Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-11-02
AN UPPER WINDOW.
BY KATE W. HAMILTON.

BY KATE W. HAMILTON.
"Yes'm, nice, commogitious, ginteel
departments as you'll find" said Mrs.
Grimp, buzzing about the narrow, dusty
windows like an immense fly, and flap
ping her apron over them in lieu of
WINGS "And then the hairiness of eem
And the cheapness Of email things
consideredr'
Helen Mayne listened and looked
about her with the least bit of smile up
on her lips, and a faint feeling of home
sickness cropping into her heart. Her
vision was not sufficiently microscopic
to discover all the advantages of the
situation as they were announced by
Mrs. Grimp. She had perverse suspi-
cion that she did not like this busy,
narrow back street, this house that
stood in it, or these most excellent
departments" that were for rent.
Nevertheless, she had climbed so many
flights of stairs that day, and visited so
many low rooms with high recommen-
dations, and narrow rooms with broad
prices, that she was growing weary and
discouraged and the little words To
Let" began to assume threatening
aspect, and give to the windows in
which they were placed the appearance
of being iron barred. "These rooms
might do" she remarked to herself,
rather doubtfully; and Mrs. Grimp, like
a skillful general, caught the words,
and answered briskly "Yes'm. When1l
you wish to take procession ?''
Helen glanced once more at the
mosaic ceilings, and subdued light shin
ing through the stained glass windows,
and the wonderful bouquets of mari
COLDS and blue roses that decorated the
paper on the walls, and surrendered.
What else could she do?
"The first of next week." she said,
turning away.
Once across the street, she looked
back with momentary pang of regret
that Mrs. Grimp's view of the genteel
locality would scarcely be generally ac-
cepted and then suddenly curled her
lip at finding herself caring for the
opinion of people for whose selves she
cared nothing.
Having decided the matter, she was
not one to turn back, though, to be
sure, in this case, there was nothing to
turn back to; so, after much wear and
tear of body and vexation of spirit, the
upturning of all things movable, and
the breaking of most things breakable
"a furious skirmish between draymen
and furniture-the family were deposi-
ted, bag and baggage, in their new quar-
ters. A family of four they were, of
which Helen was the ostensible head
head and shoulders, indeed, since she
was the general burden bearer. Next
came Nan, the irrepressible fifteen-year-
old, and, in her own opinion, with more
wisdom slowed away in her curly head
than most people were possessed of at
fifty. The two children, Rue and Mar.
gle, completed, or incompleted, the es-
tablishment-generaIly, it was the
latter.
Nan clambered valorously over two
tables, pile of carpet, wash-tub Of
s books, and basket OF crockery, and
gaining the center of the room, seated
herself in the wash-boiler, and surveyed
the scene.
"And this is the result of all you1
nominating is it, Nell? Dear me it il
a ss0eet of apartments, sure enough
Rear windows afford a fine view of back
yards, intersecting clothes-lines, anc
ding linen gently waving in the sum
mer breeze. View from front windows
a little mixed-small groceries, small
boys, small dogs, principally. Humph p
the young lady's nose grew trife
more elevated" seems to me the place
has perennial odor of boiled cabbage
Helen leaned back against the wall
ala FitzJames, folded her arms, ane
responded simply: 1t is the best
could do, Man,
Notwithstanding her resolute air, The
faintest suspicion of a tremor found it.
way into her voice. Mans quick ca
- I.
pented at once.
enough 2" she asked, heroically, emerg
ing from her boiler, and drawing off he
gloves for work. "Once more into tn
breach, sweet friends Those window
will be deal more CHEEKY when they'r
washed and curtained. The paper ism
very handsome, that's fact but it vii
look better with that hole in the chin
ney covered up. Here, I'll hang thi
picture of Washington over it. Firs
in war, first in peace and frst-rate i
covering stove-pipe holes"
Hooray p burst forth Master Rue
seized with a sudden and unaccountabl
spasm of patriotism, attempting to stan
on his head in the middle OF a ma
tress, and coming down with those JOY
of his heart, his new boots, full into tn
basket of crockery
80 Ruel p calculated Helen.
~ was maxim purtend twas Fourt
Of july" explained the somewhat di
comfted young gentleman.
"And so you must send up you
heels like rockets, and use the Dime
: plates for an exposion. He'd have bee
named Ruin if appropriateness ha
been considered" said Nan, medit
lively surveying the fragments.
The business of unpacking and a
ranging, being thus successfully inaugl
rated, was carried steadily forward
and, indeed, though it seemed som
thing gigantic in It's confused state
the middle of the floor, there was "n
ssoyery much furniture to dispose c
after ALL, as Nan remarked in a tor
half congratulatory, half patheti
while a smile and tear battled for tt
right of lookout from her brown eye
Only little way back in the past tie
had been more, filing larger and plea
anter rooms. Still, when all was
order, even to the old sofa, charitab
covering the faded breadth in the ca
pet, and the great Dictionary grave
Jconcealing the ink-spots on the tabl
cover, the place looked neither uncor
Portable nor unhomelike. Two pairs
hands had wrought wonders, thoue
Mans, plump and dimpled, Helen
slender and blue-veined, scarcely lookt
the sort to wage any fierce warfare wi
opposing forces, and doubled into fs
would have been positively absurd.