The record-union., 1898-12-30
THE WASHER LADY.
Spoiled the Friendship Of Two
Well Meaning Families.

Mr. Brown. who lives on Fourteenth
street, near Thomas Circle, told the
loiterer all about his trouble. His name
is not Brown, but that does not mat
ter.
The fact is that Mrs. Brown lives in
the second fiat and Mrs. Hudson in the
third. Once upon a time they were
fast friends, but they are not just now.
It was all the fault of the washer
woman, and the garret was at the bot
tom of the trouble. So far this garret,
which they used in common as dry
ing place for the washing, had given
them no trouble, for Mrs. Hudson did
her washing Mondays and Mrs. Brown
on Tuesdays. Each had her own wash
erwoman until two weeks ago, when
the Hudson washerwoman fell i'll, and
Jane of the Brown household was en-
gagged for both families.
That was the end of the beginning.
When Mr.. Brown met Mr.. Hudson at
the corner that evening he pulled his
friend into the nearest refreshment
stand and discussed the situation over
friendly glass of beer.
"Our old women have got down to
the same laundress now" Brown began,
anu IL dll up DCtWSCA Old AAie@AA'
Guess you're right, Brown" said
Hudson mournfully; "therell be
trouble about those undershirts."
Brown did not understand the allu-
sion, and as he was not interested, he
forgot all about it over the next glass.
For twelve months the two families
had lived in peace in the same house,
one above and the other below; had
used the same garret and had patron
! lied the same lager beer, but they knew
what it meant to have the same wash
erwoman. Not that there was any
thing specially wrong about that wash
erwoman. At least Mrs. Brown had al
ways assured her husband that she had
the finest laundress in the city, so that
| there was no need of sending Mr..
Browns linen to a steam laundry.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Brown and Mr..
Hudson knew that washerwoman will
| be a washerwomar.
The following evening, Tuesday. when
Mr.. Brown came home from work. his
wife was bubbling over with eagerness
to tell him so many new things.
Say, Fred began Mrs. Brown, be-
fore her husband had his hat out of his
hand, you know what? I've found out
a lot of things about those Hudsons up
stairs. Why, they quarrel all the time.
Never hear them quarrel, you say? OF
course you don't. They just pout, Fred.
they just pout. My goodness, l always
did think it was funny Hudson hesn't
kissed his baby good-by for over a
week. Ffddlesticks? No, Fred, there's
no fiddlesticks about 1t. Oh, I'm sure
he's mad at his wife right now, the old
brute. Just listen. Now, there, you
can't hear a thing, can you? And that's
the way he pouts all the time
Now, what do you think about it,
anyway, Fred? What do you say?
Sure, superb be ready in a minute
But just let me tell you, dear Did you
ever go up stairs to the garret on Mon
days, Fred? My, that's too bad You
bet I'm going up there next Monday
I'd have done it before, only I was
afraid that she'd come poking around
Tuesdays, the horrid thing. Just think
what ! heard about Mr. Hudson's un-
derclothes. Why, Fred, really they're
terrible. and his soeks-well, Jane tells
me they're so full of holes Mrs. Hudson
wouldn't even put them in the garret
but always dries them in the Kitchen
you know. I'm going to find out all
about that. Fred"
While Mrs. Brown was talking below,