The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10

The spring days are the days Of unrest
This Is particularly true OF the boarding
house.
So when the Demon Of Unrest whispers
the magic word Enough" the boardeI
counts the dimes in her savings bank ana
having found more than she expected,
determines that she will find a friend and
together they will cut themselves adrift
from hall bedrooms, frosty Monday morn
ing looks and the atmosphere of suspicion
Which surrounds the boarding house as
deeply as the aureoles about Dangerfeld's
Madonnas
This story is the adventures Of two young
bachelors. feminine gender, who hao
listened to the voice Of the spring
Il can't endure 1t any longer. said No
j. "I've had no hot water, no heat, moth
. ing but sour looks and soto voce COM
ments The landlady says that all the
maid does Is to wait on my guests, and yet
she is instructed 10 ray that am not at
home just as often a. l can make it con-
venient TO be officially out. although liter
ally within"
a.. sand my landlady," said No ?, in an
aggrieved tone. -expects me to pay her
every week. although she knows that l
Wnte iOr the maBaZiues
., How absurdl' they both chorused
THE first thing to do said No. 1. who
had apparently some experience in the
matter, "is to borrow mother.
A mother? But have one already.
Not where you can get at her. and
mother whom you can't reach is no mother
at all. What we want is nice, respect
able party. crimped gray hair preferred
loNL
cloth gown, and likes Annie Russell be-
cause she is 80 refined"
What do We want with her?" asked the
inexperienced No, 2.
-She is to be particeps criminis.
Al"
Yes. we take her along to face the agent
with. II We go alone. he is more suspicious
than landady. That is the penalty one
and strabismus.
WIN abe act the part?'
-She doesn't have to do anything but
answer when she Is called mother
They were silent for a while. Then No.
7spobe.
My Aunt Rachel is coming to town
next Thursday. Perhaps she will go with
us. She Is rather a good sort when she
comes to the city. Thinks it is a lark
When she IL home she has to live up to
Christian Endeavor and her next door
neighbors.'
Does che wear her hair in those crimped
waves''
NO; pompadour and fashionable stocks.
but know she will change for us. I'll
throw myself on her mercy. She's awfully
sympathetic.'
Having arranged their guarantee Of
respectabiity, the bachelor maids began
their search for suitable apartment which
had every modern convenience and mod
crate rent.
There Is nothing 80 deceptive as one
OF the quiet looking places, with refined
exterior, which suggest to the apartment
seeker peace. moderation, responsibility
and all those other qualities 90 tenaciously
desired by the city dweller. SO the first
experience Of these bachelor maids was
this announcement when they asked about
the vacant fat in just such place:
Ten rooms and three baths; rent $4,000.
No. recovered her voice after a moment.
-Only three bathrooms in a suite Of ten
rooms?" abe said. 1T will never do"
Then they waited to recuperate on the
corner.
1T certainly doesn't look the part" No.
murmured to encourage her companion.
well you try next time | have had my
dose"
This Is what the agent said when No. I
asked him for particulars:
six rooms, all outside and light but FIVE.
rent $780,"
No. became mathematical with celebrity:
Twelve into $50 isis; IL into IS, you can
not. oh. yes, you can too; IL into as three
times less one. How many times does IL
20 into 35?"
No. took up the problem.
i Twelve into IS twice and II over. she
said ,.5t.'t
jus, fancy said No. I. Almost three
times No wonder got mixed"
- And II over, IL into 10 times and some
thing over; it doesn't matter what that is
only cents"
No. / came to the rescue.
-Twenty-nine dollars month. That
isn't so bad for six rooms and bath. OF
course" this to the agent--we would
prefer them all light. hut 500 month and
good neighborhood.
r. The agent again looked over his book
and spectacles.
@1'te rent In $3.50 month"
!, No was unnaturally dignified as she
said; ~
Joking, but they will not do at all When
we pay $3.50 a month, we wish the rooms
TO be all dark. That one light room Is a
great mistake. You ought to remedy 1t
at once
Il think, perhaps said No. 1, after a long
drink OF orange phosphate in neighbor-
ing drug store, shat we had better try of
Fifth avenue. don't your
Perhaps 20" acouiesced No. 2.
Their disappointments took them further
afield than they had expected.
They determined to deal directly with the
,anrJor this time and only face the calm
superiority OF the agent when matters
reached the point Of settlement.
The janitor interviewed at first had a
Weber Il Fields accent. and was most OF
the time ulhntelligible.
my wife do your vash?" he asked. as he
showed them up some dark stairs which
smelled Of garlic and had apparently not
been lately swept.
Are there quiet people in the house1'
ignoring the question.
'shs wash YER nice; she wash for the
Vanderbilts.'
'"hAt settles it, said No. ! to No. 2, Il
0uuIon run SUCH . risk. Think Of having
pour WASH mixed up with the Vanderbltsl
should never recover.
she wash fine; she wash vrocks just as
good as she wash floors"
The rooms were dark and dirty. From
neikhboring Windows one saw teAcupe and
wooden boxes containing groceries In lieu
Of ice-boxes. while airy persifage 6oated
down from the upper fat to the ono
below.