The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-01-06
i. VOICES In THE SHAFT.
Some Passages In Diplomacy and
Comments by the Tenants ON
the Absent Ones.

81 should never have known anything
about the spread Of information ppand
down the elevator shaft" said the top
fat woman, III my housekeeper had not
gone away on vacation and had not
been trying to convipce my small but
picturesque family that scrambled eggs
and fried potatoes contain all the hy-
dro-carbons and protetds and ull the
rest Of the really important features OF
a square meal missed the beginning
of the conversation, but It seemed to
be the case that after the ashes had
been sent down the second-foor lady
improved the opportunity to assure the
first-hoor lady that she thought that
the woman on the third floor intended
TO be away owe: September also, and
here she wns back at the end OF August,
and probably II was because her money
had run out. 1t is an interesting con-
tribution to philology that seems to
have escaped Prof. Basil Gildersleeve
and the other learned lights at Johns
Hopkins that In such air and elevator
shafts conversations the person ad-
dressed is always a lady and the per-
son under discussion is always the
woman of such and such fiat.
"'That's very likely rejoined the
first-foor lady. And they say she
drinks like fish, too. The janitor tells
me that as soon us it gets dark she
rushes the can something awful, and he
ought TO know, because she called him
down for taking pull at It when 1t
came in at the front door
"'What a shame it is,' said the sec
ond-foor. 4 always say IL you can't
have your grocer send you half dozen
bottles you ought TO bring the growler
In at the cellar and send II up the ele-
vator. You've no call TO bring II In
the front way and give the apartments
a bad name. You might just as well
live in tenement house and be done
with it. I pity that poor girl Of hers
that she sends out with the tin. It's a
shame, that's what 1t is.'
But here the shaft door OF the third
fooT opened and the lady under dis
cussion was prepared to take share In
the debate.
"'Good morning to both OF you be-
low she said. I'm just back from the
sea, and I'm mighty glad TO get back,
] can tell you. was at place where
you couldn't get any beer for love nor
money. Sc I'm glad 10 be back in my
own home again, where | can have
what want and when want IL, and
nobody's business. And was hearing
what you was saying just now about
the woman that lives on top Of me. She
must be getting worse. didn't know
Il was that bad with her that she wa
In the way OF chasing the duck up the
front stairs. But then you ought to be
charitable. Sure it's more than once
that both OF yous have sent up TO me In
the evening, and never asked whether
the grocer had failed TO bring It. OF
whether yous had drunk il all up dur
Ing the day and had none left, though q
dozen Of beer Is pretty big swig he
fore dark comes, and then | never
thought anything about sending out
the can, just SOS TO be neighborly. But
I'm sorry to hear what you do be say
ing about the woman above, such Ge-
cent woman in appearance, too. and she
doesn't put on any airs, even though
she does have cook and calls her Q
housekeeper.'
7 "'Indced, we have much to thank you
for said the second floor. Excuse me
ma'am,' TO the first floor, i didn't 10
tice that you was talking. Go on
please
"'oh, never mind me, ma'am, re
piled the first door, i wasn't going X