, 1890-04-24
HIGH LIFE IN A CITY FLAT.
PERSONAL CONFESSION OF ONE
WHO KNOWS AL ABOUT 1T.

Uses of the Folding Bed-PaInfuI Neee.-
sity Of Dressing aud Undressing All Over
the House-Terror OF Hearing the Door
Rel.
| know considerable about high life. i
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 l hung clothes in the
garnet on wash days, and l am prepared
to say that although some people pay
extra to live on the first floor front, they
miss the very richness of existence.
Cream always rises to the top.
! l have Just moved out of apartments
on the second story Of a very narrow
house. l think the architect who
planned the building must nave lone it
with one eve. Its whole width accom-
moiated the width Of an apartment of
ordinary size, SO, instead of the rooms
branching off from one another in their
usual convenient fashion, they had
formed a procession in Indian file from
the front elevation 10 the coal house. II
You were in the kitchen you had to 20
through every room in order to E,l to
the front room. You couldn't wander
about that huuse-you could only go
through it.
The family Of which l am a proud and
valued member is not a small one. Fam
lilies in flats 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 n sister TO
him. There are too many of us now
THE oMSIPREsENT FOLDING BED.
One of the results of large families
living in small fats is the folding bcG.
They lean against the wall, trying to
look like a book case or a cabinet organ,
but | can always tell them. When | see
n piece of furniture looming up like a
factory, with n kind of moth
ing in particular air about it, tEen | know
that it is a bed in disguise.
Dur 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 a sweet
little song about "Oh, put me in my little
cot. motherl' but since affording accom-
modations for my visiting relatives by
spending n few nights out in the back
ball on a bier, with a tent roof for tick,
l have refrained from petitiouing my
mother to do any such thing.
1t seems natural to those not accus-
toned to dressing rooms to take off and
put on their clothes in the bedroom, CON
%sequently we used to dress and uudress
all over the house. Any one 10y simply
walking once through our Hat in the
dead of night could ave fallen over
enough wearing apparel to have set him
up in the clothing business.
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 weuld fly from all parts Of
the house and congregate at the head of
the stairs to hear if what we dreaded was
true-thnt the caller was ours. 1t often
was. Then the real earnest work began.
One Of MS tore oil her apron, tied her
shoe, combcd 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, petticoats, bath tow
els, accordion skirts, ~uiEhtgowns and the
like rs they went. We were almost sure
to leave a piece of raiment or some toilet
article in II conspicuous place. 1t seemed
to I've fate.
People coming up stairs to see us al
ways heard n 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
a small clothes press, which opened into
the parlur, and l was obliged to exist
there for two hours and Il half while my
youngest sister talked to a man about the
likelihood of finding ten varieties of
orchids at Portage Falls.
One time when my basque was hang
ing on n door knob in the kitchen, when
| was in the front room, and two callers
in seal sacks were awaiting me in the
parlor, l had TO hail our grocery mans
crrund boy as he was going 10y with II
sack of hour and send him arouud into
the kitchen with an order for my basque.
l thought delivering basques would come
rather natural to one used to carrying
sacks. lie brought it around to the front
of the house all right. and l fshed it up
with "A gilt cord of our mantel lambre-
quin.