The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 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. Upstairs 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
hail, but they do not speak. Upstairs
watches from the window until Down
Ss;irs gets out of the yard, and Down
Stairs waits to hear the descending steps
- 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
doorways. But there is not word, not a
look, not a motion of recognition Down
Stairs crwls her upper lip and brings a hard
expression into her eyes and face on the
appearance Of Upstairs. On recognizing
this Upstairs assumes an expression of
supreme Indifference. And both experience
intense saistafaction in so doing. They are
mad at each other, are those two women.
Not mad because of the rain water and the
antagonistic tubs; it has gone way beyond
that now but Upstairs is mad at Down
Stairs, Downstairs is mad at Upstairs
NJ IL e,
each breast, and constant selfinficted irrita-
tion in consequence thereof, it is happy
house Never before were there such clear
singing, such hearty laughter, such merry
voices in talk as are daily heard in that
house Of distrust and bitterness. Upstairs
trills her happiest melodies in a KEY so
high that it cannot fail to pierce the floor
and ceiling between her and her neighbor
and gloats over the disaster working in the
heart of Downstairs as the strains reach her.
No sooner does she cease than Downstairs
pours out her soul in happy song, increas-
ing It's power as she by intuition 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 uncomfortably listens to what she would
gladly shut out And how those two wo-
men laugh Their risibilities appear to be
on the most delicate springs which the
slightest touch throws into motion And
such merry laughs SO free from trace Of
care, so hearty, so ringing, so happy in
their rippling And the vivacity their talk
to casual neigborly visitors is beyond our
description. Upstairs knows when Down
Stairs has company 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 press
ing the palms-with color going and com
ING at the beck Of that loud, care-free voice
below-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 self-satisfed air Of the lady on whom
Downstairs is evil glaring through the
apertmes of her front blinds, as she steps
down the walk and smilingly mods to the
right and to the left.-Dan6my Ne,cs.