CHINESE HOTELS.
All the European hotels I put up at. in China (mutes the Register!.-* o«>rn-s----pondent»• were literally s" armed 'with male Celestials. 'Whenov t I reached ray bedroom, no m-.fiter at what hour of the night, 1 invariably found haii'-a dozou or so of yellow-*!-: imied h< athens equatt.ingmar the door, .smoking cigarettes and playing cards- These were the " Chambermaids." or in other words the "gentlemen of the bedeb amber/'' In. the morning an almond-eyd Celestial would thrust his skull into the room and wake mi from : lumb r hy n-i <:wl<- g do., ii times, through I'M n. , "Clock hfc strike eigbu-o : welly g- "■'. gette. up." Fiv minutes aft-.-r-,ard. ■ another irould creep in,? and ho'd up uiy boots before me," and exclaim, ' M ..makee bootee b*-f<-re }ou ailc _*am-- , muchee.clean.'' Then h« would give a hideous erailo and slope off hko a phantom, but not I f-foro he had mad: th.-imlo'iahla impression that both hi* demeanour r.nd hi?." rejuerks, ; i>ornlly interpreted, could havy no- < her '.ing than-/'When you go o\rfiy -' n don't 'orgct to tip mt- a dol'iu-." ■ t man w-iiild come in wit.'.a hu; jug. ;-e? it.down, and. sinilo blandly, an J walk " away with the modest • •hse.rvetion. •■ '< >{ watea plentee warm, no irammon." iho superlative " nognmmon" b-. log ". ar. in imation that _ he,. t*o. wa.- .ict:nestrictly on tho square with i.ie, and w.\ "also open to any amount of bribery aiu: -. corruption in the form of dollai s. .-Wram a fresh head wou'd look in with " Y"U take© tea orkorfee ?".and having given "my order, quick as thought would come in still another man with the lefrosmcni, but beforel had time-to swallow it a : - sixti." would obtrude himself up -n me ■ '.- With, : ".You wanteo- shsvee oc cultee ' a ;' r ?-i_me makee, alle game top side . .-. muchea. quick."' This -sally being a stereotyped advertisement to the effect ■ -; wanted" to be shaved, or. have my hair cut \ this Celestial . coiffeur would .make me " tip top" in about (wosha- es of ii sheep's tail. When I descended to *' tiffin" ' 'one man'would stand -hehii.a my chair •-" to fan nip andkeep-ihoTiieE off, "another .'would put down a plate.* a third would " : "" put something in it, and a fourth w-u'd . hand me - the saH.!.. Then they w. uld all ."? stand round cs motionless-. &:; "i 'nines', and look calmly.-on while' X but - ' always witri a keen watchfulness, as if eager to anticipate my ev=;iy movement ; : and. if I just held'up my finger, or winked, or nodded, i-?cn r.ne.ezcd r-t them, they would fly rrvund like v.i ! d oats in their-, eagerness to nerve me, and - tliey would do all-their work pleasantly ,an<l well, and wth a coolness and masto-i-lY_.-prcei:ion ..euually wond-rful-:'-.JBut-thia.6UP«*ra'Miri' l ani life did not <-nd i .■i/liere.: -, Wher.ev.-r- I m<ved-a ynd j .frfam ; :.my- Iloiel crov.'d« .'J (i.'let-tie. .- .w-»u Id - press uT.-u iv 5 m» wi'.'-. d^.-ordi-v.t. - criets, Hitch as." You wantee boat<-r ?" ':' and wbrn- I assured tliem f *v:-.s not - : a:ixi"US to p cute a boat," a shout was -, rr.ised,.?' Yon wan tee ,st-. : amee ?" This ! ... distracting'kind bfamusi .ti'-ni, and rn i . .appailhig amoufii-likf it,.-would go on. . from morning to nigM, an.l at lapt it made such ?n imj res'-ion on my nervous - .system that even when i-lsy in ihe qui,, t sccbasion.of my be-1. I invariubly dreamt thafc a Chinftman. was turr.in-j b-.ek somersaults on my c;.est, or ib>;ng . semething equally." horriblo.
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Temuka Leader, Issue 250, 6 April 1880, Page 3
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562CHINESE HOTELS. Temuka Leader, Issue 250, 6 April 1880, Page 3
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