Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-28

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- brick and stone, marble, carved
wood, cunning work in gold and
silver and copper and iron, in
miracles of the dyer's art and the weaver's
skill; somewhat also by help of sunlit
airy spaces, for unhindered sunshine within
city gates is golden in more sense than
one. Where every extra foot of site space
stands for many good hard dollars, even
multi millionaires may well think twice
over the securing of elbow room, let alone
ample prospects.
Notwithstanding, a good few of them Sc
cure such prospects. In proof one has but
to walk le~isurely through the ultra fash
ionable precincts of New York. Even the
crush and severe line of Fifth avenue.
especially in its upper reaches, are now
and then broken by wholesome fripperies
of green open spaces, jealousy walled and
sparingly planted. But it is on Riverside
Drive and it's scattered relatives that one
sees them at their highest, as one sees
also at the highest the reward and usu-
fruct of diligence combined with pure luck.
Fancy a house standing upon a boldly
swelling corner where a crossway makes
into the drive proper. 1t is tall, it is wide.
1t is big everywhere, but so fine in line and
proportion it takes study to realize the
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wrought iron grill work guards the open.
space round about, where the turf is truly
velvet in spite of covering a ramp sharp
enough to provoke drouth.
Broad, easy marble steps go up the ramp,
leading to a pillared entrance. Behind the
pillars enc catches the cleaning of bronze
doors cunningly wrought. They open upon
a great hall, foored with the ~costliest
mosaic and set round about with genuine
antique columns. The big fireplace has q
mantle, also antique, plundered from a
ruined palace across the sea. The great
stairway came from another palace, but
somehow the architect has managed it so
the two shall not mournfully war with
each other. Perhaps they dare not quar-
rel in presence of the rugs which lie be-
tween. Some of the rugs are 300 years
old and simply professionalism fabrics
without a duplicate anywhere in the world.
They set the pace in furnishing-all else
is in keeping.
Each of the five occupants of the house
has a separate special ~suite-batb, bed
chamber, sitting room, dressing room and
snuggery, for playing at work, or working
at special play. Some of the baths have
tubs with silver gilt fittings, others have
marble pools big enough to swim in, with
marble divans running round the edges
of the room. There social bathers can lie
at ease, smoking, gossiping, drinking black
coffee, after they have done with the
plunge and the needle spray and the
skilled kneading of the masseur. The
dressing rooms are all in silver, silver gilt
and rare odOrous woods, each so treated
as to bring out every detail of it's natural
beauty. Cedar, camphor, sandal-each and
all are preservative. the clothes presses
have drawers of camphor wood, and the
closets are supplied with electric lights
automatically turned on by the opening of
a door.
There is also, of course, a library, a
dining room, a breakfast room, a drawing
room and a cosy parlor, but no ball room,
for the master of all this is evangelistic-
ally austere. Still, austerity does not for
bid a billiard room nor a music room,
richly harmonious, whose frescoed ceiling
alone represents a tidy fortune. Every
manner Of musical instrument sanctioned by
classic taste harbOrs there, along with the
objects Of art, pictures, bronzes, engraved
gems and antique gold plate, whose cost
would endow a hospital. There is a small
conservatory whose flowers appear shame
FACED as though they felt themselves some