The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-10
TO lie It

TO L IC It.
1t is an exceedingly unpleasant thing to live
in house which is, at the time, when you are
occupying it, to let.
have no doubt that the polceman's family
Rt the untenanted mansion round the corner will
respond to the truth of this remark. What
time they have of it How are they haunted
from mansion TO mansion, and from villa to villa /!
As soon as they get accustomed to the black
beetles at the semi. i.detached cottage, they are
transferred to the attentions of another and a
larger species, at the "residence fit for n noble
man." which is the house agents next venture
They must have a miserable time of IT, and Il is
enough to make this constable's wife disparage
the house which she is employed to show off, In
order that she may be allowed TO remain there
in peace.
That woman olives out Of her box" as the say
ing is, for it is not worth while to unpack it when
she-q9iay have to leave at a moments notice.
Under these circumstances, of course the children
cannot be kept as nice as might be, and certainly
they might be nicer. Those children are some
what to be piiied. Between the necessity of keen
ing quiet all the day, in order that father, who is
a night policeman, may get his due amount Of
sleep, and the difficulty of accommodating their
conduct to mother s temper, which her unsettled
position renders irritable, they have enough TO
do. There is a nondescript dog, however, who
lives upon the area steps, and does not care pin
how often the family moves, which animal is a
great comfort to the children. He allows him
self to be dragged about by them. and in return
helps them OFF with their bread and dripping,
which, with an occasional fly, keeps him going
nicely.
These good people live rent-free all their lives,
and have the opportunity of trying the air in diff
ferent parts of the town, but they never seem to
be happy. Their turn up bedstead never has n
permanent home, and their gridiron and their
OF 9an riV0T ,ad
It is not however, of their troubles that it is Just
now my business to speak. l have to do with
others, perhaps of less material kind, but per-
haps to the man of feeling and emotion vet more
calling. II is bad, no doubt, to groyel among
the foundations all your life, to live in unfur-
niEhed and everchaDging Easements. IL is also
difficult to keep inqusitive persons, who come to
see the house. out of the pantry; where your
husband is In bed, and snoring horribly-for the
day snoring Of night policeman is a thing alto
gether out Of the way and apart from all other
snoring whatsoever. Still, there are other vexa-
uons besides suoh as these, and this hope, with
the readers permission, to show.
The "house 10 let" of which would speak, is
to let furnished, and you, its temporary owner,
are living in il till another occupant can be found.
This is unpleasant. In the first place, there is a
bill in the window, itself depressing thing, and
that bill (Which presents its reverse side to you in
the house, you are always trying to read back
wards. "rhis desirable Residence to be Let, Fur.
nished, takes a long time in the spelling out,
and the house agents name and address take
longer still yet in this pastime you find yourself
engaged diligently, whenever you are In the
room in whose window the bill is placed. The
bill, too, is always coming undone at the corners
for glass is slippery substance This does not
matter much, however, as you can set things
right with little muciage or wafer, which
holds for good half hour ut the least. That
servants should be unsettled and disorganized
while living precariously in house with bill
up, and that tradespeople should be attentive in
calling with their accounts, seems only natural
But what arc such annoyances to those which
are inflicted upon You by the people who come
TO see the house They como at all hours, and
catch you at all sorts Of occupations. If you are
a late riser there comes an early bird who has
no time 10 lose, and who particularly wishes to
are at the moment engaged in fattening q
''feather" on the top of your head. You art
afraid 10 lose chance, and you let him in, and
he takes the opportunity Of overwhelming you
with questions, which you answer at considerable
disadvantage, on account Of the incomplete state
of your morning preparations. These house
hunters, let il be repeated, come at all hours
They come when you are at breakfast aud al
luncheon, aud stare at the shattered remains oil
these feasts. The empty egg-shells do moi
escape them !; for them the sirloin is not streskeC
in vain. Again, they come when you are
engaged in business; and, when your wife ha'
friends around her, the house-hunters rally in
the drawing room. They rally in the kitchen
moreover, when the joint is Just ''put down, and
peep at it furtiyely behind the meat-screen.
Also, how they stare At you, the proprietor
they stare so ferociously, that you ask yourself
whether you really do bear the semblance of thC
human form, or whether you are an anthrOpOp
with your head beneath your shoulders? F.? They
stare at your papers, at your letters lying open
on the table, at your egg-shells, and at your
streaky beef. They back out Of the room II
which you are sitting, in order that they may SET
the last OF you, and they make an excuse TO gel
in again before they leave the house, pre-
tending that they want the measure Of certain
recess in this particular apartment, into which
they think they could squeeze sofa OF theil
OWn-as if there weren't sofas enough already
And mark this stare is always one Of disap-
prOval and suspicion.
Under these circumstances, Il is impossible fol
you to "settle 10 anything" You lose yOui
time and neglect business. You don't feel as II
anything in the house, or the house itself
serving, sycophantic aspect. 1t will make itself
useful TO somebody else in week or fortnight
from this time. Your dining-tabe will grOan,
20 use q popular phrase, under the weight OF
another's joint, and your own especial easy chair
will adapt itself 20 the curves Of anOher's legs.
You might lock this piece Of furniture away in
the dark room upstairs but you have already
put away vast mass Of things there for which
Won have regard, and after all you must leave
something in the sitting g-roOms. They look a
little bare and robbed Of knck-knacks, so to
speak, already.
AS TO the people who come 10 inspect your
house, they are of various kinds; encouraging,
alscOuraging, communicative, diiident. The
fereaet customers are ladies. There are certain
ladies of middle age, of plain appearance, sensi-
nv dressed In materials that won't spoil, before
whom anv owner of furnished house may rea-
sonably quail. Terribly wise and practical are
these ladies. You cAuttsk them 10 with your sle-