The herald., 1893-05-16
BUILDING EXPERIENCES.
REunkittrieis Learns That 1t Is Far More Of
Lottery Than Marriage.
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Especial Corresp0ndence.I
Essex FELIs, N. j., April 27.--One day
last week took o trip out to Essex Fells,
picturesque little suburb of Montclair,
to ascertain if land could bo purchased in
that growing spot for anything less than
Fifth avenue rate. In the stage that
plies between Montclair and Pine Brook
took my seat, with O few other men, and
before we had reached the top of the
hill the conversation turned upon build
ing, for we saw houses in course Of cree
ton upon every hand. "It beats every
thing" said one man, chow this county
is growing and spreading. I declare it
beats everything. Why, one day you go
out shooting in certain field, and when
you come out month later you find q
street through it and o half dozen houses
in course of erection. Did you ever build
o house?"
'Never," replied the party as in one
voice.
''Well, I congratulate you. Building
is bigger lottery than marriage, espe-
cially if you don't know anything about
it. know what am talking about, by
Jimmy, when it comes to building"
"Then you have had some experience
in that liner" asked small, thin man,
with nile green wart ON his nose.
"Somer' exclaimed the building man,
'somel Well, / should say ] have had
considerably more than some, by large
majority, aid think was a victim un-
til | had put up six houses. But on the
second six got back what lost ON the
first half dozen. Talk about wild re-
sulssl Whewp
Here he paused and mopped his face
with red handkerchief and groaned at
the very memory of his early building
exploits.
sWhat do you mean by wild results?"
asked the man with the nile green wart.
81 mean simply comic disasters-dis-
asters that are comic because they make
your friends laugh at you and go into
commissions of merriment even when you
have their heartfelt sympathy. Now,
when built my first house / felt that |
was about the happiest man in the wide
world, but when l first entered it the
bright illusion was quickly dispelled. /
don't suppose was in the house Is min
utes before l found it necessary to make
lot of repairs. The first thing had to
look out for was leak In the roof and
another in the cellar. Tho roof leak let
the water in, and it came in SO fast that
after it had run down the winding stairs
like a Dingman's Ferry cascade for little
while it SO completely filed the cellar
that everything in it was ahoat with the
exception Of the furnace and the coal"
Glow is it that il didn't run out Of the
leak which you have just said was in the
cellarg' asked the thin man whose nose
was decorated with a nile green wart.
"Bocause the leak in the cellar, re-
Piled the building man, twas that mys-
terious unknown aperture through which
our frewood and the contents of the re-
frigerator disappeared from time to time.
Then the chimney blew down just as my
two cows were walking near The cid
$40 COW was not hit, but the $100 Hol-
stein heifer was killed on the spot. After
this the ceilings fell, and the floors spread
until they ripped the carpets, and when
the house had settled there were such
cracks all over it that / had to turn 1t
into concrete house by plastering it
outside"
Here the man WITH the building OK
perience drew o sigh about twoninutes
long, and his fellow passenger with the
nasal decoration offered his sympathy.
"It's SO long ago that it only makes me
laugh now, SO my sighs mean nothing.
But an experience on my sixth house
was the funniest of all, You see when
the masons mixed tila plaster they did it
on the ground, and II happened that a
lot of carn thrown out for the chickens
got mixed into it. The plaster was put
on with the corn in it, and along in the
month of June it tsprouted, and we had a
fine crop on the walls, and when we got
the winter fire started it ell popped and
fell on the floor like snowfakes."
Here the old man jumped out at We
roma, and we continued on our way in
silence. r. X. MUNKITTRIcK. i.