Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-26
Mrs. James
Bay Window.

changed the face of that time honored
facade that had fronted the park fol
two generations. 1t was not much of 8
park, to say the truth, just a block
square of trees and grass, but it was a
park-the park-and the choice resi-
Dental quarter Of the town. To move
down to the park was to get into society
The row of houses. in the middle of one
of which dwelt Mrs. James, was solid
block, all alike from corner to corner
three story, red brick, high stoop dwell
ings, without any frills or excrescences
to mar their respectable uniformity.
Everybody in the row knew every body
else, and, though naturally there was
more or less gossip running along from
house TO house, especially in the sum-
mer when all over town people were
sitting out evenings on the front steps,
still it was what might be called a very
friendly and neighborly neighborhood till
Mrs. James blossomed out with her bay
window.
1t was a Christmas present from Mr..
James-a handsome plate glass and imi-
tation brown stone abutment over the
front door. But the row disliked it from
the first. 1t broke the harmony of the
block in more senses than one. In the
first place, it looked lonely, jutting out
all by itself from that block long fat
ness of red brick. Then, too, it made
the other houses look poor and untrim-
med. And to look poor and untrimmed
is to feel so Of course. However, by the
exercise of little Christian charity this
might have been endured. What the
neighborhood couldn't stand was to feel
itself watched, as it speedily did, by
that protruding eye which raked the
street from end to end. All Mrs. James
had to do was to sit there in her OBJ
servatory and see everything that went
on along the entire row.
And sit there she did, morning, noon
and night. All night, too. the men began
to say as she began to twit them with
their hours for coming home. She could
do that with a good face, for the whole
row knew that Mr.. James was always in
bed and asleep by 10 o'clock at night
He had his fun by day when he might
better have been attending to business"
as Mrs. Shipper told Mrs. James to her
face, when they had the row, that all
came about from that prying bay win
dow Mrs. James saw Mr.. Shipper come
home one night rather later than he
ought, and, instead of keeping the matter
to herself, or, at any rate, being content
to say what she had to say about it
quietly in the next ones ear, what does
she do but hail Mr.. Shipper next day
from her stoop to his in this fashion:
well, Mr.. Shipper, it strikes me that
you keep pretty late hours for a married
man. One o'clock this morning when you
came in
''Well, Mrs. James," said he, you
needn't say anything. 1t strikes me you
keep pretty late hours for married
woman"
why. what do you mean?" she asked,
very indignant.
well, how the devil"-and, mind you,
this was all out loud, from stoop to
stoop-"how the devil can you know that
/ am up late if you aren't up late your
self to see?"
1t wasn't very nice way to speak to
lady, one must own, bur the poor man
certainly did have provocation. And he
was as good man, too, as ever stepped.
However, Mrs. James rushed off and told
Mr.. James that Mr.. Shipper had insulted
her. And Mr.. James spoke to Mr.. Snip
per, and before the row was over Mrs.
Shipper had thrown out that hint about
Mr.. James, and then there was music at
the Jameses too.
And so it went, all along the row, first
one and then another, and all on account
of that spying bay window, till finally
Dan Tripper took the matter up and set
tied Mrs. James and her bay window
once for all. Everybody around the park
had known all along that Dams broth
er Sam dissipated more than he should.
But he wasn't married man, and as his
brother and his brothers wife bore with
him nobody else felt called upon to
make remarks. However, it must be
said that nobody knew quite how badly
he did go on till Mrs. James saw him
from her bay window sneaking home at
5 a. m. very disheveled. OF course, it
was disgraceful. and it made such talk
that Sam up and left his brothers house
it was half his home. too; said he
wouldn't live near any woman. That
bay window of Mrs. James brought
cursing and swearing into the row as
well as anger and bitterness. So Sam
took rooms over Hicks, the barber's,
Trippers were furious. Sam couldn't pay
his board, of course, in his brothers own
house which was half his, but he was al
ways making them lovely presents. And
Sally Tripper liked him, anyway; said if
they'd only leave Sam to her she'd bring
him around all right in time.
Well, Dan Tripper said he'd be-
hanged if he wouldn't fix that James
woman; he'd have bay window, too,
and Mrs. Tripper should spend her life in
it, keeping tab ON Mrs. James. And he
did. What was more, his bay window
was round. The James was square, so,
in a way, and, so to speak, he had the
bulge on Mrs. James. His bay window
may not have stuck out any farther, but
it seemed to. And sure enough, pretty
soon Mrs James had to lower her shade
on the side toward the Trippers and
keep it down. Lace curtains aren't any
protection, you know, when there is an
other window right behind you.
Well, and when Mr.. Shipper, on the
other side of her. saw how Dan had fix
ed her, he posted off to the same archi-
tect and ordered bay window exactly
like the Trippers'. And there was Mrs.
James completely sandwiched.
Now all the houses in the row have
bay windows, and the old block has got
back to something like its former decent
uniformity, with nobody having the ad-
vantage over anybody else.-New York
Commercial Advertiser.