Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1919-09-12

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oughfare. an oblique continuation of
National avenue. was called Amber
son boulevard. and here. at the juno
ture Of the new boulevard and the
avenue, Major Anderson reserved
four acres for himself and built his
new house-the Anderson mansion, OF
| course.
This house was the pride of the
town. Faced with stone as far back
as the dining-room windows, it was
house Of arches and turrets and Cir
ding stone porches: 1t had the first
porte cochere seen in that town.
There was central 'front hall" with
great black-walnut stairway, and
open to a green glass s6ylight called
the DOME" three stories above the
ground floor. A ballroom occupied
most of the third story, and at one
| end of it was carved walnut gallery
for the musicians. Citizens told stran-
gers that the cost of all this black
walnut and wood carving was sixty
| thousand dollars. "Sixty thousand
dollars for the woodwork alone Yes,
sir. and hardwood floors all over the
housed Turkish rugs and no carpets
Mt all, except a Brussels carpet In the
| front paror-I hear they call II the
reception room Hot and cold water
upstairs and down. and stationary
washstands in every bedroom in the
place! Their sideboard's built right
into the house and goes all the WAX
across one end of the dining room. Ii
isn't walnut, It's solid mahogany
Not veneering-solid mahogany Wen
sir. l presume the president of the
United States would be tickled To
swap the White House for the new
Anderson mansion, If the Major'9
| give him the chance-but by the Al
| mighty Dollar. you bet your sweet
life the Major Wouldn't"
The visitor to the town was certain
to receive further enlightenment. for
there was one form of entertainments
never omitted: he was always patri.
o,icaiiy taken for "a little drive round
our city" even If his host had to hire
u hack. and the climax of the display
was the Anderson mansion. 'Iook
at that greenhouse they've put vi
| there in the side yard" the escort
would continue. "And look ut that
brick stablei Most folks would think
that stable plenty big enough and
good enough to live in; it's got run
ming water and four rooms upstairs
for two hired men and one of ems
] family to live in. They keep one hired
man loafln' In the house, aid they got
a married hired man out in the stable
and his wife does the washing. This
town never did see SO much style as
Ambersons are putting on these days !;
and / guess it's going to he expensive,
because a lot of other folksll try to
keep up with 'em. The Majors wife
and the daughters been to Europe.
and my Wife tells me since they got
back they make tea there every after
| noon about five clock and drink it,
| Seems to me ii would go against Il
| persons stomach. just before supper
like that, and anyway tee isn't fit for
much--not unless you're sicl; or some
| thing. Looks to me like some people
in this city'd be willing to 30 crazy
If they thought that would help 'em TO
be as high toned as Ambersons. Old
Aleck. Blinafer--he's about the closest
old codger we got--he come in my Of
fee the other day, and he pretty near
had q stroke tellin' me about his
daughter Fanny. Seems Miss Isabel
Amberson's got. some kind of a dog
they call it a st. Bernard-and Fanny
was bound to have one, too. We'll
old Aleck told her he didn't like dogs
except rat terriers, because a rat ter
rier cleans up the mice. but she kept
on at him, and finally he said all right
she could have one. Then, by George,
she says Amberson's bought their
dog, and you don't get one without
paying for it: they cost from fifty %
hundred dollars up. Old Alec.i
wanted to know If I ever heard Of
anybody's buyih' q dog before, be-
cause, even a Newfoundland or q set
ter, you can usually get somebody to
give you one. He says he saw some
sense in payln' a niger g dime, or
even "a quarter. to drown a dog for
you, but to pay out fifty dollars and
maybe more-well, sir, he Ike TO
choked himself to death. right there
in my officel or course everybody
realizes that Major Anderson is a 1ne
business man, but what with thro&n'
money around for dogs. ana every
which and what, some think all this
styles bound to break him up, If his
family don't quit"
One citizen, having thus discoursed
to a visitor, came 10 a thoughtful
pause, 2nd then added. ''Does seem
pretty much like sqdaIdering, yet
when you see that dog out walking
with this Miss Isabel, he seems worth
the money"
whats she look likeT"
swell, sir" said the citizen, ''she's
not more than just about eighteen or
maybe nineteen years old, and 1 don't
knnxv oe HpoVy fuvf bnvy fo prYf IL