring smile, as of one who
should say. Bless you. we've had vis-
itors just as mad as you before this"
she nodded her ringleted head and
said: Right you are sir. I'll send
Boots to letcher know when it's ready"
Apart from consideration Of her oc-
cupation, which demanded privacy,
could not stand gazing at this lady
and SO | passed on to my only refuge
from the concordance room-the pri
vate bar. There was a really splendid
young lady IN attendance here, who
smiled upon me SO sweetly that / felt
constrained to order Il lemon squash
While | pondered, with one hand on
the counter, the still smiling barmaid
opened conversation brightly.
'Er you the geneImm what's ordud
er bawth?' she asked engagingly.
| began to feel that there must be
some kind of London joke about this
formula. Perhaps it is a phrase in the
current comic opera. ! thought AS
, hung indetermnately waiting | heard
a voice in the passage outside and rec
ognized it as belonging to that elderly
bird, Boots.
No; amt a-wastin NV me time" 1t
said I'm a-lookin' fer some one
serpose you Amt seed the genelmun as
ordud er bawth anywhere abart, ave
yer?"
Fearful lest further delay should
lead to the bricking up of the bath
room or to a criers being sent round
the town for the "genelmun" and so
forth, l hastened out almost into the
arms of the retainer and forcibly
/ checked him as he began on an inter.
rogative note to cheep out, You the
genelmun as ordud er''-
Coming from country where. even
In the poorest worlmans house. the
bathroom at all events is always III
commission, | was espe tally struck by
this incident, more especially when an
hour later / heard the chambermaid
cry out over the banisters:
"Mibel! The genelmun as ordud er
bawth sez ell ave chop wiv is teal"
A Survival.
(yrIIbhS Humanity has iynprova1