We received fifty cents an hour over the summer, but were put on salary in the fall - ten dollars a week. On Saturday, our nine to five work day commenced with a stop at the laundry to pick up a tall stack of sheets before continuing on to “Buckingham Palace“. The informal name was bestowed by fellow Moose members shortly after we opened and it was thereafter referred to as “Buckingham Palace“. We had no sign advertisings the regal name, only a small note on the door directing potential renters to the Moose.
Every Saturday we changed sheets and towels, cleaned the bath rooms, vacuumed the carpets, and emptied the trash cans. The memory of those many Saturdays, the routine, has blurred to a singular image - any one would fit all. It is the memory of the people living there that sticks with me. Many tenants passed through in the seven years we were involved . Some stayed for many years, a few for several months, and many for only a few days.
Three or four were retirees, living the remainder of their lives on scant pensions in single rooms. Elmer Cox and his next door neighbor, Roy, come to mind.. They had the two smallest rooms, no more than ten foot square. Roy’s room never changed. The articles on his dresser: a comb and hair brush, a framed photo of his wife, and other sundry items, were always exactly positioned. It was spooky, like no one really lived there. Elmer and Roy were frugal, husbanded their money through the month, and then had a party with any leftovers - usually enough for a pint of whiskey each.
GO TO: Part 5, Our Renters
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