Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-09-19

abandonment in the attic. And there
was always a. "spare room," for visi-
tors (where 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 bleak little chamber, called 'the
girls roOm," and in the stable there
was another bedroom, adjoining the
hayloft, and called 'sthe hired mans
ROOM" House and stable cost seven
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
'sthe girls room" two dollars 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 a per-
son of color. The man or youth who
lived in the stable had like wages, and
sometimes, too, was 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 eff currycombs knock
ing against back fences and stable
| IL 10 -
their horses in the alleys. Darkies
always prefer to gossip in shouts in
stead Of whispers, and they feel that
! profanity, unless it be vociferous, is
/ almost worthless. Horrible phrases
were caught by early rising children
and carried to older people for defini-
ton, sometimes at inopportune mo-
ments; while less investigative chill
dren would often merely repeat the
phrases in some subsequent furry of
agitation, and yet bring about conse-
Quences SO emphatic as to be recalled
with ease in middle life.
They have passed, those darby hired
men of the Midland town. The
stables have been transformed into
I other likenesses, or swept away, like
the woodsheds where were kept the
stovewood and kindling that the "girl'
and the "hired man" always quarreled
over: who should fetch it.
So with other vanishings. There
were the little burty street cars on the
long, single track that went its
troubled way among the cobblestones
At the rear door of the car there was
no platform but step where passen-
gers chung in wet clumps when the
weather was bad and the car crowded
The patrons-if not too absent-minded
put their fares into a slot; and no
conductor paced the heaving floor, but
the driver would rap remindingly with
/ his elbow upon the glass of the door
to his little open platform If the nick
els and the passengers did not appear
to coincide in number. A lone mule
/ off the track, when the passengers
would get out and push it on again.
They really owed it courtesies like
this, for the car was genially accom-
modating: lady could whistle to it
! from an upstairs window, and the car
would halt at once and wait for her
while she shut the window, put on her
an umbrella, told the "girl" what to
have for dinner, and came forth from
| the house.
They even had time to dance
square Dances" QuadrilleS and elan
eers;;" they also danced the "rac-
quette" and schottisches and polkas,
and such whims as the portland
fancy" They pushed back tie sliding
doors between the "parlor" and the
Sitting ROOM" tackled down crash
over the carpets, hired a fow palms
in green tubs, stationed three or four
italian Musicians under tho stairway
| in the 'kront hall"-and had great
nights!
keeping open house." was a merry
custom; It has gone, like the all-day
picnic in tne.woods, and like that pref
test of all vanished customs, the sere-
made. When lively girl visited the
| town she did not long go uaserenaded,
| though visitor was not inGeed needed
to excuse a serenade. OF summer
night young men would bring an or
chestra uAder pretty girls window
or, it might be, her fathers, or that
of an aillng maiden aunt-and flute,
harp, cello, cornet and bass VOL would
pleasantly release to the dulcet stars
such melodies as sing through you'll
Remember Me-" 81 Dreamt That I
Dwell in Marble Halls" "Silver
Threads Among the Gold" kathleen
Mavourneen," or "The Soldiers Fare
WELL"
| Croquet and the mildest archery
ever known were the sports of people
| still young and active enough for so