Evening star., 1925-12-25
CABMAN IN ODESSA
/ TYPICAL CRATER
Bluffs Passenger for Excess
Fare, But Attempt Blocked
by Hotel Manager.
BY JUNIUS B. WOOD.
Correspondence of The Star and the Chicas

IIe NllS OIL oueSSd SlrelcneS
along and for miles back from bluff
that overlookS the harbor. My
droshky and trailing wagon with my
trunk started from the wharf for the
motel. Having a stranger for n pas
senger. the EZvoshchek (cabman) nat
urally took a route about three times
as long is the direct way. He was a
genial soul. lie waved his whip in
various directions and talked yolubly
IN Russian.
When the fare is agreed on in ad-
vance the cabby turns his weather
stained back and plods by the shortest
route to his passengers destination.
When the question of fare is not set
tied he is full of conversation. hilar
lty and entertainment and in no hurry.
The row comes later.
Our driver seemed aiming at circu-
lar tour OF the city. As the hotel to
Wfich | was going was the most con-
spicuous building on the bluff ii VAS
easy occasionally to nudge the driver
ana point in its general direction.
Da, da,' he always said meaning
Yes, yes,' After we had circled
three sides OF our destination on a
Drives to Wrong Hotel.
The driver proudly hrandished his
whip, gave d combination cluCk and
trlll which stops any horse accustomed
10 the Russian language and we We're
at the curb. l sat tight. The cabby
was obviously explaining that this
was my hotel. Promptly the chief
porter appeared and made a motion to
lift out the baggage. He was stopped.
This is your hotel" he explained in
German
ut is not. I'm going to the Hotel
de LondreS."
This is a better hotel, clean, COM
Portable, first class"
I'm going to the other hotel.
You can't get a room there.
I'm going there anyway"
If YOU don't get a room will you
come back here" he inquired.
With pleasur
The driver shook the reins and we
slowly got under way. lie seemed de-
pressed He took the shortest route
and when we reached the hotel a room
awaited me. The baggage was un-
loaded and the battle with the Ezvosh-
chek began.
Fare Is Cut i'm Half
Backed by the driver of the wagon.
he demanded 20 rubles (S10) That he
said was a minimum fare. An aged
messenger of the hotel who speaks
several languages as badly as he does
Twenty rubles for d ride which
should have taken 10 minutes seemed
high. The argument was noisy but
without result. For my part it was a
waste of time. l had no rubles. The
cabby possibly thought that the trunk
of an American was full of rubles.
The director of the hotel. a large,
we'll appearing young man, came on
the scene. He was asked how much
should be paid for the trip from the
pier. The cabby made an eloquent
speech.
He says he drove you around the
city to another hotel" the director
explained.
HE was told to come to this hotel
in the first place.
Twenty rubles is ridiculous" the
director said. The Cabby shouted, but
was waved into silence.
You pay him whatever is right" 7
said. Anyway, l haven't any money"
which showed the futility of argu.
ment.
Shall I give him 10 rubles?" the
director asked. That's great
plenty"
That was done
DO you need some money!" the di.
rector continued.
He handed over 40 rubles. making
an investment of so on a guest who
had not even registered. The system
is different from that in the United
States when the embarrassed guest
hopes TO get a cash advance from the
manager to tide him over Sunday.
Room Would House Family.
My room was immense-in size.
The manager said it would be rubles
a day. That seemed fair enough in
the subsequent discussion of prices. 1
was advised that l might have got It
for z. 1t was % by 80 feet with a 20
by II foot alcove for the single bed
and an Is by s foot hallway.
The room had three full-length mir
rors and one smaller. two with heavy
gold frames. 1t had d green plush
parlor set including a table, six
straig ght-backed chairs, two armchairs
and straight-backed settee trimmed
with brass. In addition, there were
two rattan chairs, d clothes cabinet, a
writing desk, table in the hallway,
Il combination desk and clothespress
in the bed alcove and various smaller
articles OF furniture and many pic
lures on the wall.
The floors we're bare, a character
istic of Russian hotels. Two sheets
and a pillow slip for the bed and a
towel cost 3 rubles' extra and a warm
bath was the same price. There was
ITO CHdI lOT electricity. Some
of the furniture seemed incongruous,
especially a galvanized tin water-pail
under a. eumptuous handicapped
waShstand.
Ezvoshchek Reappears.
The window was being opened for a
little fresh air when the Ezvoshchek
and the doddering interpreter appear
ed, entering without knocking.
He wants Is rubles (s7S0)," the in
terpreter explained. The price had
gone down 5 rubles. The cabby scorn-
ed interpreters. Most of the actors
and actresses in Russia are former
workers or peasants. Possibly through
the process reversed this knight of the
whip was once an actor. His stuff
was good. Though his oratory was
not understood, 1t was easy to see that
he was hard-working man, that his
wife and many children We're starving,
that his horse was sick and that life
in general was very hard. 1t was all
} by pantomime. One real was endur-
able, but when 1t promised to run into
10 he was referred to the director
Later the same Ezvoshchek was
quite willing to take the same bag
sage, including the trunk and two
men, to the railroad station in his
droshky for / ruble. Strangers are
easy picking in any city.