The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-08-15
HIGH LIFE IN A CITY FLAT.
PERSONAL CONFESSION OF ONE
WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT.

WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT 1T.
Uses Of the Folding Bed-PainfuI Seees
sity of Dressing and Undressing All Owe
the House-Terror of Hearing the Dool
Bell.
know considerable about high life. ]
have lived in the second or third stories
of desirable flats or modern houses since
l was put into short dresses. / have
viewed the world from exalted heights.
especially when hung clothes in the
garnet on washdays, and am prepared
to say ttiiat although some people nav
ezra to live on the first floor front. they
miss the very riesness. OF existence.
( Cream always ris.:ss9 slle top.
have isist ~ - es's oL apars;1ss.ss
On the second q a very narrow
house ! flank the architect who
planned the buiidise lnlist have done it
with one eve ats Nhtae width nceonf-
modated the width Of an apartment Of
ordinary size, so, instead Of the rooms
branching off from one another in their
I
formed a procession in Indian file from
the front elevation to tue coal house. II
you were in the kitchen you had to 20
through every room in order to get to
the front room. You couldn't wander
about that house-you could only go
through 1t.
The family Of which am proud and
valued member is not a small one. Fam
lilies in fats never are. You will realize
the truth Of this if you ever come to live
on the floor underneath one of them.
hope that no girl will ever tell one Of
my brothers that she will be sister to
him. There are too many of us now.
THE oMNIPREsEYT FOLDING BED.
One of the results of large families
living in small flats is the folding bed.
They lean against the wall, trying to
look like d book case or a cabinet organ,
but can always tell them. When 1 see
a piece of furniture looming up like a
monument factory, with kind of moth
ing in particular air about it, then know
that it is q bed in disguise.
Our parlor was situated about midway
down the line of rooms so as to connect
with the front stairs. Two of us girls
had n folding bed in there. We used to
arrange vases and photograph holders
upon it during the daytime in our en-
deavors to conceal its identity. Every
other room except the dining room and
culinary department was the station for
a bed, and when we had company to stay
all night we used to spread canvas cots
in the back hall. used to hum sweet
little song about ooh, put me in my little
cot. motherr but since afording accom-
modations for my visiting relatives by
spending few nights out in the back
hall on bier. with tent roof for tick,
I have RETAINED from petitioning my
mother 10 do any such thing.
1t seems natural to those not accus-
toned to dressing SONS 70 take off and
put on their clothes in tho bedroom, con-
sequently we used to dress and undress
all over the house. Any one by simply
walking once through our flat in the
dead of night could have fallen over
enough wearing apparel TO have set him
up III LiG NAbAtlAn6 tusAAAtaos
RECEIVING CALLERS.
There was some inconvenience in this
predominance Of dressing rooms, espe-
cially if any one called in the daytime
before our toilets were complete or in the
night time after any OF Us had retired.
We never heard the outside front door
bell ring but its sound smote us with
terror. We would fly from all parts of
the house and congregate at the head of
the stairs to hear if what we dreaded was
true-that the caller was ours. 1t often |
was. Then the real earnest work began. |
One Of us tore off her apron, tied her
shoe, combed out her front hair and |
secured her teeth preparatory to opening |
our then carefully. closed door. Others
flew down the length of our rooms gath |
ering dress waists, Tetticoats, bath tow
els, accordion skirts, nightgowns and the
like as they went. We were almost sure |
to leave a piece of r;lilnent or some toilet
article in a conspicuous place. Itseemed |
to be fate.
People coming up stairs to see us al
ways heard a loud crashing and sounds
Of flying feet, but after they knocked
upon the cherry stained panels all was
still. We used to stop just where we
happened to be when the knock came.
OTHER FEATURES.
One cold winters evening stopped in
4 small clothes press, which opened into
he parlor, and l was obliged to exist
here for two hours and Il half while my
sister talked to a man about the
likelihood of finding ten varieties Of
orchids at Portage Falls.
One time when my basque was hang
ng on a door knob III the kitchen, when
was in the front room, and two callers
N seal sacks were awaiting me in the
uarl0r,I had to hail our grocery mans
brand boy as he was going by with
jaci of -four alstzend ldns around into
Ihe kitchen with an order for my basque.
thought delivering lAsques would come
rather natural to one used to carrying
iacks. He broughtit around to the front
If the house all right, and fished it up
with a gilt cord Ct our mantel lambre-
JUN.
Owing to the marriage of several of
my sisters and the raising of the salaries /
IF several Of my brothers, we have fallen
into the position where it seems incum-
bent upon us to live in the style which |
our income demands, and we have con-
Guided to rent AN entire house. From
my long experience in flats know that
the ringing of door bell viii always |
strike terror to my soul, and know that
shall never entertain company without {
slancing uneasily at the sofa to see if we
threw those stockings clear under, out OF
5ight.-BufraIp --,nress.
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