ROOM 12A.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1596, 13 November 1912, Page 8

ROOM 12A.

-r—■ ■■■ a ■•;. ~ AN ADVENTURE IN A RURAL HOTEL.

i £B* Qmiz.ij

■' I have set foot in many coiners-of the. Island, a-iid I havcfstayed at most of- the' , hotels on the map. I have- seeii .nearly all the peoUliarife of Dearly all the villages,' and I hate -heard about nearly all those.' w-Jiicn I ,ha:venot seen. , ' ,' But the- most exquisite idiosyncracy and' : superstition which -I have ever upon *-as under my Notice last week .in..o' country hotel, ; which gave me rest .a : nd"= shelter for a night. " ' " The. hotel itself was. a : most excellent ■ •:establishment. The village, was one .wMch-I had passed '.through a hund.rcd.times.but. I-had never stayed there .'be.* fQi*. , Nevertheless, eveii though it was,dark mght and I .am a- teetoMlbr,"'l'I had Dp difficulty in finding the ho'tcii-; W«tetotilte don't drink ale -and wine, I but 1 have never iknpwn ■one-vrho-cpuitt-not pn thp darkest .night distinguish' a:i hotel from a-blacksmith* shop;..'.'" On the .hand, I bive known tip-1 .pIeTS sp guileless that they could not. duk tinguish, ;betw:eeu..the open air and .the] glass-dobr in the .hotel passage. - - '.' The- first, thing I' did on, entering, „the- ; hotel "waSi.to. let the. go just; as I .would on'-eii-teriig a-city' hoteMpr:'! acco'mmo.dati'pn. Thereby I ricarlj. wrecked the building,..- Th'e one thing" lacking in this hotel is a -soft, pedal .to the ..swing-: i ,dopr 4 ■ It.nius't ho dh..oversight,, fdr';t'herp'' is only the. one, swing-door and it would cost so very little to Remedy the omissiph.' i'lio clatter brpught a iittie ifldu ..rush-" in* from tho .bar \vith a '.little towel-over:' his shp'ulder., and I had iny wants .atteiidi ed tp theraaud then.- >. ■; ;' The little .man was the host tho;iicenseei '. Be..was;.hot the beaming, .red-'chceked, jp.via'l host whom Charles Dickens leftill: .charge of every -. : ihn.. .-.His facp :tee: the-furrows'-,-which business cares alonev.fcin' plough,, and'; he., looked;, iippn ...iue■' (and,, taada jip iqit'tempt to-conceal.it) pureli'./Ss' a business propositidn; He: knpw nbthihg., o'f_thoartof : niaßing.;pepplp':think;.th'ii't;-hb. existed simply tp liialie thpin.-febi- happy, aild at-ipme;. he, liad never jhpard ;pf'iit, ; and would-not have.ptactised-it.if he-hajd.,. ■He had accommodation, to.■sell„,-.and^.-.as.l--arrived with a. hsfidba.g, he lisoted iippn.; me-aS a!.'likely buyer.- .•-■..,':- '. He ssti'd .thsit he. -Would. allot 'me a .rboni,: and he very-prudently offered, 'to ■■■.'collect:: my. accpurit before I weit to bed:. : . , '; He asked .my ihame/ ahdVwhen >!■ ■.told hini one he asked :ine 'to, wrij^-it'iri.'-a; book; and he'said that this'yasA.jill i; precaution against fire, :.If : t : he;:ho ; tel':vrsir<J burned dowm in thfe,-night,.-he-added;, the : police would be able, to' tell '■froin 'a;c()m'-'; parison bf .-a roll-call; jatn-; the register: who had been destroyed'in' the ,cpnflagra,Ttiom , ■ , '■' ;. > :''"■,;;'' - : '-. ■ : . I asked- him if- ! it was 'ari'asbestosi'bpbk, and he said it, was "hot/ - - • '-'">■•■"'■ I'did net -writp ttiy name'as' ,Mr, Quiz,I never "do, *hen: travelling;'l-'alway? .go. incognito flnd give, toy father's riame,,. ■On the--top .of the pagp; at' the book : '«'as' f Opposite every line wits .a' number, 1; 2;.' Si Rnd'so on up'to-sQ'or CO.. These- : frei - 'e thenumbers of the, 'bedrooms. '■ ■'.' ' Tt'ho- host rah hi.s finger-down ttttd stopping at'a biarik, line-asked-uie-to write my name there,- ' I.did bo.. ■■' - • "..''- "That - Will b* ..your room," he;, said;- i and be hurried bac'k to the bar'as.'! was" blotting the ink. " •'■".";■' . ,- ; , I glanced .at the number- .'l't-was i 3, and as I left thp office the h'.pst.-c'allbd-out from the bar that I would' have no difflcuily in fi.ndihg niy-'w.ay> ,- 1 wentlipstairs'i'nd-found the passage' leading to "No. 13" sp pp'orly-illnminated that I struck matches by "the light of. which I read the .huhib?rs on .'the 'doors. ■ I found 11, next to' it 12, smd. then'the" match 'went'out I-was-sure the next' door would be 13,- but in the dim light,' Z fancied it was not..: Another: match re>!. vealed that the dppr f was 12a. I "passed : on.' A draught .extinguished my matchij: but with perfect confidence I turned- the": handle of the next dbbr. At -the- same-' .moment I stumbled over, a- pair pfismaltshoes on the door .mat, and-an imperious'--soprano i'rbm' w-ithin the room called:■■"JVho's there?'"- ■ ■-'■ r< Sorry," I replied, "I've mistaken therodm.", ■ x . No. ill found her .room to be.- v : ' I examined -all -the",.doors on that sideof the passage, and I examined .all: on the. other side.' Then I went over them again, striking patches all the way; 'Tien I went along the,.passage, which' tapped the.other tide of the .huilding; And.'-then I interviewed t" s " landlord. ■ "Where's iny T'oom?" I asked. ' ■;' ''Couldn't you find it?" he queried. "I could not.. I swear it isn't- there." "isn't any of the ■girls up, tlierO? show' ypu.' . . .. ■ - "So. There's .no one; there," "Well, the porter's over playing billiards fust now,-.'or he'd show :yeu." "Well, you had hettei" show me tho' plaos," ■ :"l'm looking after, the bar,,or I Would. The porter w-on't be long. Where did you io ok?' '.■•'■■ I told liim. -Scornfully he vowed that I had passed the very door I was seeking. Then he arranged, .with, a customer 'to ramd' the bar While, he guided, me-. He-, went along the corridor I had 'first nego-' tiatod. Near the *ndVhe.stopped.- ■ -. "Eleven," he said.;-."twelve; this is.it," I -looked on- tho door of the room lie had entered, and,by the'gliminer,''of the ■candle Ire had lit-1 read: "12a." "This," I said, "is i2.-t!" . "• ': ; *WeHf" he ' qupstionedi ■ frowning, .as though he heartily wished that 6uch-4 nuisance as I had ■ ■never sOt fpot; in Ws"' premises.. ' . "Tou got me to write ■my.na'nveoppo* site number i 3," I answered warmly. ■ "Oh!" he 'said-very Seriously, almost, devoutly, "you didn't think wed havo a, number 13, in the house:!"