The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-09-05
HER FIRST
FLAT CALL

lived In a nat IN Harlem she was
dressed in her best-a choice black
lace gown ard a 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 a
fiat, and when she found herself in a
vestibule where there were lot OF
letter boxes with names over them and
little buttons above the names she was
rather at 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 a great rafting, the
door few 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 go 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 a 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
ible 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 un
suspecting country callers to fall into
Then suddenly she jumped to her feet
for somewhere up above a 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 go back again; bu
she felt she must be near the top an(
so kept on, not even trying to stand
upright. just creeping along. till final
ly a skylight shed some light on The
scene, and the weary climber. liter
ally gasping for breath. reached thu
top floor, where, gazing sadly at ths
ruptIred gloves and torn gown ant
feeling her hat clinging dejectedly tt
the side of her head. she told hersel
she could have fought over bargain
counter all day and looked five times
as respectable.
But she was at the friends yer,
door. Not wishing. however, to go il
breathing like porpoise, she decide
to lean against the side of the hall
! way TO rest moment before ringini
tie bell and to put pin in the gowI
and pull the gloves together. Then
| touching a button that was close by
she continued to lean and rest unit
the door suddenly opened and she fel
In backward on the girl. who shrieke'
for help and jumped aside, letting tn
invader fall over on top of two o
three umbrellas in the hat rack.
| There's no kind of use in trying t
| describe the variety of feelings. phys
ical and mental. that assailed tn
caller as she laboriously extricate'
herself. The maid, at safe distance
was gazing at her with an open sus
picion mixed largely with genuin
fright and asking who she was an
what she was doing. The country cal
err. realizing vaguely that only a vel
chosen speech would in any measur
retrieve such critical situation
fastened to collect the remains OF
badly scattered dignity and remarked
.I-cr-am not at all certain what
that is, who l am just at present.
am-aat least / was calling, but pleas
tell Mrs. - that I'm in quite hui
| nv. as must be-er-somewhere els
very soon. Besides / don't feel yer
we'll" Then detaching herself fror
an especially aggressive umbrella sh
hurried into the hall and down tn
stairs. saying to herself as she fe
recklessly round and round curve
and corners, the quarter of a lac
| r,,tro tratIino On the floor and tn