The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-10

the woman III the nat
lEY$J The hostess was a successful bus
mess woman of fifteen years
standing, possessed of ripe fund of
humor, and upon all occasions was a
stanch upholder of the advantage of liv-
ing in a flat
The round face of the visitor was flushed,
her forehead corrugated. and her tongue
so excessively nimble that her talk was
punctured by no more than laugh or a
word here and there from the other.
Been crying? No, l haven't. but l felt
like it, goodness knows. 1 wouldn't mind
SO much if it wasn't the second time the
same thing has happened in six months
Mr.. Brown scowled like brigand at me in
the corridor just now. He makes me feel,
without saying a word, that he believes 1
left the water running from pure careless
ness, and I'd give anything to tell him that
it really was bursted waterpipe this time
and not a spigot turned unawares. Notice
it sooner? But 1 in the front room
overseeing the cleaners His ceiling must
be a sight, the floor was inches deep in
clear water when l heard the drip. The
ceiling down there you know, is this plaster
of paris that bubbles and turns down if
water just touches ii. Any landlord ought
to know more than TO put that kind of a
ceiling under a bathroom any way.
Foolish to let a little thing like that
worry me? But / can't help it. If you
would tell Mr.. Brown not to worry, 1
think il would be much better. The fiat the
only sensible solving of the servant girl
question? 1 don't know. 1 would about as
leave have lazy maids to worry me as
water-pipes that burst over other peoples
libraries You would as soon think of
worrying over the war news as over things
that lie strictly between you and the land
lord, and / must remember that every
drawback of fiat life has five compensa-
tons in its favor. i wish / could.
"You see George told me frankly that I
would have to choose between the proverb-
ial cottage and a fiat. l thought it over
carefully, and it seemed to me that water
pipes and an elevator ought TO outweigh
clambering roses and radishes in the back
yard. No lawn mower to push in the even
ing no leaky roof to watch, no furnace to
think Of Up to yesterday all 1 had to do
to have the beauties of my fiat impressed
on my mind was to take the car and go
compare experiences with suburban
friend
"Clara Newcome, you know. Yes, she
took the cottage She says she doesn't see
how in the world 1 manage to live cooped
up in a one-floor bandbox and go out dressed
to every single meal. She says bandbox
living makes her think of these condensed
food tablets beside delicious, varied, ap-
petizing meal. Me? Oh, get even. i tell
her don't see how she can isolate herself
in neighborhood that puts one in mind of
Noah's ark It's real mean to say it,
because her washerwoman lives on one side
and the gilded Mrs Van Blank in the TWEEN
ty-thousand-doliar cream brick the
other She would as soon think of calling
on the washerwoman as on Gertrude. Ger
trude has to walk five blocks for a car
when she wants a breath of civilization.
told her that when | had the chance to
choose between a lawn polka-dotted by
handbills and my neighbOr's hens. and no
| lawn, / glad / had the sense not to
hesitate. and, actually, Gertrude was Of
Tended
Later in the evening.
Eyes, George. the water-pipe burst again.
| / went over to tell Mrs. Stout about it,.
! Sympathy? Not the shadow. She simply
| read me her 'Credo' with codicils. About