The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-08-15
aiissRY OF yHe.HzEL BEDROOM.

a 0taes II The LAO ssoGany New York.
ers That Few 4eeall with Pleasure
The woman who had arrived grew re-
nectivs. Il shall never forget my hall
bedroom days. $50 IN number. sne
said. IA good deal has been written
about the hall bedroom Of New York.
but no pen can tell Ill its miseries.
came to New York fresh from the am
pie spaces Of country home I took
Z hall bedroom because 1t was the only
room In the house could afford. II
had in It . cot. covered in day with an
Oriental tapestry; washstand. :
screen, shelf curtained OF with hooks
beneath for clothes; looking-giass ON
the wall. with little stand beneath.
two chairs. and . useful piece OF furni-
turs which was writing desk, bookcase
and dressing case combined. When
my trunk and my typewriter were
added to these treasures could turn
around with care. by opening the door
% a. to utilize q part Of the hall for the
purpose.
my typewriter Knocked out the little
stand in one round. Could 1t have sat
still It would have stood the burden.
But I had to move the stand whenever
I wanted to dress, or to get at my trunk,
and a. did not remove the typewriter.
but simply dragged the stand around,
the poor thing quickly collapsed. The
landlady looked severe when told her.
When I got another stand carefully
lifted my typewriter Oh whenever
wanted to move the stand, which was
dozen times q day.
my dresses were continually falling
from the hooks without the slightest
provocation, and had always to move
the screen, and then bring chair to
stand on to hang them up again. The
only way / could get any light or air
was to sit by the window; and as my
trunk had . stand there. had perforce
to sit on the trunk; and q trunk can be
improved upon a. place Of continuous
repose. I have sat upon 1t for hours,
tailor fashion, mending my clothes,
when my very soul loathed the needle.
ut was an acrobatical feat to dress in
that room In the morning. never shall
forget some Of my maddening struggles
to get into my clothes In two square
feet Of space. For six months l never
knew how my back hair looked, for 1t
was too dark over by the glass to see.
My destructive tendencies came cut
strong. for pulled down first the cur
tains over my clothes, and then those at
the window, pole and all. had to
keep a good many things in my trunk.
and whenever wanted to get at them
/ had to first remove a mass Of books.
papers and manuscript from the lid, or
else open It and let them slide down
behind. had to sit on my trunk to
play my typewriter, because neither of
the chairs was high enough"
"And 80 you hate the hall BEDROOM
swell, no; don't know that I do.
That hall bedroom witnessed my first
triumph. got my first check there;
$40. for 2.OO0-word story. When
opened the envelope and saw that check
grew faint. It was the revulsion after
six months Of grim, heartrending deter
mination. Then l laughed and cried
and grew hysterical. Anyone with any
experience could have told me that one
swallow did not make summer, but to
me 1t was the beginning of success.
And 20 1t proved. have not lived In
hall bedroom since"
"And now?"
The woman who had arrived was ST.
lent. and looked straight ahead of her.
Then she laughed and rose suddenly.
II wish / could ever be as happy
again as was when l got that check"
she said.-New York Sun.