Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-07-17
Her FIRST
FLAT CALI

lived In fiat IN Harlem. she was
dressed in her best--a choice black
lace gown and bran new pair OF
gloves, pearl gray, and the highest
fit she'd ever got into. She certainly
looked trim and PRETTY. After riding
for what seemed to her to be hours
she finally came to the house she was
looking for. She never had been In
fiat, and when she found herself IN a
vestibule where there were a lot of
letter boxes with names over them and
little buttons above the names she was
rather at a loss how to proceed in or
der to get the door open. But there
was the name of her friend, who had
said she lived on the top floor, so she
touched button by way of expert
ment.
Suddenly, with great rafting, the
door flew open all by itself with no
body anywhere in sight, and stepping
over the threshold she looked eau
tiously around and couldn't for the
moment think of anything but spooks
as a solution of the mystery. Nor did
the back part Of long, dark hall,
where the stairs seemed to lead up to
still darker places, serve to dispel the
uncanny impression. But she knew
she had to do it, so gathering up her
courage and her black lace skirt she
began the ascent-up, up, five steps
to fight, then landing and an abb
rupt corner to 60 around. She was
quite sure she had never In all her
experience come across a staircase
where she had to keep turning cor
ners all the time and still more GER
tain was she that she'd never before
gone upstairs in the dark in the day
time. But that was what she found
herself doing then, for after the third
cluster of steps there wasn't light
enough to see where the next was and
all she could do was to feel until she
had to sit down in sheer exhaustion to
get her breath. And how profoundly
did she wish she was safe home In
stead of all alone in strange city
house on those stairs in all that pitchy
darkness!
Every blood-curdling story she ever
had heard flashed into her mind about
innocent country people being In
weighed to their doom on some plaus'
lble pretense or other; and she fairly
shivered with apprehension as she
thought how easy 'twould be to have
a trap door on those stairs for I'M
suspecting country callers to fall into.
Then suddenly she jumped to her feet,
for somewhere up above door had
slammed and she wanted to let some
body know she was coming; but some
way, in her hurry, she took wrong
step and before she knew it had gone
headlong all over landing-place,
bursting both gloves and tearing the
choice lace-she could hear it ripping.
Twas awful, and as she arose she
was half tempted to 60 back again: but
she felt she must be near the top and
SO kept on, not even trying to stand
upright, just creeping along, till final.
ly skylight shed some light on the
scene, and the weary climber, liter
ally gasping for breath, reached the
top floor, where. gazing sadly at the
ruptured gloves and torn gown and
feeling her hat clinging dejectedly to
the side of her head, she told herself
she could have fought over bargain
counter all day and looked five times
as respectable.
But she was at the friends very
door. Not wishing, however, to go in
breathing like a porpoise. she decided
to lean against the side Of the hall
way to rest a moment before ringing
the bell and to put pin in the gown
and pull the gloves together. Then,
touching q button that was close by,
she continued to lean and rest until
the door suddenly opened and she fell
in backward on the girl, who shrieked
for help and jumped aside, letting the
invader fall over on top OF two or
three umbrellas in the hat rack.
There's no kind Of use in trying to
describe the variety Of feelings, phys
ical and mental, that assailed the
caller as she laboriously extricated
herself. The maid, at a safe distance,
was gazing at her with an open sus-
picion mixed largely with genuine
fright and asking who she was and
what she was doing. The country call
or. realizing vaguely that only we'll
chosen speech would in any measure
retrieve such critical situation,
fastened to collect the remains OF a
badly scattered dignity and remarked:
T-or-am not at all certain what
that is, who am just at present.
am-at least I was calling, but please
tell Mrs. - that I'm in quite hur'
~, as I must be-er-somewhere else
very soon. Besides I don't feel very
WELL" Then detaching herself from
an especially aggressive umbrella she
hurried into the hall and down the
stairs. saying to herself as she fed
recklessly round and round curves
and corners, the quarter OF lace
rutfle trailing on the floor, and the
gloves, pearl-gray no longer, hanging
in shreds to her fingers:\
mo human being ever called after
going ina door like that. No more
fat calls for me-without I have some
thing on that won't tear. And next
time I'll carry lantern" she added as
she stepped into the street and made
believe she wasn't mortally afraid the
policeman on the corner would com
mand her to halt and explain her ap
pearance.
Small Price for Badges Of Honor.
Eight medals awarded to Major c.
Stuart, including the small gold medal
for the battle of Roleia and the Army