The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27

room promiscuously and everything is as
nearly where it shouldn't be possible.
First of May or first of January, moving
time is likely to be about the same in re-
suits. The only difference is the weather,
with the difference in favor of the former
date.
House cleaning is about as bad, and per-
haps to a man it is more maddening pro-
cess than even the moving. The masculine
mind is able 10 see a glimmer of reason in
removing ones goods and chattels from a
dwelling place where the undesirabilities
outweigh the desirabilities; but he can find
no excuse at all for taking a house that Is
cleaned thoroughly every week and is, ac-
cording to his notion, spotlesS and speck-
less. by the ears and standing it upside
down for the space of a fortnight or SO.
He regards the piling OF the furniture of
one room into another while the first room
is relieved of its floor covering and brushed
and scrubbed until it shines painfully. as
simply silly, and all the argument in the
world could not make him think ii neces-
sary process if the all-the-year-rou house
keeping be properly DONE But, on the
other hand, all the argument in the world
cannot convince madame, his WIFE that it
is otherwise than an absolutely necessary
process, for didn't her mother and her
grandmother before her go through the
same programme so surely as spring came
round? And against that argument why
waste your breath?
THE TIME VARIES
House cleaning time varies, according to
the nature of the house cleaner. The ener-
getic woman is likely to get at her clean
ing about the middle of March and by the
first of April she has her house in apple-pie
order, her screens up to guard against
any fly which is so unwary as to
venture out on an Indianapolis April day.
and she is all in her spring dress-or,
rather, undress, as the spring cleaning
usually includes the doing up and putting
away of draperes and curtains which in
winter serve to make the rooms cozier.
The milder woman waits for the warmer
days of April when the members of the
| family will be subjected to less discomfort
| from drafts from open windows and bare
/ floors; and the easy-going woman puts
| hers off until she is assured the weather is
| settled and by the time she is fairly into
| her cleaning the temperature has gone UP
| to a point where the vigorous work of
| scrubbing and shaking makes life bur-
| den.
| Indianapolis has professedly gone fiat
/ crazy, but in spite of the fondness for the
| cramped apartments in the long bleak win
ter months. when the prospect OF heat with
| out work, and various other comforts with
| out the trouble known TO the householder.
/ tempt the renter into the apartme Mt house,
| the fiat is by no means so popular in the
| summer. When the buds begin TO swell on
| the trees, the fiat dweller begins TO dream
| of lawn and front porch and other OF
the good things OF life that the householder
| owns, and In nine cases out or ten, II he
can do so. he leaves his fiat fireside for the
more commodious and comfortable rooms
| of house during the warmer months Flat
| building has not yet reached the point OF
| perfection here that it has in some OF the
| larger cities. and the ideal flat-the three
story one, with two apartments on each
| floor, good sized rooms, broad back porches
| and generous sweep of back yard which is
| apportioned out by days for the weekly
| wash of each of the fiat dwellers-is yet
| little known here. In Indianapolis usually
| all the available ground il used. as many
apartments as possible are crowded into
| one building, and the size of the rooms is
| the last consideration. That is perhaps
| one of the chief reasons that the fiat In
| summer is not tempting TO the renter and
| he finds il no pang TO tear himself away
| from a spot which. while coy in winter, is
| sitting in summer Indianapolis renta
| agents say that there could be at least ter
more large fiat buildings rented here in the
| autumn on six months leases. but at pres
ent the summer demand is for houses, not
| flats.