Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-01-03
FOUR GIRL BACHELORS.
A GLIMPSE AT THEIR CHARMING
HOME IN NEW YORK CI7N.

They All Work, and Spend Their Incomes
in a Cooperative Way-Provisions Made
to Meet the Peculiar Tastes of Each
Member of tho Quartet.
Yes, there is such a person as a girl bachelor,
and she is not IN old maid either. She 4 an
independent American young woman with
the stars and stripes luttering in her direct,
honest glance, and she prefers freedom and
the sense OF ownership in her own fireside to
anything else in life.
Here follows the true story of four girl
bachelors who for good or i'll pitched their
tents together:
How do you do? It's awfully good of you
to run in in this friendly way to see how our
new housekeeping gets OIL. Sit Town here by
this window. Isn't that roof top view de-
l~ightful2 That only comes to those who live
near the sky, like sparrows amid the Spires
and that, of course" with a contradictory
slrug, was our only reason for taking the
top floor when we might have had the first.
Now look about you and tell me how you
like it,"
Alter this breathless invitation l gazel ST.
Icntly at everything in the place for a few
moments, and had to admit that | liked it
very much-so much, in fact, that a secret,
]cnvious yearning burned within me to flee
then and there from dull, conventional
grooves, rs Christian did from tho City of
Destruction, and be also a girl bachelor,
a:appy, securely poised and sufficient unto
myself!
Imagine a large, square room in a corner
! house Oh en- uptown street, ono side facing
Broadway. 1t was SO high up your best
friend Or tho man who owed you that long
outstanding bill might go down that noisy
thuroughfare and you could not distinguish
him by features, walk or clothes. There
was Il vista of acres of sky in tender evening
tints; Of stecples and waving flags on the
higher buildings; of chimneys and roof tops
a little lower down, and far below street
lamps and electric lights like strings of bril-
liants crossing at the corners and A ing the
gray, twilit streets q fairylike glimmer. So
much for the view.
This large room, the assembling place Of
the four girl bachelors, was eloquent of four
distinct hobbies.
IN a rep covered divan, in ono corner,
among q sea of sateen pillows, lay a banjo,
rs if a musician had just thrown it down.
But I knew it was Polly's md that she had
placed it there silnplyafor the effect. | could
fancy her, her blonde head on one side, study
ing that particular corner and puz2ling her
brains for something else to give it IN extra,
supernsthctic touch. On tho wall above it
about thirty small, unframed etchings were
tackled in rows, up and down, haphazard.
Another corner showed q deep bamboo
rocker, 4 Nluantity of books and q dainty
cherry deSl containing every new knick-
knack for writing.
On the opposite side of the room a work
basket, embroidery frame and square foot
stool were arranged.
And at the back stood an upright piano,
} its top crowded with music sheets-Chopin's
waltzes check and jowl with the latest comic
opera jingles.
Though these four corners typified hobbies
delightful 10 each Of the girl bachelors they
also signiiied work, bread and butter, rent
and new gowns, for Polly, who dotted on
everything unusual in a room, was an artist.
Her sketches appeared regularly in the illus
trated magazines. Dolly was u newspaper
woman and sent letters on metropolitan fads
and foibles to out of town papers. Lefty
earned $50 u week by designing art embroid-
cry for a big house down town, and Hetty
was a music teacher.
The floor was covered by a close woven,
v~ariegated mating, with a great navy blue
and orange rug in the center and a few bear
"ANS NH oiASAS. A1t4 a. IL lSl1llo HldCo-
fully drnped the windows. A deep hued au-
tulnn landscape, in a heavy gilt frame, hung
in a good light. This, by the way, was the
most important piece Of work Polly had ever
done. She had named it "IVhen Twilight
Melts Beneath the Moon Away" Gan Octo-
Der Evening"" where the Road Winds
Down." etc. But she had never been able to
sell it, and had stopped rechristening it. 1t
had come to be a joke, but no one dared deny
its beauty, even though the colors were a lit
tie perplexing.
"Now como and look at the bedrooms, One
in pink and white for Lefty and me, because
We are brunettes, and the other Opening an
other door, in lilac and white for Polly and
Hetty, because they arc on the blonde order,
and because music loves art, and vice versa.
Well, it looks awfully cosy, but oh, the time
we have had to get straightforward Polly in
sisted on painting everything she could lay
her hands lilies on the panel of
that door and dog roses on the ceiling of her
bedroom. l tremble when I think what the
~janitor may say. And Lefty has been EN-.
broidering everything-sofa cushions, doy-
lies, tray cloths. Hetty and I did nothing
but get things in order as well as we could
without stumbling over paint brushes and
stepping on needles. 1t was fortunate nv
w. ~ w W - dlc Il lOOll,
unless, as Polly said, l used tho leaves of ali
nay rejected manuscripts for wall paper.
"Now, this is the dining room. You see,
there's a folding bed in the corner. That's
for q visitor or for one of us when we feel
cranky and must be alone. Polly says the
moods of artistic souls should be respected.
What dc you think2 But l hope we never
will feel cranky in this jolly little paradise.
Oh, after boarding houses it is delicious to
ave n home. Why, the smell of cooking for
twenty or thirty people used to come up
stairs SO we always knew what we were 60
ing to have ard felt as if we'd eaten it before
we went down. In the morning it was the
smell of sizzled eggs, atlunch the corned beef
hash or fish balls, at night the roast meat,
onions and sometimes corned beef and cab
bage. That is over with, thank heaven. My
time is my own, SO l cook the breakfast on
our little oil stove. We have oranges, baked
apples or grapes, eggs or loin chops, rolls and
coffee. l order the things for breakfast over
night, and have the grocer, who is just
around the corner, send them in the morning.
"The elevator boy, whom we each tip with
q quarter every week, floats serenely up with
them and leaves them outside orr door at 7