Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-03
Hazel Smith-Dame Nat
ure's Apartment House.

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 wind, and an equally won
derful cleansing fluid that is called
water, while as for disinfectants, she
uses two kinds, air and sunshine, and
neither costs her a penny.
After her floors are scrubbed she is
ready for her new carpets, and she al
ways selects a green because it is so
spreads some beautiful rugs, floral
designs while daisies, red crocus, blue
violets, yellow dandelines and other
patterns will make her floors very
beautiful. -7---- ~
She brushed her ceilings clean; by
day they are lovely blue by night a
velvety black frescoed with stars.
crimson, and If you look just before
dusk and very early in the morning
you will see the rich colors. After her
ceilings are perfect she will hang soft
tapestries on her walls, silvery one OF
the willow, red fuzzy ones Of the elm
and maple, creamy ones of the syca-
more and many Of different shades OF
green. When all Is finished she will put
up her ITO Let" sign, and then the new
per rooms to the ground floor, but 9th
ers like the basement best.
The Frog likes the dampest rooms to
be had. They came early and bring
their volins with them for they are a
most musical family. The Toads are
their cousins. They also prefer the
basement. Both are splendid tenants,
y-{, 4,
apartment free from undesirable neigh
bors. The snakes are almost useful. but
from foolish idea people fear them
and are often very cruel to them. Chill
dren are now being taught better and
the smaller snakes Of New England,
which are not harmful as they are in
other climates, are allowed to live and
do police duty in the great houses.
There are many other basement ten
ants. but have no time to mention
them.
For tho same reason ] can speak Of
only a few of the first floor people. The
rabbits are big frolicsome dodgers who
have big, big ears and hop when they
travel.
They belong to the family Of spiders,
a very busy sort Of folk who like to
work at night. Sometimes they spin
beautiful laces and make little white
y
The crickets are small as the spider
and are among the most cheerful peo-
pie in the house. They sing by night as
we'll as<by day and like most of all to
tune up when Father Frog starts his
orchestra.
The bird family engage most of the
upper rooms, and are SO numerous that
they have different family names.
Dame Nature likes them because they
are such happy people. Being the finest
singers in the world, they are popular
with everybody. The first to set up
housekeeping are the Robins who I'll
ways wear red vests, and the Bluebirds
who are just as particular about the
color of their jackets-only blue will
suit them. The sparrows come soon
after these tenants. They do not dress
SO gayly, but they have sweeter voices.
One of the bird family is dismal set
of chap with q bad repute ton. 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
tn keep out of his way. His name is
Owl.
I will speak Of just one more upper
floor lodger, the Squirrel. 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 other wear
red ones, while second cousin of
theirs likes a striped coat best.
Hazel Smith. age -,