Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1885-12-26
LIFE In a FLAT.
THE PARIS APARTMENT SYSTEM
SEEN At ITS BEST.

The Concisrge and His yylfs-Ths
French Housewifs's Traita--
In the Kitchen.
ICor brooklyn EAglei
II . married couple in fairly good stand
ing in France wish TO keep houss-and. IS =
rule. Such Is every ons's dssire-it win not
occur to them that they are in danger Of
losing caste BY taking only one OF the i've
or six stories instead Of the whole Of :
housA They win select their fiat according
to their means -au second, il they can
afford II with front windows upon :
pleasant street Il their means are limited
they unhssitatingly locate themselves upon
an upper, perhaps the very topmost noor Of
the houss. II it Il in good locality they
win seek their society and extend in vitations
to them as freely a. il their choice Of dwell
ing indicated greater wealth.
Tho tenants Of any single house in Paris
will comprise q most varied assortment Of
types and characters. The first persons
whose acquaintance you make are the con-
cierge and bis wife The concierge is q des-
pot who has all tho tenants under his
thumb He 10 the guardian Of the house.
the Cerberus whose good graces have to b
bought by brides and tips, by drink money
and New Years gifts He dwells IN den
called lodge, just inside the entry. His
chief duty Is to pull the Gordon, or to touch
the pneumatic button by which the street
door is opened; for, let it be added for the
benefit Of those who not know, that each
tenant. though he has key to his own
dwelling, has no key to the common en-
trance to the house. The larger outer door
Is closed about or 10 o'clock After that
you have to ring the bell. and the concierge,
without disturbing himself, pulls cord or
touches pneumatic spring by which the
door is opened In most houses the gas on
the staircase and in the entrance way Is put
out at IL O'clock, and tenants who enter at
ter that hour are required to call out their
names as they pass the concierge's loge, and
they have to find their way upstairs in. the
dark as best they can.
Except in the poorer quarters Of the town,
where the proprietors ommunicate directly
with their tenants, the concierge forms the
connecting link between those two poles Of
the population 1.-The landlord and the ton
ant. As for tho locataires or tenants. You
may have the proprietor himself on the first
floor, countess and q cocotte on the sec-
ond, dres maker aud financier on tho
third, q bourgeois family or two on the
fourth, q literary man on the 9th and an
artist or otographer on the sixth hour.
You may, however, live for twenty years
In hou-e and never see your oppo ito
neighbor or know who he or she is and what
he or she does
It is often reproachfully said that there Il
no such word as homo in French; yet there
is no country where 20 homelike q look can
be given to few rooms a. French woman
will give to her little fat II it were left to
French woman to appoint the thres
Christian graces, she would unhesitatingly
name economy, cleanliness and thorough
ness. The first IL the inbred rule OF her life;
not the sordid. niggardiy trait the virtue
sometimes degenerates into, but . vie
prudence which turns every thing to govd
account, allowing nothing to b wasted.
Her frugality il broad-not Of the penny
wise, pound foolish kind; no she shows NO
stint in furnishing her kitchen. knowing
that upon that quarter depends the comfort
OF her menage. 1t Is there she begins her
furnishing and fts it up with every con-
venience.
French kitchens, except in great houses
WHARF, chief is employed, are always very
small. and being 30. everything Is close ct
hand and no time u wasted in stepping
about The cupboards and shelves will Be-
we'll flled with bright coppsr cooking
utensils, the uses Of some of which are
quite unknown to Us, while others are not
unfamiliar. There are casserolss, sante
pans, puree sleeves, timbal mods, and hains
marie OF various sizes and al the othsr
indispensableA But the supply. although
varied, l. not large, and there b reaily
nothing to spare, and the indnitestma1 stove
would appal Yankee housewife and send
ono Of our arrogant Celtic cooks in scorn
from the kitchen. But small Is It Is, many
elegant dinners will b prepared by its aid.
Fuel u q special economy In France. 80 r
tire Is kept only during tha time whom the
meals exe peing MADE AMI most u tne
cooking H Done over Woo OF charcoal