Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-08-15


dreaded being blown up by the boiler at the
range. But the report came up that the sinks
were stopped. After investigation, the kitch-
en- floor must be ripped up, the great waste
pipe reached by digging, and laid open. Bro
ken tumblers, plates, and cups stopped up the
pipes Another week for this. Just as we
we're sitting down to a dangerous peace, we
walked to the window one morning to see
that our yard had disappeared The roof of
tile store on which it was laid had given way,
and carried down all the earth, crashing
through the four stories to the ground Just
one thing more was needed-that the house
itself should slide off bodily, and dump itself
into the East River! Yetthe misfortune was
not wltho It comfort. The store was used for
grinding drugs. Ten thousand pounds of
salts, ipecac, rhubarb, strychnine, and such
like delicacies, were hidden beneath a hun
dred tons of earth-the medicine being,
where many people for whom it was destined
would have been, buried under ground. For
several weeks afterwards, l think the bills of
mortality improved in the region around.
There were great number of other things
exceedingly convenient in our house. The
water pipe from the roof to the front eistern
was carried down Uithin the wall to the
ground, The bitter cold froze it up. Nobody
coald get at it. We sailed 1t, we poked hot
irons into the tap, we took counsel, and f.
nally let it alone. The cornce leaked, the
walls were damp, the ceiling threatened to 4
come off; our neighbours pipe discharged SO
much OF Its contents on the ground ar TO sat-
urate the wall in our basement entry, and
the area overlooked into the cellar we dug
a cess pool to let it off, and cut through the
cistern pipe leading to the kitchen pump. It
could not be soldered with water in ii, and
the cistern must be run dry before that could
be liked. The attic tank gave out again. No
water!
"Wster, water, everywhere,
El And not DROP
to wash with. Then came on a system of
begging. We took the neighborhood in or.
der, and went from house TO house, till we
exhausted the patience and the cisterns of eve-
ry friend within reach. Then we betook our
selves to the street pump, and for two mouths
we and the milkmen subssted upon that.
There was grand arrangement of bells at
our door, which seldom failed to make eyery-
body outside mad because they would not
ring, or everybody mad inside because they
rang so furiously. The continuance was
that two bells should be rung by one wire a
common bell in the servants entry, and
goug in the upper entry. The bell. train was
so heavy to draw that it never operated till
the man got mad and pulled with the strength
OF an OK. But then it went off with such a
crash and jingle, that one would think band
OF music, with all its cymbals, had fallen
through the skylight down into the entry,
mus, women, children, and modest men sell
dom got in, and sturdy beggars had it all
their own way. 1t was quite edifying to see
experiments performed on that bell. A man
would hrst give modest pull, and then re-
fleet what he was about to say. No one
q ho
to waiting and mditation. A third pull was
the preface to stepping back, surveying the
windows, looking into the area, when, seeing
signs OF unquestionable habitation, he re-
turns with flushed face to the bell now
for it He pulls as if he held line by the
side OF river with thirty pound salmon on
1T; while all the bells 90 off up and down,
til the house seemed full of bells. Things
are not mended when he finds the gentleman
OF the house is not at home We fear that
much grace has been lost at that front door.
In the midst of these luxeries of first
class house, we sometimes would look visit
fully out OF the window, tempted to envy
the unconscious happiness of our two.story
nelghbors' They had no conoeaienceS, and
were at peace; while we had ali manner
OF convenIences, that drove US up and down
stairs now to keep the flood out, and
then to keep it in; now to raise heat, then
to keep oft a conhagration, so that we were
but little better off at home than are those
lnnocently insane people who leave home
every summer, and 60 into the country to
take care OF twenty trunks for two months,
But the cruelest thing of all, as we stood at
the window, was the pious looks of passers
oy, who seemed TO say with their ewes, GA
man cannot expect much grace that lives in
such fine house,
1t has certainly been means Of grace to
us Never such field for patience such
humbllng OF expectations and high looks, If
IL would not seem like triaing with serious
SUBJECTS, when asked how one might attain
to perfection, We should advise him to buy
irst-class house with modern improvements,
and live in it for year. If that did not fit
him for translation, he might well despair of
any chance.
Ye who envy us, will You exchange with
usF Ye who laugh ssrcastically at ministerial
luxury, will you lend US your saclcloth and
take our conveniencess But those who do
live in houses of conveniences will, hence
forth, be our fast friends. They will saw.
What if he is Abolitionist and we pro- slay-
erys What if he is radical and we conserya-
tives The poor fellow lives IN first. class
house, and is punished enough without our
adding to his misfortunes
Meanwhile, we practice the same charity,
We rail no more at Fifth avenue, and admire
what sanity virtue enables SO many to carry
cheerful faces who live in houses with even
more conyeniences than ours. We are crate.
ful for our happier lot Though we are worse
of than people in two-story houses, how
much better are we placed than if we lived in
Fifth avenuel
We bear our burden patiently, knowing |
that in the very moment of despair persons
are at the very point Of dellverance Who
knows but he may have fire as well as his
neignbors? One hour would suffice to set
man free from all his troubles, and permit him
to walk the streets at liberty, embarrassed BY
plumbers, carpenters, timers. GLACIERS, gas.
ixers, carpet filters, bell hangers and the
whole tribe of bell plumbers!
ta we are now living at peace, We are in a
plain two-story country house without soon
veniences." We are recruiting. Nothing
gets out OF order. We do not wake to hear |
water trickling from bursted pipes we have
no chandelier to fall down; the gas never |
leaks; we are not afraid to use our furnitpre |
our chairs have no linen clothes on: the car. |
pets are without drugget. The children bless
the country and a country house in which |
they are not always scratching something or |
hitting something with shoe, or button. or |
finger nails. And we already feel that afew |
weeks more will so invigorate us that we |
shall be able to return for a ten months life |
IN modern house with conyeniences.