PAGE EIGHT
THE ASHE VILL E GAZETTE-NEWS
Friday, Ds
OUR XMAS TREE
1
1 A
!
S
H
!
Lighting
Outfits
are safe, cheap and very
Fixtures, Portables,
Flashlights, Lionel
mi. .1 m
4 fiiectric xoys
W. A. WARD
ANYTHING ELECTRICAL
12 Battery Park Place - - - Phone 449
French Broad Avenue Baptist
church, corner French Broad avenue
and Bartlett street, Rev. John E. Bar
nard, pastor Sunday school every
Sunday at 9:30 a. m.; preaching every
Sunday at 11 a. m. and 7:30 p. rn.; B.
V. P. V. every Sunday 6: SO p. m.;
prayer meeting Thursday at 7:30 p. m.
Electroliers
FROM $5.00
UP TO $23.00
MAKE NICE XMAS GIFTS
Open Evenings
J. L. Smathers
AND SONS
Mammoth Furniture Store
15-17 N". Main Street
The diocese of Long Island has a
successful Italian congregation in
Brooklyn. It is said to be the only
non-English-speaking congregation of
the church anywhere in the diocese.
A new building erected for the use
of the congregation was recently open
ed for service.
Christmas
. Goods
OWING TO OUR STOCKING TOO HEAVILY
WE ARE SELLING ALL CHRISTMAS GOODS
CONSISTING OF MANICURE . SETS, COMBS
AND BRUSH SETS, ALL IN GENUINE IMPORT
ED PARISIAN IVORY.
Get Prices Elsewhere and
Come Here and Buy
' at Half Price
GET OUR PRICES
. McKay's
TO)
The Stingy
Guest
A Christmas Story
By W1LLARD BLAKEMAN
"Tomorrow, sir. will be Christmas,
and I would be happy to have yea dine
with us." . v
The words were spoken by the land
lord of Fraunces tavern. New York
city, more than a hundred years ago.
But this is not the beginning of my
story. , The early part of the nine
teenth century was not the early part
of the twentieth nor anything like It
Therefore what I am going to tell
should be prefaced by an explanation.
New York in 1800 did not extend far
above city hall. Fraunces' tavern, lo
cated a short distance east of the old
New Amsterdam fort at the foot of
Broadway, was the first hostelry In
the city. A newspaper in those days
was something of a rarity, and since
there were no reading rooms the jour
nal subscribed for by a landlord for
the use of Ms guests was eagerly
sought No soouer was it laid aside by
one person than it was snatched up by
another, and frequently there were
ieveral persons waiting for it.-
The gentleman who bad been invited
to take bis Christmas dinner without
charge at Fraunces' tarern had appear
ed there one evening a stranger, gone
Into the taproom, seated himself at a
table and called for a glass of brandy.
Y sat sipping the beverage, waiting
(111 the person who was at the time
reading the newspaper should lay it
down, and when he bad done so the
stranger picked It up. The paper, once
folded, was about 12 Dy 10 inches,
with not as much matter printed on it
as one -would find In a column of a
modern journal. The gentleman read
the news, principally a summary of
what had happened in Europe a couple
of months before; then turned to the
advertisements. The former in this
issue was a statement of the opera
tions of Napoleon I., the latter an an
nouncement of the sailing of a ship, an
auction and a reward for a runaway
slave. When the reader had exhaust
ed both news and advertisements be
paid his reckoning, six and a quartet
cents, and withdrew.
That was the beginning of the stran
ger's appearances at Fraunces' tavern.
Rarely did an evening pass without his
coming into the inn, calling for his
glass of brandy, reading the newspaper
and retiring. His object was evidently
to "kill two birds with one stone," or,
rather, to get his dally dram and the
news for one price. His clothes were
shabby and seemed to indicate that he
could not afford to subscribe, for a
newspaper und was obliged to sponge
for his reading on the tavern. The serv
ants conceived the contempt usual to
menials for stingy guests and would
have let him know by their manner
their opinion of him bad It not been for
the landlord, who would not counte
nance any disrespect to a guest, no
matter how little money he spent in
the house.
Indeed, the landlord conceived some
thing akin to respect for his guest
Though the latter never spent more
than the six and n quarter cents, be in
variably paid his reckoning before leav
ing the tavern. He was unobtrusive,
never engaged in discussions with oth
er guests of the bouse, and the land
lord used to say that he wished some
of the boisterous persons who met in
bis taproom would learn something
from the impecunious guest
The stranger's first appearance at the
tavern occurred ut the beginning of
the year, and, from that time np to
Christmas not a servant In the bonne
had ever received a tip from him; con
seqnently when the landlord was over
heard by "Boots" to Invite him to a
free dinner on Ohrlxtmas day the
knight of the blacking brush nt once
communicated the fact to the maid of
the dustpnn. who told It to the queen
of the skillet, and it thus at once be
came known to every servant la the
bouse.
Must to think of It!" snapped the
scnlllon. " 'E's been romln' ere a year
and not one of us 'as gut a cent from
Mm."
"It can't be," said a waiter, "that
VII accept such an Invitation."
To be sure ' will; 'e's mean enough
to accept banything."
None of these comments came to the
ear of the landlord or be would have
reproved the person making them. He
had been watching bla patron ever
since be flint came to bis bouse and
made op his mind that though be
might be poor be was certainly bonest
There were too many persona who
spent money lavishly at the tavern
who ceased their visits without paying
their bills. In time the landlord.
knowing abont what hoar the gentle
man would appear, occasionally took
the paper and read It himself till the
stingy man cam In. In order that be
might be able to turn It over with the
glass of brandy.
This he did on the Christmas eve be
bad given the Invitation to dinner, or.
rather, mine host did not read the pa
per. being too busy making bis prepare
Nona, but bid It nnder the bar. and a
ooo aa his guest came In banded It
to him. This naturally caused Indigna
as the ose of the paper was gratuitous
to all they could not complain.
A One dinner was served at Ftannces'
tavern, a dinner such as waa enjoyed
there in those days, and If It could be
served there now would coat much
more than U did then. The turkey was
wild, and tie venison was wild, as in
deed were a.l the meats served. There
was terrapin, bnt It was not touched,
being considered fit only for the negro
slaves. The only invited suest at the
dinner did not break, his customary
silence. Having read the newspaper
before the meal was served and having
dined, he went to a side room for his
overcoat and hat and gloves and walk
ing stick. The landlord stepped for
ward to help blm on with his coat and
as he did so slipped a silver dollar into
his hand wlth.the words:
"This being Christmas, sir. I trust
yon wilt not take offense at my offer
ing yon a little gift"
The gentleman looked at the coin as
though he did not quite understand
what It meant then at the donor, and
muttering the only word that had ever
come from him, except to order his
brandy, "Thanks." he put the piece In
bis pocket and left the bouse.
That was the last time the stingy
gentleman, as the servants continued
to call him. appeared at Fraunces tav
ern. The landlord was puzzled at his
not coming again. Ignorant whether be
bad taken his Christmas gift as a re
proof for bis parsimony or whether
something had happened to him. He
always expected that hia former guest
would turn up some evening, call for
his glass of brandy and read the news
paper as before. But the nijfct Christ
mas came and went without his ap
pearance, and the next and many oth
ers, and still the stingy gentleman did
not come to Fraunces' tavern.
Meanwhile the city of New York had
taken a start and was pushing north
ward. The Astor house was built a
far more imposing building than the
little tavern downtown, and the land
lord of the latter found himself out of
the fashionable district He turned
over the. management to another and
opened a house farther uptown. But
he was now getting old. and his former
patrons were passing off the stage.
The travelers who were flocking into
the city did not know what a genial
host he was, and, even had tbey known
It, they bad not the same use for a
genial host as when the city was con
fined to that region bordering on the
Bowling Green. Men were getting in
too much of a hurry to require much
attention from a landlord. Besides, the
former keeper of Frnonces' tavern had
not the wherewithal to put up a struo
ture suitable for the hotel of the later
period. He threw up the sponge and
advertised his furniture and fixtures
for sale. From this time he sank into
poverty.
One Christmas eve he received a note
through the post that if be would call
at a certain house' near St Mark's
church be would receive a gift There
was no name signed to the missive; in
deed, it was a scrawl in a very few
words. He could not think of anything
he wished for Christmas, though his
needs were nit: and there were per
sons on whom be would have liked to
bestow gifts. It is quite possible be
might not have paid any attention to
the note had it not been from curiosity
He desired to know who bis would be
donor was.
Christmas morning being bright and
crisp, be concluded that be would take
a walk and go past the address given
in the note. He told bis wife that he
would not go Inside to claim the prof
fered gift but a woman takes a differ
ent view of such matters from a man,
and she urged blm to take measures to
gratify her curiosity. Indeed, tbey
were in such financial straits tbat even
a small gift of money was needed to
buy a Christmas dinner.
The ex-landlord bulf promised what
his wife asked and started out on his
walk. When be came to the home in
question Its size and elegance sur
prised him and still further stimulated
bis curiosity. He rang the bell, was
admitted by n servant and sent In bis
name. The servant led him into a
library, and a man advanced to meet
him.
Great heavens, be waa the stingy
stranger! !.
You are surprised, I anppose," said
the gentleman, "to see me here. I did
not return to your tavern after partak
ing of the Christmas dinner you so
kindly gave me because the next day i
departed for the northwest I was
then ar.d am now a fur trader, and
much of my time for the past twenty
years baa been spent In the wilds of
Canada You remember your Christ
mas gift to me just before we parted?
well, I invested It In my business at a
time when t was In great straits for
ready money and every dollar was
worth thousands to me. I have sent
for yon not exactly aa I expressed It
to make you a gift but to band yon
the proceeds of your Investment. And
yet wbat 1 have to offer I Intend for a
return for your many acts of kindness
to me when I could not afford to sub
scribe for a journal the news In which
I refer mora especially to the busi
neas Dews I greatly needed."
Going to a desk, he took out a paper,
which he banded to the ex-landlord,
who. with bis usual delicacy, put It In
bis pocket without looking at It Then
the donor asked If ha would partake of
some refreshment and they sat down
to a glass of brandy, the gentlemaa
remarking that It was time he return
ed favor received In that respect also.
Then the ex-landlord returned to his
borne and gave bla wife an account of
bla visit
"The paper!" exclaimed, the wife.
"Let ma aee the paper he rave you!"
"Ob. 1 forgot the paper." said her
husband, and ha produced It
It contained a settlement noon him
of a sufficient Income to keep blm com
----- - -'-:yys:rv'w:i, ?
mow
T1
Princess : neatro,
TODAY
66
1
tie
Evil
Eye"
LUBIN FEATURE DRAMA IN
TWO PARTS .
TWO OTHER EXCELLENT HEELs
Coming Thursday
"Theo
SPECIAL VITAGRAPH FEATURE IN TWO PARTS, FEATURING
MAURICE COSTELLO, MARY CHARLESTON, ROBERT GAILLORD A Ti n
A SCORE OF OTHERS. ' , "
DON'T MISS THIS FEATURE
Economy
Hints
A penny saved la
a penny earned
Benjamin Franklin.
How to Economize In the Kitehen.
HE prime idea in the layout of
the modern kitchen Is the sav
ing of space. Space saving
reduces expenses, insures bet
ter food and saves servants. Some
surprising ingenuities to this end have
been devised in recent years. The idea t
is that all unnecessary steps should be
avoided and that all shall be so ar
ranged that everything will be within
easy reach of the worker's hands with
out the necessity for frequent trips
across the room or when meals are
being served from the kitchen to the
dining room. Chief among the space
savers is the kitchen cabinet, a glori
fied pantry or perhaps the kitchen me
chanic's work bench and tool chest
combined. By the way, the term
'kitchen mechanic," originally invent
ed to apply to female menial servants,
usually of foreign origin, might well
be employed nowadays as a distin
guishing term, designating one with
sufficient mechanical genius to operate
successfully the multitude of mechan
ical devices designed for kitchen use.
To a large extent modern kitchen ma
chinery is offered and nsed largely for
the purpose of dispensing with the
kitchen mechanic., old style,. Butibe
old designation might property retofTtn
and apply, to the modern culinary oper
ator if its old meaning should totally
disappear, , -.v.
But to return to the kitchen cabinet
It is really a very respectable piece of
furniture In appearance, and its versa
tility is unlimited. Among other things,
It has numerous shelves, cupboards,
closets, a tilting and removable flour
bin, a detachable flour sifter, a sugar
bin, a pounding and cutting board, an
extension sliding table top, a ventilated
cooling cupboard, a rack for the gro
cer's bills, and so op indefinitely. It is
not nearly as expensive as it sounds,'
and the number of edibles that can be
made or prepared for the stove In, on,
around, above and below this article
would fill several large, closely printed
cook books. :
The cabinet is of several varieties as
regards the materials of which it is
made, but wood is always the chief
one, of course. While the main differ
ences in the varieties Is in the exten
sion table top, which may be of nlckel
old, aluminium or porcelain, while the
interior woodwork is either varnished
or enameled. It is not Intended tbat
the cabinet shall hold a season's sup
ply of all the' raw materials tbat go
Into pies, cakes and pastry but it is
amply 'competent to store away liberal
quantities of edibles, either already
made or yet to be made.
Effective Remedy.
, Famous Scientist (excitedly) Some
thing mast be done to stop the spread
of the opium habit among women.
Editor icalmlyi Very welf. sir: I'll
pat tec paragraph saying that a bank
evteg foa afilum la a sign of old age!
Kxchanva, .
Hotel Sterii
. CINCINNATI, OHIO,
; Overlooking New Sin
ton Park. Every room
outside with bath, or hot
and cold water. Milk,
cream, vegetables from
our own farm.
American ; Plan, $2.00
$2.50, $3.00 and $3.50 pei
day. !
R. B; Mills, prop., fa.
merly of Hotel Bennett
Binr;hampton, N: Y a
Grand Hotel, New Tort I
City. '
Sixth, Mound and
Kenyon Streets.
f ataSffLlj .
Smijy Greetings
jgEFORE the days of the telephone,
distance made family visits infrequent,
costly, and often impossible. -
Today, members of a family canvisit by telephone
and keep in constant touch with one another, regardless
of distance, by this connecting link.
. Telephone service is always available wherever the
Bell system reaches. Our service connects with the long
distance lines of the Bell system, which means you can
reach almost anybody, anywhere, day or night.
. .Arc you a subscriber?
ASHEVILLE TELEPHONE
AND TELEGRAPH CO,
Next Princess Theater
tion oa the purt of other gueats. but
fortable fr life.
UNIVERSAL SERVICE.
'reasonable rati
Phone your "wsaU" to 101.
'Phone your WANTS to :01.
'sV