Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-19
BY MABEL HERBERT URNER

pOarQ.
BY the loudly ticking nickel clock
pn top of the switchboard it was now
bve minutes after six. Laura had
laid six, but she had probably been
detained at the office.
Helen went over to the heavy carved
pak chair beside the heavy carved oak
liable which were intended to give an
eir Of pretentiousness to the marble
Rainscoted, white-tiled reception hall.
1t was one of the countless new
apartment houses in the Washington
Heights section, and large enough to
boast of both elevator and a SWITCH
board boy.
Musingly Helen watched the people
es they came in. Laura had said that
many of these apartments were
rented out in separate rooms, which
accounted for the number of women,
evidently clerks and stenographers,
now coming home from their work.
Many of them looked middle-aged and
all Of them looked tired.
A few went first to the switchboard
to ask If any one had called them up,
but most of them went straight to the
elevator, a pathetic admission that
they expected no calls.
Then Laura Wilson entered, flushed
and hurried.
"Oh, I'm sorry to have kept you
waiting-but I couldn't help it. Mr.
Richards asked me to take some let
ters at the last moment. 1t always
happens when I want to get off early.
Here's the elevator now
On the eighth floor, Laura unlocked
a door at the end Of the corridor, and
they entered the narrow hall of a typi-
cal seVen-room fiat.
you see, I've the distinction of hav-
ing the Kitchen" as she led Helen into
a room intended for Kitchen, but
cleverly converted into a bedroom.
"Oh, how quaint!" Helen sank on
the edge of the couch, which took up
the space meant for the range.
The Advantages
'I could get the small bedroom for
the same price; but I've more places
to put things" nodding at the china
closet and shelves. Running water,
too" drawing back a chintz curtain
which concealed the sink.
But who fixed it up so cleverly !?
Are these your things?"
"Oh, no, she furnishes all the rooms
but put up this curtain and the one
before the ice-box."
"The ice-boX!" laughed Helen.
"What do you use that for?"
Drawing back another curtain,
Laura opened the refrigerator
Two hats graced the compartment
usually filled with a slab of ice. Be-
low, instead of milk and butter, were
shoes and slippers, and one shelf was
neatly piled with stationery.
well, that's certainly an ingenious
use of an iceboX."
"And the linen closet in the hall goes
with this room. They've taken out the
\aAyes so I can hang up my clothes.
isn't this better than any dingy.
third story back in smelly boarding
house?"
"Unquestionably." Helen's tone
was emphatic. But isn't it more ex-
pensive?"
mo, Just about the same This
room Is $4 a week. and my meals cost
only But We'll have dinner before
] tell you about the meals. Oh, we
must hurry; things are never so good
when you're late
While Laura freshened up Helen
looked around with keen interest.
She thought of the many women liv-
ing alone on meager salaries in dingy
furnished room houses-surelX this
was the better way.
The covered washtub beside the
sink was used as dressing table. And
now as Laura started to fix her hair,
she drew the electric light, which hung
by cord from the ceiling, over to a
hook beside the mirror.
"And I never had a decent light or
a mirror in clearinghouse" when
Helen praised the contrivance. "Oh!
I'm much more comfortable here than
I've been ever since came to New
York"
AS they went out. Laura proudly
opened the door of the bathroom.
isn't that q lovely bathroom? And
the telephones right here in the hall.
1t would all be ideal with a sigh, "if
it wasn't so lonely"
"Is 1t lonely here" asked Helen
sympathetically.
Lonely! I've been here two months,
and / don't know a SOUL But let's not
talk about 1t. I've been obsessed with
loneliness lately"
seated in the small basement restau-
rant of the apartment house across
the street. The low ceiling and the
mission tables gave rathskellar look
to the place.
The Dinner
They've two dinners here" Laura
took up one Of the soiled mimeo-
graphed cards. With the entree it's
flfty-without it thirty five"
"Well, since you insist it's your din
ner, we'll have the thirty five" de-
cided Helen firmly. That's what you
have when you're alone"
Laura demurred, but Helen was de-
termined, and 1t was the dinner with
out the entree-soup, roast, salad and
dessert-that was ordered.
Tell me more about your apart
ment," pleaded Helen, as the waitress
slouched Off who is it that sublets
those rooms?"
She's Mrs Winston--a very nice
woman, too. She began by renting
out the roms of her own apartment
after her husband died. Now she's
leased four apartments in our build
ing"
what do they lease for? Seven
rooms, aren't they?"
"Yes, siXty-five month-they're all
the same. You wouldn't think she'd
make much renting the rooms fur
nished for four dollars a week, would
you? But it's only the kitchen and
the small bedroom that she rents for
that. She gets six and eight for the
athers. But she has to keep them all
lied to make anything"
" And she furnishes SerVice-or do
you take care of your own room?"
"Oh, no, she has one maid that takes
care of the four apartments. It's be-
coming quite a business-this leasing
apartments and renting out rooms.
It's taking the place of the old board
inghouse. / know half a dozen girls
who used to live In downtown board
nghouses-they've all moved uptown
and have a room in some new apart
ment"
IT suppose that means the passing
of the hall bedroom" unused Helen.
And yet there was always a certain
romance about the idea of girl COM
ing to New York and living in hall