Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-29

LIley IedQ Oll OIle Ol IIle larger SlSIlS IIlS
words American Hotel" The building
was a drab one-story affair, but that
| sign made it stand out magically among
| its neighbors. To add to the good for
| tune, there was a we'll stocked general
store in connection with the hostelry.
1t was getting dark rapidly, so the
| party thought it best to get the shop
ping over with. The store differed from
an average country store in the States
in one respect only-the shelves back
of the dingy counter were laden with
bottles of whisky and wines and cham
payne and other spirits. On other
shelves and counters and in showcases
were goods of every description, from
| hardware and cotton goods to groceries
and aspirin. All the goods bore the ia
miliar trade names or other identifying
marks of American manufacturers. This
was disappointment to the group
which had just entered noisily and
| aroused copper-faced storekeeper
from his nap.
Gems" Declared ValueIess.
They were looking for something
distinctive" something peculiarly Sal
vadorian. They were surprised to hear
the native behind the counter answer
their inquiries in fairly good English,
although, on second thought, they re-
membered that the store was part of the
American Hotel and its proprietor ma
turally must know how to converse with
American customers.
It was either in this store, or one
nearby, that member of the press
party bought a most distinctive pill box
fall @f 81 So, 1r1fx
sum of 35 pesos, or about IA American
dollars. A self-confessed jewelry expert
on the Maryland later swore that with
one or two possible exceptions, all the
rubies and sapphires and amethysts and
other stones in the box were of the
same common origin as the stones on a
5-and-10 jewelry counter back home.
Whether this was true or not remains a
mystery that only the purchaser of
those jewels can clear up, If he cares to.
In fairness to unions merchants, it
must be explained that the storekeeper
who sold the gems did not guarantee
them to be genuine. The shopping ex-
perienceS in LUniOn convinced the Wis
itors that most of Central America S
distinctive" souvenirs bear made
In U. S. A." stamp.
Visions of good American meal in
the hotel restaurant next door impelled
the visitors to descend confidently upon
that institution. The thought of meet
ing, perhaps, hotel manager or clerk
who had wandered from Kansas, or
somewhere, into the tropics and set
himself up in the hotel business was ap-
pealing.
The lobby was not actually lobby,
but barroom, with implanted plank
walls, short mahogany bar and a
couple of small tables. The bartender
did not look like an American, so the
manager was asked for. The man be-
hind the bar shook his head and said,
mo spik Angleesh."
I'VE want something to eat-food,
dinner, supper or what have YOU" in
sisted the customers, making gestures
as though partaking of nourishment.
Banquet Found Arranged.
The bartender nodded that he under
stood the signs and he disappeared into
long room which opened to one side
on a courtyard and which was recog-
nizable as the hotel restaurant. Pres
emily he came back with black
mustached gentleman whose. air of
af1luence marked him as the manager.
He could not speak English either,
but he made it very plain, in apologize
manner, that there was no food avail
able, for some strange reason.
An American hotel with no food and
with attaches who spoke no English!
The correspondents felt free to express
their indignation in strong American
terms. They left in search of another
cafe or hotel and found, farther down
along the plaza, the Hotel Italia" One
of the photographers knew italian, so
he tried it on the bartender in the
Italia" The bartender didn't speak
Italian, but the similarity between that
language and his own enabled him to
understand that food was wanted. He
tried to explain that he could not ac-
commodate dozen customers at once,
but he pointed out still another "hotel"
few doors away. At the third place
1t was indicated that supper wasn't
| ready, but the group hopefully sat down
and decided to wait.
Just as the party, with round of
cheers. was greeting the advent of the
first tray of food from the pantry a
member of Mr.. Hoover'S staff rushed
through the front door breathleSsly and
broke the disconcerting news that the
press was to be rendered big dinner by
the Salvadorian government and that
the repast was ready.
. "Where?" chorused the newspaper
| men.
AT the American Hotel" came the
startling reply.
Copyright. 1929. by The Evening star)