The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07
SHUT IN.
Home Making In Q world Bounded by the
walls % q Rear Tenement.

n""o M~huuw m y Wsftu Hwunue1 ny inc
walls o. . Roar Tenement.
Reckon that's me. Reckon les me
you want 70 ses. Como right In and set
down. Dreadful warm. amt itf But I'm
dreadful glad to ses yer. Those posies
for me1 Oh. thank you. III Jest gst:some-
thin 20 put EN- In. 81 you'll Rouse me lest
q Bit
T~hesspeaker was q shutin. Her home
was In a rear tenement away over on the
East Side. The vixitpr was a worker from
a flower mission.
Tho word shutin usually suggests a
vision Of a delicate pale faced invalid In a
wheel chair by q sunny window, knitting,
sewing patchwork. or sitting with slender
transparent hands ~llstleas and ~unooupisd.
The visitor found herself Face to face with
abig, stout. gray haired. CHEEKY faced woman
In q room crowded with wash tubs. basksts
Of rough dry clothes. q cook stove with q
steaming wash boiler, and O kitchen table.
Pictures Of the Madonna and a large oolored
Telegraph Of George Warrington adorned
the walls, while window boxes were filed
with plants.
Yes. my geranium's dom nne. Them's
merrygoes comm up In that boz. I do
love the old fashioned country flowers.
See. I have mornin' glories comm UP out
that winder. My lodger he fxos strings
for 'em to climb on.
Yes. he's q reel nice young man. Amt
no trouble. hardly. and helps me quite n
bit. You see. ! have to pay $50 . month
for these three rooms; he pays me . a
week for his room and two meals.
Then he does my arrants for me o.
mornin's. gets bread or rolls or butter or
anythin' l need. And every now and then
he brings homo q bit o. meat or fab or the
makin's Of a soup. He's not q bit stinsy.
you see. and then he helps me with my
plants.
Lived here long7 Mors'n eightesn years.
Seen changes' Well. I should say so.
Amt nothin' like It used to be. All furrin-
ers here now.
But I AVE nice n~eighbors. This lie a
pleasant house. sunshine in the front win
ders in the mornin'. sunshine in the back
winder in the afternoon. Yes, we have
Moe air here. q good breeze, though It's
ben pretty warm some o. these days.
Il have a fine place TO dry clothes. Where
do I hang emf Right out the winder on
that pulley line. Amt that a pretty good
line o. wash2 No, there amt no sink here
except the one In the hall. Yes. I have to
tote all this water from the tubs except
when ! can get some boy or girl TO help me
when | rave the penny TO spare.
-'Spose II I lived in a house right on the
street I could see more1 Can't see nothin'
here but into other folkses houses. IL l
look out his winder ! look into those peo-
pies rooms. and IL I look out back nothin'
but other folkses rooms, so ! dont look
out much.
yes. it's nice and quiet. Sometimes
the noise from that poolroom comes up
here; but l say, we'll. it's nothin' to do with
mo, and so ] won't mind It. Oh, there's
always somethin' dom here. some ways
plenty OF excitement.
why, that family next door found a
strange man asleep In their front room
this morning. Came home drunk last
night. got into this house by mistake and
asleep. oh, yes, there's locks IN the door.
.Mss Oh. yes. I'm Murrcan. Borned
In Delawah. Brung up on a farm. No. |
don't wish was there now. went back
and about, but seemed like twas all
round and round. nothin' like IL used to
be. add jest hurried back here was 20
homesick.
There's no place Hike your own little
home. Now I hAve relations over in
Brooklyn, and when l was able to get there
used 10 90 over sometimes to spend q
day or two. but l was always homesick 10
come back here.
Some folks thinks I'm silly to work 90
hard Jest for the sake OF keeping these
rooms instead Of going to some home
where I'd be taken care Of, but l say
Jest as long as l can possibly keep my OWE
little home I'm willin' TO work for It.
twenty-five years I've worked. ever
sence my husband died. He was a nice
man. I've never seen az Moe a man AZ he
was her old eyes filing with tears behind
her big, round silver trimmed spectacles.
1--we never seen another man I wanted to
marry. So I've kept on here by myself.
Kinder hard gettin' round some days.
I'm so full o. rheumatios that my poor old
feet Won't always work worry lively. It's
years senco I've been downstairs. But l
manage to putter around and do what
wsshin' I can get and then ! go to bed a.
soon a. ever supperts out o the way. Seems
like the aches amt 20 bad when I'm layin'
down, and then ! 60 to sleep and forget all
about my troubles.
Sometimes l get discouraged. but
Jest put all tina right away from me and
don't think sbout II. but keep right IN
a-goin' That's the only way to do. amt
Got to xo' Well you'll come again,
won't yer7 It's lone me a sight O. good
to see YER.