The sun., 1908-04-26
A VILLAGE IN THE CITY.
Nestles Comfortably on RlVer PrOnt while
Bridge Builders Rprk Overhead.

hFluBe hulner WeTh ONeFnfau'
In a baokwatsr Of uptown city life, not
far from one Of the principal thoroughfares
that GROSS the city, is . little settlement
that might nestle with much greater ap-
propriateneSs among the hills Of New Hamp-
shire As the abode Of villages important
families It would serve 90 we'll that any
scene painter In want OF such an inspiration
need travel no further than a Fiity.ninth
street trolley car will carry him.
II need not disconoert him that the noise
Of city life buzzes and cracks all about him
He need not listen to the grating trolleys
or the olatter Of the more distant elevated
on Second avenue. He can close his ears
10 the sound Of the machines piecing To-
gether the iron girders Of the new bridge
and refuse to look upward at the mighty
spans of iron that cross the sky on their
way 10 Long Island,
Already the lilac bushes along the top
OF the old stone fence are preparing 10
bloom The hedge has survived the on
slaughts OF city life. There are a few
broken gaps suggesting that they might
have been made by the owners 70 peer
through at the advancing army that kept
on bringing the city up from the south
to plant II beneath their own stone walls
facing SiKty-frst street.
The house with the two gables Ia the
most picturesque OF the group. IL serves
now for two homes, but that device Is 10
make its existence less costly, The two
wings, each surmOunted by a liable, arc
connected by a passage This, on the
second story. forms a long balcony Of the
kind called gallery In the South, enclosed
with high shutters. They are broken now
in places and there 10 very little paint left
on them, but they are just as interesting
in their suggestion OF age as the old piazza
which stands at the end OF the house facing
the East River. Here six Greek huted
columns support the piazza.
SO high has the lilac hedge grown that
the first story Of the house is hidden from
view. Only the curious visitor who climbs
up the six steps 10 peer through the iron
gate can sec the old shrubs growing Justify
against the walls and the traces OF the
overgrown flower beds
Near this building is a less pretentious
house which shows less distinctly the march
Of time, II islands now high on a foundation
of red brick which as In so many OF the old
houses Of Manhattan. forms the spaces for
tllo hlNClleH anu NlHluB IOOIus Alb Two
stories in wood are sheltered by two high
columns severely plain with their classic
huting and austere capitals. The street
level has changed in the advance Of years,
even IL the rest Of this old fashioned corner
Of New York has remained tia same. SO
a flight OF frame steps Is necessary now
even TO bring up the visitor 10 the red brick
basement. Encroaohing houses have stolen
ts encirolng yard. but the square Of green
before the house is sufficient 10 nourish
some beds which are fall Of the green spears
Of sprouting tulips,
Across the street on lot 80 large that
ts frat owners must have been able to farm
II not proHtably are two more
houses Of the same period. They face the
river under the shadow Of the new bridge.
save for their doors and columns they
ack the pictureSqueness Of the rest OF the
colony. But they possess the saAe incon-
yruous interest OF being In New York at this
lay and year.
To turn eastward down this one block !
of East SiXty-hrst street is to step back |
nto the New York Of half a century ago !
perhaps when there were no trolleys or
,levated roads or towering bridges SaDy- |
where in the world-certainly nowhere near |
! gentleman's country house on the Island |
II Manhattan.