The Washington herald., 1919-07-24

New York. July A-Hunting lodg-
ings among the boarding houses Of
New York Is one Of the most inter-
esting pursuits in the world. 1t opens
the heart to a queer new world where
speech and customs are very differ
ent.
Irwin Cobb once said that everybody
has some time Eor other lived on
West Fifty-seventh street in New
York. And it is true. From Fifth
avenue to the Hudson there are
boarding houses galore-palatial af-
fairs with rich furnishings and the
kind that always has a care-worn
slavey who does everything.
Picking up a morning Newspaper
one may read about as follows: For
Rent-Elegant front room with bath
down the hall. Umpty Ump West
F1fty-seventh street Ring Ffnnegans
bell" The elegance consists of a
birdseye maple writing desk. a near
brass bed and a chair. The bath
room is down the hall-down three
flights.
One finds all sorts Of people in
boarding houses-the obscure, the
great. I lived for a week in one
where the clientele consisted Of vaude-
vile contortionists. I thought moth
ing OF seeing them walking up stairs
on their hands or turning a Zip off
the front stoop.
There are all sorts Of landladies.
TOO, on West Fifty-seventh street
remember seeing one who wore a
silk robe. a diamond stomacher and
pearl earrings. And there was an
other little further east who had a
patch over her eye and drank Ia
malca rum before breakfast. Her
chlef drapery was an apron.
IN some of the better-class board
ing houses now a single room with
meals ranges from $50 to SIS a week.
IL Is impossible to get ANYTHING
cheaper than that There Is one wo-
man who runs chain of boarding
houses. They are scattered over the
town. She lives in London. Has a
nne place in Kensington and all that.
And whisper it softly. She once
met the King. She was a slavey
slrl In one number OF years ago. A
handsome boarder with a lot of
money and an alarming cough fell in
love with her because she was so
KIND. The cough took him off. The
girl got the money. bought the board
ing house and finally a chain of them
VIII Rogers complains that the
near beer is something like a man
kissing his wife-there amt no kick
me number OF new beers that have
suddenly appeared in the New York
market Is astounding. The names
are suggestive of a kick. But thew
haven't got 1t.
Honest Dan" Costigan, who wa,
J put on the toboggan in February
with his reduction from inspector.
mas been sent to the goats" He
goes out to lonely Westchester sta
tion- For years he was the head of
me Vigllant Broadway vice squad.
he cleaned up the gamblers, the
nymphs du pave and made Broadway
safer place. 1t is said that the
vice interests offered him $4,000 f.
month to let them run full SWAY,
why he was deposed Is another
story. But those who know say it is
lasting disgrace to New York and
its police department.
speaking OF the police. raid was
made on one of the lO-cents-a-dance
Ganclng academies the other evening
Forty young men were arrested
Twelve were hit over the heads with
ciuos and brought to the station house
breeding Most of them were young
clerks who went TO the place because
IL was cheap. Not one resisted ar
rest, 1t is said. But the proprietor
had been disobeying some closing
law and so his patrons got the bene-
Mt of the police fury. There are
some good policemen in New York
put they are as the Westerner said.
rare avis birds"