The Ordway new era., 1919-09-26

furniture was q little shabby, but the
hostile chairs and sofa of the -parior"
always looked new. For all the wear
and tear they got they should have
lasted thousand years.
Upstairs were the bedrooms moth
er and fathers room" the largest:
smaller room for one or two sons.
another for one or two daughters:
each Of these rooms containing a
double bed. "washstand." bureau"
d wardrobe, a little table. a rocking
chair. and often a chair or two that
had been slightly damaged down
stairs. but not enough TO Justify either
the expense Of repair or decisive
abandonment ia the attic. And there
was always q spare room" for yisi-
tors twhere the sewing machine usu-
ally was kept), and during the seven
ties there developed an appreciation
Of the necessity for bathroom.
At the rear of the house, upstairs.
was a bleak little chamber called "the
girls ROOM" and In the stable there
was another bedroom. adjoining the
hnyloft. and called "the hired mans
hDChs AADbSC aha bthDiG tobt btNth
or eight thousand dollars to build, and
people with that much money to invest
In such comforts were classified as the
Rich. They paid the inhabitant of
"the girls room two dollnrs q week,
and. in the latter part Of this period,
two dollars and half. and finally
three dollars week. She was Irish
ordinarily. or German. or It might be
Scandinavian. but never native to the
land unless she happened to be per-
son Of color. The man or youth who
lived In the stable had like wages. and
sometimes. too. WIS lately a steerage
voyager. but much oftener he was col
Ored.
After sunrise on pleasant mornings
the alleys behind the stables were gay;
laughter and shouting went up and
down their dusty lengths. with lively
accompaniment OF currycombs knock
Ing against bnck fences and stable
walls. for the darkies loved to curry
their horses In the alleys. Darkies
always prefer TO gossip In shouts In
stend Of whispers. md they feel that
profanity, unless It bo vociferOus. is
almost worthless. Horrible phrases
were caught by early rising children
and carried to older people for defini-
tion. sometimes Mt inopDortune mo-
ments; while less investIgative chill
dren would often merely repent the
phrases in some subsequent furry OF
agitation, md yet bring about conse-
quences 80 emphatic MS to be recalled
with ease In middle life.
They have passed. those darky hired
men Of the Midland town. The
stables have been transformed into
other likenesses. or swept away, like
the w00dshods where were kept the
stovewood and kindlIng that the "girl"
and the "hlred man" always qunrreled
over: who should fetch 1t.
So with other vnnishings. There
were the little bunty street cars on tho
long. single track that went Its
troubled way among the cobblestones.
At the rear door of the car there was
no platform, but II step where passen-
gers clung In wet ciumps when the
weather was bad md the car crowded.
The patrons--if not too nbsent-minded
put their fares into slot; and no
conductor paced the heaving floor, but
the driver would rap remlndingly with
his elbow upon the glass of the door
to his little open platform II the nick
els aud the passengers did not appear
to coincide In number. A lone mule
drew tho car, and sometimes drew It
| on the track, when the passengers
would get out and push II on again.
They really owed It courtesies like
this, for the car was genIally accom-
modating: lady could whistle to 1t
from an upstairs window, and the car
would halt ut once and walt for her
whilo she shut the window. put on her
hnt and clonk, went downstairs. found
an umbrella. told tho "girl" what to
have for dinner. and came forth from
tho house.
They even had time to dance
square Dances" quadriiles and ''lan-
cers:" they also danced the "rac-
Quetto" and schottssches and polkas.