Year: 1874

NY Tenement House.


assure you, children, ] never meant
to live i'm tenement house il could
help it. had seen enough of them in
New York, where fused to live, and al
ways felt it was pity that in such a
great beautiful world as this each family
could not have its own little house with
plenty of fresh air inside and around it,
Yet here lam, living in my own house
with four of the quecrest families that
you ever saw. They never one of them
asked my permission to move in or made
any arrangement about rent; i'm fact they
all speak different languages and cannot
understand word that any of them
say.


But ] must tell you how it happened.
\ few years ago | moved out here i'm the
country and built nice house, only in
tending it for my own little family.
After we had been here few months /
found, to my astonishment, that another


family had moved into my cellar! They
were very small people. The father and
mother | rarely saw, but the children
could often catch glimpse of scamper-
ing around and hiding i'm the corners.
They had bright black eyes and were
dressed nearly alike in light gray suits.
Their hair was kept in good order, but /
think they always went barefooted. They
were a. little noisy, but my children are
not always quiet. So these did not trOu-
BILE me much ut first. But after while
they grew mischievOus, cutting little
holes in the corner of my safe door and
doing various other naughty tricks. Not
long ago | went down to get some cur
rant jelly that Ihad put away very care
fully, with white paper pasted on the top.
| found that one of them had picked
hole in the paper and had been eating
some of the jelly. Then of course knew
that they were people Of no principle,
and had been badly brought up.


just as / had made up my mind that
they must leave, even if / had to use
harsh measures to get rid of them, / was
relieved 0fthem, and in such funny way!
One evening as we were sitting i'm the
library, we heard crush against the eel
lar window just below, and then some of
the coal came tumbling down. We
thought by the noise that some one must
jumped in through the cellar window,
and sure enough, when we went down
there sat poor old creature, crouched
up, evidently almost frightened to death.
Some bad boys had been chasing and
throwing stones at her, and she had sought
the first refuge that came in her way.
She did not tell me this. The only words
she said that I could at all understand
were me-and-y0o, but her eyes glared so
that did not think best to interfere with
her. The former residents evidently did
not like the newcomer, for they almost
Immediately moved out.


So much for the lower story of my
house. ! was 10 much taken up with
these lodgers and my own family affairs
that one day II was very much surprised to
find that my garret also was inhabited,
and by certainly the most curious ten
ants that any one ever had. think they
must be cleanly in their housekeeping,
for every member of the family carries Il
brush about as large as himself wherever
he goes. Sometimes they have them on
their backs, and sometimes drag them
after them. But such noisy crowd!
They run, and jump, and roll balls
though they had a little bowling-alley up
there. They brought in their winter
provisions, and deliberately put it away
in my boxes and baskets; and, in fact,
make themselves very much at home.
never caught them taking any of my
property but once. One of my children
carelessly left the camphor chest open,
and before knew it small piece Of my
wOolen goods was gone. 1t was cold
weather, and as / thought they took ii for
u sort of baby-blanket, ! did not make
much fuss about it. But should not
think those young ones knew what cold
meant They run out doors at all times
of the day without any extra clothing
on, and seem to enjoy climbing the trees
and running around OH the snow crust as
much as they enjoy the pleasant summer
weather. They are eXtravagantly fond
of nuts, and we will find them hidden
away where my children would not
think of looking for them. How long
they intend to stay can not tell, for al
though they keep up an incessant chat
tering among themselves, l can not under
stand a word they say.


/ certainly thought that now my house
was full. But one day last week, as | sat
in one of my upper rooms, dapper little
fellow dressed in brown suit pre-
sented himself mt the window, eyed the
premises inside and out, nodded his head
as if satisfied, and left. A little While
afterward | looked out and saw that he,
too, was actually making arrangements
to live with us, although not exactly in
our house. There is a snug little corner
Just between the main house and the
wing, and there he commenced building
a little house for himself. do not know
what his name is, but his wife's name is
Phoebe, for he calls her every five min
utes, either to bring him something rad
mire his work. lido not think they have
been married long, and they are evident
ly going to housekeeping for the first
time. lam glad to have them come, and
by way of being neighborly, / intend
offering them, as unobtrusively a. / can
some few building materials have on
hand. Now, don't you think, children,
that have funny tenement house? See