The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1895-02-16
A Home in the Tropics.
BY MRS. JULIAN HAWTHORNE.
KINGSTON Jamaica Feb. ,,

are OF one or two stOrles-lDOre often OF
one than of tWo-when OF two, only the
upper one is, as a rule, used to live in,
the lower being given up to store rooms
open cellars, and harness and carriage
rooms This is the common arrange
ment in the lowlands, where the
ground floor might be damp; or in re-
gions where there is heavy rainfall
The house proper is occupied by the
white masters and mirtresses-the
"Buckra," as they are called: while the
servants quarters, kitchen, laundry,
bath houses, and so forth, are placed at
a distance from the main building. One
apprehends, at first, that the cooked
dishes may get cooled too much during
their transit rom the kitchen to the
dining table, but that is prejudice, and
soon il forgotten.
Our house is two storied with double
gable roof, at the sides, as if it were two
ordinary houses 'mended on to each
other" as one of the children express
ed it. It has an attic, but there is no
access to it for the inhabitants Of the
house-the human ones, at least; the
rats, mice, lizards and insects undoubt-
edly know all about it.
The house is about fifty feet by seven
ty. 1t faces north. A veranda, tessela-
ted with black and white stone lozen-
geg, extends across the front, from
whlcl one descend5 lpto the driveway
er bed on either side. The ROOT OF this
Teranda Is the floor OF a gallery on the
second story. Inc portlco, from Whlch
the steps descend, Is surmounted by an
a deep brick arch, at the east end, on a
lawn; through the arch at the western
end, it gives on a rose-garden of about
an acre
The ro6e-garden, which is square, is
'raversed by network OF paths paved
with a mosaic OF black and white peb-
b'cs. 1t contains not roses only, but VI
Diets, hellotfope, myrtle, orange, stepA-
the terrace on which the mouse stands
Hes the drive oNergro"h WIN snort
luri, ana pofuefeu win heuSe OF or
"h9e anu NY rue AheHce tne iahu
slopes fdP'uly % tle ehcloSiHs wal %
the inner estate y circular FOUNTAIN
oa0ih' IN "hich Soid h9h s"lih' ileS just
"cio09 'ile nrINe' III front Vi 'i'e E'oicn'
We are at an elevation of about 600
feet; 1t is several degrees hotter In
Kingston. Our thermometer sticks so
persistently at about Il to so, that we
thought there might be something the
matter with it; so we took it from its
nail in the main ball out into the sun
SHINE. 1t icaped alott, then, with an
agility that showed 1t was of unlmpalred
constitution
The main hail stretches through the
middle OF the house. towards the
north, or front, 1t passes under mass
i've mahogany arch"ay' ana opens right
ana ielt INTO tie olhlhg room ana lpra-
ry. Inc dining room opens through
glass door INTO the rose garden. lhere
are pantry ana housekeeper ped-
room on the west, ana TWO other ped
rooms on the east. All the rooms are
large, ana the mouse throughout Is moor
ed with polished mahogany. At the
south end of the hall is big window
seat; it looks down on mango and
slope, to a wooded
hillside. The front view commands the
broad, vilia-studded Liguanea plain and
beyond, the Blue mountains, ascending
nearly : 200 feet.
At the back of the house is two-sto-
ried bungalow The ground floor con
tains a study and a small bathroom,
store-room and closet. On the upper
story are two bedrooms. The study has
a veranda, overlooking the little valley
which We use to plant vegetables in;
and tue bedrooms have balcony above.
Twenty yards further east is another
detached building, containing plunge
bath about twenty feet square.
To the west of the back door Of the
house Is a range OF buildings cOmDrlslUp
the kitchen. the servants bedrooms.
the stables and coach-houses. all in 4
line and connected. The bedrooms are
on second story. In the rear of these
buildings are chicken-yards and hem
houses.
We have an English housekeeper.
Her duties are, TO do the marketing; to
sew; and 10 see-no easy task-that the
colored servants do their work. Her
wages are 500 year.
Next, delightful old black cook, a
relic Of slavery days, with the deferen-
tial manners belonging to her breed ;
she thinks" she Is 20, but is rs active
az many Of half her years. She is a
treasure, but is so little aware Of ii that
she is content with $3.50 a week.
The burler-as the parlor maid is call
ed-gets the same nav as the cook. Her
duties are To sweep with = hair broom