The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-12-30

1.-THE curiosity Of folks who live in
some Of these boarding houses" OBJ
served a man, who, rather late in life,
is now beginning to buck up and
think the matrimonial situation over,
may not actually keep 'em awake at
night, but I'll bet hat it makes most
of 'em toss lot in their sleep.
"At the boarding house where I am
making occasional calls, I've noticed
this thing particularly of late. The
-er-young lady, when I get there, is
always dressing, Of course, and will
be down in a few minutes, as am in
variably informed by the grinning
black girl who uses kinkene on her
locks, when she comes padding to
answer my ring.
"Then I'm ushered into the parlor.
You know the kind of a parlor Of the
boarding house Of a certain distinct
type in Harlem. Pictures in faded oil
of the landlady's four deceased hus-
with their side hair brushed for'ard
of their ears-a big gilt clock with a
cracked glass over the mantelpiece,
frame of waxy tube roses On black vel
vet hanging above the clock, and fore
oh
horse-hair chairs with porcupine
seats, faded red plush lounges that you
side-step if you're wise, bound vol
ume of Godey's Ladies Magazine for
1854 on the center table, an aged and
decrepit-looking square piano with
yellowing keys off on one side, and on
the top Of the piano copies of such
songs as Lily Dale and Silver Threads
Among the. Gold and Molly Darling,
published in 1868, just after the croo-el
war was over, and in another shadowy
corner a what-not neaped up with
the kind Of sea-shells you used to read
about in The Swiss Family Robson
and pieces of coral and a big apple
that was stuffed full of cloves back in
1871 by the landlady's niece that died,
of consumption, pore thing, and her so
beautiful-oh, I guess you know the
kind of boarding house parlor I mean,
all right.
'As I enter this dark and musty
smelling parlor, black and tan
terrier that looks to be about ia
years of age snuffs at the bottoms of
my trousers and begins to squeak at
me, ana when try to motion the nuis-
ance away with one of my feet
swiftly propelled-a very old lady in
a black silk dress and white cap with
purple ribbon run through it nave
not perceived her before on account of
the dingy darkness of the parlor-hur-
riedly picks the snarling dog up, gives
a fierce scowl at me, mumbles some
thing about men being worse than
some dogs and swishes painfully up
stairs, carrying the squeaking ki-yi
with her
Then an aged man in a skull cap
and Tapping green nd-red carpet slip
pers over white socks, with his long,
shiny broadcloth coat buttoned closely
Il; oil
of the parlor is 2S7 centigrade, gropes
mis- way into the room, and, not be-
in the center of the room, butts into
me, emits a senile shrek of alarm, and
who has been there several times pre-
viously to call upon one of the young
women guests of the house, grins and
leers at me, and reckons that it's go
ing to turn colder, and expects that
she'll be down Directly although it's
none of his business, as he isn't even
distantly related with her, and then,
when I fail to encourage him in con-
versation, slides out, grinning back
upon me as if he considered I was
making seventeen different kinds Of an
ass Of myself.
Then woman who still dresses
considerably like the way women used
to dress right after the war, according
to pictures I've seen-wig held water
fall-wise by a net, some crinoline be-
meath her green satin skirt, sort of
red basque with teenchy tabs in the
back, and with the old red dopesky
plastered on her cheekbones to give her
a sort Of hectic fiushy Camille effect
hurries into the parlor from the Styg-
ian darkness Of the dining-room. II
can't help but imagine hear her joints
creak as she enters. She pretends she
has got a whole lot Of business in the
parlor, looks me over with great care
out Of the corners Of her eyes, makes
out as If she's interested in the yell