davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18

you that it doesn't make the slightest
difference on earth what sort of people
occupy the fiat above the one you're con-
tempatng taking. for the reason that all
of the fiat floors are absolutely sound
proof
This. of course. is the dismalest sort
of moonshine There may he such
thing as Il sound proof fiat floor some
where in the world. but if there is any
think like that anywhere in New York
I've failed to find it, and I've lived in al
legged "sound-proof'' floor flats everywhere
in this town, from 10th street to 21oth
street, and it might naturally be sup
posed that a man might discover such
thing if it really existed. within range
of two hundred city blocks.
When the Family Upstairs is really
busy and d :ermined and persistent Fam
lily Upstairs il is going to make the
sound-proof floor behave more like
sounding board than anything else. and
that's the kind of Families Upstairs I've
been experimenting with or b en- eXper
imented with during the progress of
pretty long residence in New York.
II The agent 60 sat tell you that the
floors are ''sound-prOof he is eloquent in
his declaration that the folks who live
in the fat above the one you're talking
OF renting are absout ly unique in ali
the world FOR their utter habitual and
unbrea kaDle tranquility. He do snt go
quite so far as TO state in words that
they're a family of deaf mutes bat ne
virtually hints at some such thing He
tells You tnat those people have lived
there for eight years. and that during all
that time never much as thc sound OF
a dropping pin has been heard by the
folks living below them. He tells you
that that particular Family Cpstairs con-
sists of Two adults, who not only possess
neither chick nor child. but have hatred
bordering on ferocty for dogs, parrots
canary birds, musical instruments of all
sorts. parties of any kind whatever; that
they make 1t the ruiz of their lives to go
TO bed at half-pa<t o'clock every night
OF their lives, walk around on tiptoe all
the time. and, if they speak at ALL never
90 so above a whisper.
linen you move i'll, and You find that
the people above YOU are just one of those
regular Families Upstairs There are
about five children, of about the same
age and degree of rampageous vocIferous-
ness. and they're all practicing on differ
ent sorts of musical instruments most Of
the time when they're not learning how
10 dance the Lancashire clog or deyisins
methods OF torturing the large number OF
outraged animals kept up there as pets"
and their parents take up the burden of
their little nightly quarrels along toward
4 or o clock al night and nurse Il along
with varying VolleyS of eXpletiVes till
or :; in the morning. sometimes even
waking up a little while before dawn in
order to go over few minor points that
they'd overlooked before dropping off TO
sleep from sheer exhaustion.
II you are very imbecile ard ineXper-
fenced, you'll go to the agent and COM
plain wistfully that he deceived You about
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18
Special Correspondence of The Star


NEW YORK, December II, 1910.
vHr- woes of the .ingbat Family
work up entertainingly enough
in the D:ngbat comic series.
But there are good many
thousands of Dingbats living in
New York fiat houses who fail to see the
joke. That they are unable TO discern the
humor OF the thing is TO sign that they re
noted for mental opacity. either
AS a plain matter of fact, the FANNY
Upstairs makes for genuine tragedy IN
The lives of an innumerable host of fiat
nwellers in this town. More than seven
eizhths of the entire New York popula
lion live in flats or tenements, and OF
course they can't all live in the
.op-fioor flats And when you get
INTO anything but a top-foor fat
ing chance on taking Your nerves
INTO your hands, 50 to speak, All =
doesn't make any difference. either, as 10
the character or standing or the liza
house What is called the rough stun
IN lust as Fable 10 be pulled off by the
Family Upstairs IN the most Exclusive
apartment house, so termed as III one OF
The dinkerno fiat houses Of upper Am
sterdam avenue. l have no difficulty III
recalling the time when the top-hoor
apartments in this town rented for CON
,idrrably less monthly money than the
dats OF the lower floors. SO recently as
ten wears ago this was the case. Now.
however, the top-iioor flats are the high
est-pr!ced ones.
Even III the apartment houses where
there are no e!eV ators and where the top
ioor flats involve a climb of four or five
sets OF stairs the rental is greater than
that OF the flats on the other floors 1t
happened this way because of the simple
law of supply and demand. The clamor
set in by persons loving the peaceful life
tor the top-foor fats: and naturally the
Eat agents boosted the price of those
fats. Seasoned fatters prefer the noise
hat comes from downstairs 10 that which
proceeds from overhead. the thump-
humping somehow seems mitigated when
4 comes from below, and the banging of
musical Instruments also appears To be
e. ameioratcd when ir proceeds upward in
stead Of downward. I haven't sought the
scientific explanation of this hut merely
relate the generally accepted view OF the
facts.
NJ own experience has been that there
sn't a possible way OF lodging the Fam
IL Upstairs in Il New York fiat by any
manner of provision. You've got 10 move
n ana take your chance. 1t is perfectly
Useless to ask the fiat agent about the
folks who live above the fiat you're con-
sidering renting IL is the agents bust
1ess To- fan YOU when you submit this
sort OF an interrogatory. and he has any
number of methods of doing it,
First OF all. he is most liable to tell
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18

51sssz<SsN7a@z5z
Ii 11SS&rqp6<qS2&SY15
Is Your Il
BY Herb
What follows confessedv there are those
who will consider it decidedly unpleasant.
To begin with, it's about Christmas yet
about holly and nsetoe and plum pudding and pleasant things
side that bothered and which probably
s0ont after know about tor after a there
that which be stirred by vord would have been
different all along
holiday contempaons when settling down
annual Christmas attering yourself with kd
will bring and dear and then right the midst
of day. dream to have lot of miserable
Observation-Disclosures and mothers without the price of
Christmas breakfast, much less a Christmas hearth.
You still stop reading, but you do knou0 in
heart of hearts that finger from somewhere pointing
something inside OF that fear to recognized
Come, face the question: VIVA HA We YOU PLANNED
OUR LORD 1910?
Own up; have you thought of them? Glance your
:s fa" list for 50 much one memoranda" about hungry
Why, you don't know what Christmas You've missed
its real spirit You've simply considered your prosperous
Q5ies dfthtQ Dine
!. y: j /
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18

m~Dn~1
crcle-gs people with filled purses don't count at all
You probably consider yourself of sentiment and b.
yond doubt have sailed the of 1.-THE Christmas Carol
with many a n1audlin
But have reflected that less a
Scrooge yourself and that date there not single entry
the Great Book credting with sarveng happiness?
No haven't any. If there's in your
heart SOUL have and heard enough Of
euicfions and bread kno that there always nearby
chance for the with little bit than the euaze
the luck Of the .uord by least annual Kindness
So nou keeny ave your past reponsibiy you haze;
determined the toyshop and the
least send check the Salvation Arythats 0hat always
happens the Christmas storiethe hero simply needs
nder and then he can't until he has traed poverty
its lair:
BUT
Since this isn't fiction and you have probably agreed
that these remarks impertnent you follow
usual Christmas CUSTOM making only those expenditures which
will protect from criticism by relatives and social
neutrality-suspicious. your purchases until Christmas Eue drive
half dead shop girl from pillar and insist immediate
delivery of selections keep devil of
and miserable 0isp of boy driving about until dawn ms
the star that proclaimed to Bethlehem peace EARTH good will
toward men,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18

NEW YORK, December II, 1910.
D1Hr- woes of the .I.ngbat Family
work up entertainingly enough
in the D:ngbat comic series.
But there are good many
The sun., 1910-02-06

families OF two and three generations
filing the elevators or climbing the steep
stairways to the upper gallery. The
Italian contingent supplements these. and
there is much gesture and much alterca-
ton in regard to the respective merits
Of the Strauss and other schools, for at
the moment, as with the wife who CLASH
aes the world into John and the rest. there
Is only the one great composer 8 work and
the work OF his contemporaries ED pre-
Secessors.
Through the tiny box Of the Hammer
stein Office the regulars seek the inner
door-fur coated foreigners who touch
their throats forgetfully and significantly.
the sure enough mark OF the musical
celebrity who il he hears there is an
earthquake in Venice, a tidal wave in
Japan or Seine overflow grasps his vocal
chords Immediately to make sure that at
any rate they are safe in the midst of
general disaster.
Elaborstely dressed members Of the
operstic staff seek the more fashionable
entrance and the boxes set aside for their
use. These feminine faces, accustomed
behind the footlights to express every vary
ing shade Of emotion, are now carefully
conoealing the opinions already formed,
The sun., 1910-02-06

The line OF opera boredom. the new
wrinkle which has developed since the
beginning OF the operatic rivalry, is less
evident than ordinarily on masculine
brows, and the tired business nenshave
apparently without too strenuous oppo-
sition given up for the evening the front
row OF The Chocolate Soldier the
Dollar Princess and other balancers OF
brainfag.
SIDE by side with the gayly attired
holders u orchestra tickets are business
and professional women who have been
too occupied by the days strenuous duties
to change their clothes and many a shirt
waist is seen touching lightly the golden
net OF Partisan dinner gown. Men too
accept the easy regulation OF American
custom and few business suits are seen
dotted among the inner coats and eve
ming dress. -, y ..t
Taken as a whole it is not so smart and
swagger an audience as gathered to hear
-SalOme.' but it il in many particulars
more Interesting The people who came
to hear and see -Elektra" are not moved
by a curious impulse to witness curious
dance, gracefully portrayed and amaz-
ingly orchestrated, nor by the obvious
sex impulse. The interest II morbid is
musically morbid. which is more interest
ing and less commonplace.
The sun., 1910-02-06

Polish boy who came to this country at
the age OF IA and two years later met an
acquaintance who asked him how he was
getting along. He replied that he was
doing well; had business OF his own now,
Where? Broadway and Tenth strsss.
Good location: what line2 Selling shoe
strings on the sidewalk.
There Is one way for the unknowing 60
tel a good shoestring. as there In way
for the uniformed to tell good summer
shirt. In the case OF the shirt look at the
buttons; II they IRE good the shirt il good.
Look at the tips OF the shoestrin=s. The
best have twisted wire tips that 40 not
pull of.
There is almost a drug store prufIt I'm
shoestrinRs. Your cobbler charges five
cents a pair for a rather poor quality
The boy shoestring pedler charges 40
cents for a dozen pairs. The price OF ths
same goods at wholesale is IS cents for q
gross pairs.
So the cobbIer realizes a profit OF ee.s6
on an investment Of 65 cents. The drug
store man sells gssOleife that costs about
10 cents a gallon for 81 20 a gallon, which
is a somewhat larger profit. The boy
pedler Of shoestrings gets only So cents
profit on his gross of pairs at as cents
gross. but that is more than the Interest,"
allowed by savings banks. -
The sun., 1910-02-06

which you may be sure no tremendous
outburst OF applause, no mark Of wearied
contempt. whichever may ocme. will avail
20 change. All the musical first nighters
are present, and that dinner hours have
been put ahead or the dinners themselves
hurried through is. evident for 1t Ia "A
significant fact that not one interruption
broke into the hattering stiffness that
met the rise Of the curtain and continued
till its fall. Nor did a suburbanite rise to
catch an outgoing train. ~''r.i ~
There is varied assembly as noted
from the foyer. where the faces OF the
cast Of -Eiektra" are exhibited in rows
Of photographs and a new water color OF
Tetrazzini gases in pink and white pretti-
ness at the tragic lineaments of Nine
Mazarin, her vis-A-vis; the contrast in
the pictures is as great as in their di-
vergent paths oLendeavor. 'N'i
There are mary women In evening
gowns whose decollAte throats are held
viselike by heavy dog collars of dia-
monds or pearls. there are coroneted
coiHures shining here and there. -errnine
and sable coats down dropping care
lessly on the fauteuils OF grand tier boxes.
The sun., 1910-02-06

are entwined about the sister. Chrvso-
hetnis or the brother, Orestes as she
pleads and urges and props their weak
ness to her will 10 avenge the murder OF
their father Sometimes they are quies-
cent as she sits In the shadow OF the
palace steps brooding on the mysteries
that are, to be. ~.
Once a girl near by. a fluffy girl with
a rose pink voice, says audibly that Orestes
looks like Raymond Duncan. He does.
and you are grateful for the obvious
description. II relieves a tension that
has become almost insupportable. You
are not nearly so grateful when a woman
gives hysteri1al laugh q little later
endingin a gasp and stified scream.
E6isthus 10 on the threshold. He
10 q handsome figure, with the auburn
hair. and the look Of youth and strength;
causes EIelstTa's hands clawlike to clutch
again the torch and wave IL toward him
menaoinEly. while after his question.
How comes il all is dark: and who
are these peoplef" there is frenzied
second OF applause that sweeps once
over the auditorium and a more frensied
"Sh-sh." All is silence again. There
is streak OF sinister green that darts
like an mcoiling serpent across the blood
red masonry Of the palace walls and the
orchestra is playing the scarlet motif
again
mad whirl forward and backward. a
movement Of the hips and shoulders.
but the head always still and the staring
eyes looking through and beyond an
auditorium 30 silent that you might
believe the pictured tragedy real.
The dance grows wilder and madder
and moro disturbing. 1t is a whirl now,
and the light glares ON the white shoulders
OF beautiful women in the boxes above,
on the strained hands OF the musicians.
on Eteks-G's own face with it's scared
eyes, her torn gown. her matted hair
and pale face. You remember the night
Of iSdLoms'e dance of the seven wells. 1t
too had its silent lookerson. its Strauss
music and its railbirds peering over the
nearby shoulders. but there was no such
silence. no tragic sense in the air as now.
The sun., 1910-02-06

waited until the Cardinal had retired with
the clergy. then marched out by the
saoristy. as they had oome. the song
growing fainter and fainter as they de-
parted. until At last only the lights on the
high altar and the mnrmur Of the de
parting congregation were left.
As the signora had said, a more solemn
and impressive function is rarely seen
here. There was no disturbing tawdri-
ness OF crude silk banners or beribboned
emblens. Each guild was headed rby a
plain brown wooden cross hung with the
symbols Of the Saviour's, passion there
were present no coarse faced monks or
irreverent choir boys. Truly the insti-
tutor Of the fiesta against swearing was a
man Of taste.
/ regret to be forced 20 add an anti
climax. but it is. alas. fact that not five
minutes after we left the door OF the
DuomO we came upon a oabman and q
tram conductor who were playing fast
and loose with San Giovanni. San Zenobi
and several other especially valued
Florentine saints. 1t was too terriblel
The sun., 1910-02-06

said to have been supplying her with the
formula for the manufacture of the German
smokeless powder lone Of the most effective
yet inventedD and the situate of the port
mines. To disguise her true occupation
she posed u teacher OF lan9ua ges. Sus-
picion was directed against her on account
OF the ample funds with which she was
always provided and of her fear OF giving
the police the customary notice of her
frequent changes of address.
In Russia, where the secret service is
raised to the level of fine art, the woman
spy is recognized rs an extremely valua Bile
medium for obtaining information not only
about foreign matters but also concerning
the various revolutionary movements going
on at home. One OF the most notorious
OF these feminine police spies IL Nine
Joutchenko, who has been described as a
female Azen.
This person. posing as one OF the Ter
rorists. took part In their enterprises, and
discovering all their plans gave information
To the police. For this work she obtained
a handsome monthly salary She began her
nefarous trade at the age Of ~, and her first
big coup was when she betrayed the Res
ponttne plot gainst the Gar in 1895 Scores
Of those who had trusted her went into exile
In Siberia on the plot being discovered
She herself. to disarm suspicion, was sent
away also. but was allowed TO escape ana
rejoin the revolutionists In order to obtain
more Information. One of her victims was
a handsome girl named FrAnia Froumkin
who was sent 20 the gallows after an
abortiyO attempt to kill the prefect of
MOSCOW. The arch traitress wormed her
self into the confidence of families, with the
result that numbers OF persons were ban
ished to Siberia
Quite recently the French Government
caused a large number OF German women
employed on the eastern frontier as bar
maids TO be expelled from the country.
These women had been watched and found
to be IN the pay of German spies, TO whom
they gave the Information that they ac-
uuired from listening to the conservation
OF drunken soldiers in the taverns
A more serious affair was that ae Reims
Seven men and three women alleged to be
paid agents OF the German War once were
arrested The three women were In the
habit, IL was said. OF making the acquaint-
nnce OF soldiers and wheedling military
secrets out OF them. which informa tion
they passed ON TO the men. Compromising
correspondence was found at their lodgings
and seemed 70 reveal wholesale espionaQ 20
oy the women. As matter of fact the
arrest OF these men and women In Maid
to have Disclosed the existence of q wide
spread organization OF German spies
throughout the country.
SLOWING come discount for the spy mania
various oountriese there is no doubt thai
the secret service OF every country contains
iefy and nsS. 'iSforinasion s'Se conOernIns 1Ss I
other Pow era. and among these spiea woman
are 70 be found doing much Important work.
The sun., 1910-02-06

got chairs from the lad who attends to
such matters paid the two soldi he de-
ma1ded, aud following the example OF
our immediate neighbore mounted on the
rush seats and peered through the glass
screen which tops the wall surrounding
the circular choir.
The great altar was abIaze with candles,
but not one tawdry ornament or .himsy
paper flower insulted the beauty OF the
marble and gold. Within the choir my
eye reyelled in the artistic scene.
Overhead was the vast dim dome. the
acoiytes in their black lace covered gar
meats passed back and forth from their
places TO hold open the splendid cinque-
cento books OF Office on the equally an
cient reading desk. turning the gorgeously
Illuminated pages as the red robed choris-
ters i1toned the text. just un der my
special pane Of glass an old canon doyed
In his seat. He wore q white fur cape
with a purple hood, a touch Of delicious
color. s,.
AT length all the -genuhections. the
waving OF censors and the chanting came
to an end. The Choristers who had been
serenely singing in b fat minor while, the
organ doomed forth In G sharp major
ceased from their labors. Lighted can
dies were given all within the choir circle
and the Cardinal Archbishop arrived.
Borne before him was the great banner
OF his see which waited at the entrance to
the choir until mounted on the steps OF
his throne. more splendid vestments were
substituted for his long scarlet mantle.
and having taken from It's tabernacle the
splendid jewelled remonstranoe with the
host. encircled by the clergy OF the cathe-
dral. preceded by the great white standard
crossed with crimson and sheltered by, a
canopy Of softest tinted golden silk; he
headed the procession. Following him
came all the religious guilds OF Florence,
whose members, clad in white, bore torch
like candles, and defiling two by two from
the sacristy door through the choir passed
down a lane formed in the black, silent
swaying crowd which filed the great dark
body Of the church. t.
On they moved, calling more or less flt,l-
sically ON the Virgin and all the saints TO
pray for the presumptllous. blasphenn0us
FlOrentines who should take these names
In vain; a glittering river OF light, flowing
down the nave, then streaming from cast
TO west, around the entire great Duonno,
until il rolled Pickering flood back again
TO the entrance Of the choir. ~
Here all the hundreds Of naring candles
seemed to group themselves Into one
solid body Of sparkling nRht, while the
benediction went on within the choir.
The -Tantum Ergo OF Palestrina added
to the perfection Of this whole service.
The Duomo does not often echo with such
When the service OF the benedicti6n
was ended an Italian hymn simpis In
melody, sung Ivy chcirs and people. rose
and swelled through the purple rnists
floating about the soaring arches to
where the rich coIors Of the painted
windows were made family visible by
the laet strong Lsht ef the ssfnset hour.
The guide with their lighted candles
The sun., 1910-02-06
FIESTA AGAINST SWEARING.
An Impressive service I'm FiSreuce and an
Anti-CIImax.


FLORENCE. Jan 2s.-The fiesta against
swearing was what our Florentine friend
csed il, and as she declared enphatically
that not one OF the ceremonies during the
year in the Duomo surpassed the pic
turesqueness OF the procession we should
see and that the impressive character OF
the hymn sung in finale by the assembled
people was something to remember, we
we're not slow 10 follow her advice and
betook ourselves early TO the cathedral
that We might find good places.
In explanation of this unique fiesta be
IL known that Tuscany, with its ostensibly
mild hammered. tranquil natives, is a
very hotbed OF blasphemy. And as for
florence! Well. swearing is as easy TO
the Florentine tongue as the letter c IL
'hard! The mystery OF such a connection
csnnot be divulged. but certain it is that
the Tuscan who calls his case -hasa"
can with inconceivable readiness open his
mouth and without apparent provocation
pour forth such volley OF oaths as will
make pious NeapOlitsn turn pale with
fright
That Cardinal Archbishop who in the
last century instituted this special service
against swearing may have been from
Naples. As I heard the story this good
prelate, coming from some diocese where
the sins were OF less obtrusive character
vas very properly and appropriately hor-
rfed the first time he heard real Tuscan
oath. He may have encountered IL at
the station, for the fachini there are
famous for their facility in such matters;
then too there is cab stand just under
the windows OF the Episcopal palace,
where much iuency is displayed in hand
ing saints names which should be sacred
10 invocation.
There are few other sips lying around
loose in Italy upon which the coarse
minded Anglo-Saxon looks with less
tenlency than he does liquid Italian oaths.
puI whether the devout prince Of the
Nnnrch was more familiar with their aspect
or less shocked by their nature, ne plainly
Vonsidered none OF those.at home In Flor
snce either sufficiently bold or sufficiently
rc,uresuue TO warrant the ceremony he
ASltuted in their behalf.
oelng evidently n personage OF great
aste he ordained and planned an artistic
Wocession and benediotion 20, be held
80 year on Sunday In January. In the
bo,no. lt has been going on ever since
W.aLe. sHne. 30. unfortunately. has tho
A.w,,s arrived when the vespers were but
- over and the people had but Just
No 70 gather within the Duonl9- We