Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-06-11
Two Mad Women.

Two women on Essex street are mad
at each other. They both live in the
same house-one up stairs and the other
down stairs. They have been mad at each
other two weeks, and the trouble arose
about the priority of claim to the rain.
water spout on the south corner of the
house. From the hour the woman down
stairs moved away the tub of the woman
up stairs, and put her own in its place,
they have not spoken. They both use the
same cellar and the same back stoop. Up
Stairs has to pass through the part of
Downstairs to get down the cellar or
out into the yard. They meet IN the
walk, on the stoop on the stairs, in the
hall, but they do not speak. Upstairs
watches from the window until Down
Stairs gets out of the yard, and Down
Stairs waits to hear the descending steps
of Upstairs to get out of the way before
the arrival. And yet, in spite OF these
precautions, twenty times day they pass
each other, and are pressed together in
the doorwavs. But there is not word,
not lock, not motion of recognition.
Down Stairs curls her upper lip
and brings hard expression into
her eyes and face on the appear
ance of Upstairs. On recognizing
this Upstairs assumes an express
sion of supreme indifference And both
experience intense satisfaction in SO doing.
They are mad at each other, are those
two women. Not mad because of the rain
water and the antagonistic tubs; 1t has
gone way beyond that now, but Upstairs
is mad at Downstairs because Down
Stairs is mad al Upstairs. And yet with
these rancorous feelings in each breast,
and constant selfintlicted irritation in
consequence thereof, it is happy house
Never before were there such clear sing.
ing, such hearty laughter, such merry
voices in talk as are daily heard in that
house of dstrust and bitterness. Upstairs
| trills her happiest melodies in a key 50
| high that it cannot fail to pierce the floor
| and ceiling between her and her neigh
| Dor, and gloats over the disaster working
| in the heart of Downstairs as the strains
reach her No sooner does she cease Than
| Down Stairs pours out her soul in happy
| song, increasing its power as shs by in
| tuition realizes the jar it is bringing to
the feelings of the hateful Upstairs, while
| Upstairs CRATES her teeth in the seclusion
of her own apartment and uncom-
| fortaby listers to what she would
gladly shut out And how those
two women laugh! Their disabilities
appear to be on the most delicate springs
! which the slightest touch throws into mo-
ton And such merry laughs so free
| from trace of care, so hearty, SO ringing
so happy in their ripping. And the
vivacIty Of their talk to casual neighborly
visitors is beyond our description. Up
/ Stairs knows when Downstairs has com
/ pany by the merry tone of the entertainer,
/ and strains her ear in vain TO catch the
/ voice of the newcomer To see her now
with fingers nervOusly pressing The
/ palms-with color going and coming at
/ the beck of that loud, carefree voice
/ brlow-with mouth compressed In the
| sorest kind of pain, one must rub his eyes
! right hard to recognize her an hour later
/ in the futtering ribbons, bright colors,
/ proud step, and seifsatisfied air Of the
! lady on whom Downstairs is evil glarlng
| through the aperiures of her front blinds,
! as she steps down the walk and smilingly
mods 10 the right and to the leit.-Daf'
bury Nens.
I Il. 80. ~ in