Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-15
Dame Natures
Apartment House
(Supply the Missing Letters.)

! Dame Nature is the biggest, busiest
and best landlady that ever rented
rooms. For weeks she has been sweep
ing and busting, cleaning and scrub.
! bling, getting, her big, big house in or
der
She has wonderful broom which is
known as w., and an equally won.
derful clean sing fluid that is called
w., while as for disinfectants, she
uses two kinds, a.. and s.. =, and
neither costs her a penny.
After her floors are scrubbed she is
ready for her new carpets, and she al.
ways selects a g.. because it is so
restful to the eyes. After while she
will spread some beautiful rugs, floral
designs, white d....... red c.
blue v......, yellow d......... and
ether patterns which will make her
floors very beautiful.
| She brushed her ceilings clean; by
day they are lovely blue, by night a
velvety black frescoed with stars.
Sometimes she paints them a beauti-
ful crimson; and if you look just be
fore dusk and very early in the morn.
ing you will see the rich colors. After
her ceilings are perfect she will hang
so1t tapestries on her walls, silvery
ones or the W......, red fuzzy ones of
the e.. and m...., creamy ones of the
c......., and many of different shades
OF green. When all is finished she will
put up her ITO Let" sign, and then the
new people will come Some prefer
the upper rooms to the ground floor,
but others like the basement best
The F.... like the, dampest rooms to
be had. They come early and bring
their violins with them for they are a
most musical family. The T.. -. are
their first cousins; they also prefer the
basement Both are splendid tenants,
and help Dame Nature to keep the
apartment free from undesirable neigh
oors. The S.. are almost useful,
but from a foolish idea people fear
them and are often very cruel to them
Children are now being taught better,
and the smaller ST.. Of New Eng
land, which are not harmful as they
are in other climates, are allowed to
live and do police duty in the great
house. There are many other base.
ment tenants, but l have no time to
mention them.
For the same reason I can speak of
only few Of the first floor people.
The R.. are big frolicsome lodg-
ers who have big, big ears and hop
when they travel. They belong to the
family OF S......, a very busy sort Of
folk who like to work at night. Some.
times they spin beautiful laces and
make little white tents while every.
body else is asleep. The c.. are
as small as the S...... and are among
the most cheerful people in the house
They sing by night as we'll as by, day
and like most of all to tune up when
Father F.. starts his orchestra.
The bird family engage most of ths
upper rooms, and are so numerous
that they have different family names
Dame Nature likes them because they
are such happy people. Being the fin.
est singers in the world, they are pop.
ular with everybody. The first to set
up housekeeping are the R.. who
always wear red vests, and the
B........, who are Just as particular
about the color Of their jackets-only
blue will suit them. The S...........
come soon after these tenants. They
do not dress so gayly, but they have
lily is dismal sort of chap with bad
reputation, He rents the darkest room
in the house and seldom goes out in
the daytime. After dark this big-eyed
neighbor leaves his room and then all
the little children of the tenements
hurry home to keep out Of his way.
His name is o..
will speak Of just one more upper
floor ledger, the S........; they move
so quickly and make such noise that
they waken all the babies from their
maps. They are so full Of fun that they
cannot keep still very long at time,
but they mean no harm. Some of them
wear gray fur coats, and others wear
red ones, while second cousin of
theirs likes a striped coat best.
I wonder how many can copy this
story and spell in the missing letters?
Annie Balcomb Wheeler in the
Christian Register.
Opal BOwn my little