Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-04-06

the same sweet m1niSterin8 prceeDce
brought our breakfast and otherwise
helped and encouraged, by telling how
she had been through II all herself, and
how soon We would get used to our
Bohemian surroundings and like 1t as
well as che did.
By dint Of little daylight which
struggled in through small window 10
the wall, we were enabled to "take &C
count OF stock" In our little room. In
one corner was the bed, on which part
Of our anatomy reclined, for owing to
the lilliputian area OF al the p .rtments
here-for space costs money-we were
enabled to rest only part OF Us at a
time. Had the bed been large enough to
accommodate q whole woman, 1t would
have covered the entire room, so we are
under the necessity OF sleeping in 1t two
nights in order to repose the entire be-
Ing.
The extensive wardrobe consists OF
three pegs driven into the wall, and one
OF these having been broken, We find a
way to get along with two, by hanging
the rest Of our clothes up on the floor
under the bed. The elaborate toilet
stand consists Of a little frame 10 which
blue bowl Il suspended, and In this a
broken pitcher reposes, the whole sur
mounted by q round mirror OF such ex-
tent that the end OF the nose and one
ear Is plainly dlscernible. We can at
least obey one scriptural injunction,
even though 10 Paris. for when We make
the glass '.tired" looking at one cheek
we can Sturn TO II the other, also"
The sumptuous couches and settees
are two sfraight-bscked wooden chairs,
one OF them rickety. The elaborate
drapery at the window Is half torn OF
and hanging. Ii strikes Us thst they
must be as avaricious Of daylight here
las they are OF space, for no matter how
large the room, there Is never but one
window, and darkness Is visible" at al
most any hour OF the day or night. The
small wooden table, just about large
enough to repose our luminary on,
which consists Of a tallow candle, COM
pletes the furnishing Of this sumptuous
apartment. One side OF the wall Is
beautifully frescoed by the generous
rains which pour In continuously and
leave their impress there.
| The narrow hallway which affords us
iugress and egress, IL lighted only by
the fires Of genius with which IL u sur
rounded, aud "a We scarce venture out
without running into ourself, we con-
clude the fame must he exceeding
small. IL makes IA think Of the work
man who got home so late nights that he
met himself going bick In the morning.
There being no pl'ce for fire In our
room, in order ro keep our temperature
from safe bordering on rigor morfis,
we are un Ter the necessity of snvelop-
ing ours.lf in the bed covering, with q
rubber DO tie of hot water nt our feet.
or tepid water, for IL seems entirely
against the pi inciples of the population
OF this country to have the temperature
OF anything many removes fr IN zero.
| Even the stoves, when you are lucky
enough To fiUd one, are n0n-heated, Tor
YOU can actually sit down on one and not
burn your clothes. These stoves might
remind you Of your days Of doll house
keeping, for they are not much larger
than a to, utensil, and one OF them Is
considered enough 10 warm a whole
house, being moved from room to room
when one room is considered sufficiently
heated for the day.
No one can wonder that the statistics
of the city Of Paris alone give the num-
ber Of deaths from consumption as 30
900 yearly. We can truthfully say that
80 far we've had hand-to-hand tussle
| with the thermometer, but must confess
TO being vanquished. Some Of the girls
here who have money to burn have TO
burn it TO keep warm, for the rooms
that are few degrees better than ours
are furnished with fireplaces, and the
fuel required costs about $500 per week
extra, and with their rather more luxu-
rious quarters, and lsmplight to see
themselves exist by, II foots up TO about
sl2 per week-for you must pay extra
for your lights IL you please, or IL you
don't please.
And now word about the cuisine.
Some Of you know perhaps that the
French breakfast, or petit dejeuner as IL
Is called here, Is only cup Of coffee and
crust Of bread. Nothing else can be
had unless you pay extra for II, so we
really have but two meals day, the
real breakfast coming at 1890 or ]
o'clock. The cooking here Is very good,
what there Is OF II, but even that part OF
the struggle for existence Ia carried on
with the same degree Of smallness that
everything else Ia, for several times
some Of US have gotten up from the table
ith the same "achlng void" that We sat
down with. 1t Ia Of no infrequent oc-
currence for the vegetables 70 give out
| before they have been much more than
halfway around. The vegetables and
other ingredients are generally Of the
cheapest kind, frequently the only vege-
table being stewed dry white beans with
no seasoning whatever, and the dessert
Is usually dry crackers and stewed
pruues, at which We all turn up our noses
Mt home.
For drink we must either use the
water which all physicians say is deadly,
or else the sour wine, which In view OF
our State OF Maine prohibition princi-
Piles we had resolved not to touch, pre-
ferriug to dry up and blow away for
want of moisture; but II Is one thing to
make all these good resolves and an
other Thing to keep them-in Paris for
we can imagine that q traveller In the
desert Of Sahara would drink almost
ANYTHING he could get hold Of, even II
he belonged to all the total abstinence
societies In creation when he was "ter
hum :" so the only thing we can do is to
perform the miracle of turning water
into wine-turning about half glass Of
water into the same quantity OF wine,
and then turn this cOncoction into q
| woman.
For all these luxurious appointments
and accommodations we pay the price
of 81 90 per week, and when the extra
luxuries Of lights and laundry are count
ed In, It brings 1t up to about $500. II
you are blOated bondholder you can
buy lamp for $500, and kerosene oil
for 20 cents gallon, but as we don't
belong to that favored class we must
content ourselves with the oleomarga-
rine candle, and as one gives no more
light than the traditional white bean,
two or three must be used, the extra
candle: ticks beingsmprovised from brok-
en- bottles, ct cetera.
And so, dear friends, you may picture
your foreign correspondent sitting up
| In the aforesaid bed with our Overcoat
on, burning the midnight candle and
writing these letters to you, before we
"wrap the drspery of our couch about
US, and lie down to pleasant dreams"--
Of country where feet are cold no more
forever.
MARTHA MAXIM.
A PROPER ADiEu.
Nine. de Bill, wife OF the Danish am
bassador to the Court Of st. James, is an
j American nv birth. Her father WAS