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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1901)
THE COURIER. If tbo tnusic, then closed the piano, and slipped out into the kitchen. The tears would come, and she stood slil! a moment trying to control them. "It is quiet enough, Mother. Mother!" she Eobbed as she looked out of the win dow, and waited. She wondered if it was so everywhere. Afterwards, when the long watches and nursing, the com ing and going of doctors and friends, the solemn concouree and beautiful llowers were all gone and the bouse was empty did every one shudder away from silence as she did? She could al most forget while she played new melodies, not, oh not the old ones! There was time enough to think while she cooked and swept and cleaned There was so little to do for two. The Song afternoons and evenings must be tided over some way. She would play until her father etopped ber and then wait. "Martie." "What is it, Pa," and she went back to the sitting room, trying hard to eeem unmoved. "I guess you'd better go on. Play Marchin' through Georgy for me,'' and she played that, and all the other com mon airs she knew he liked, while he turned his back to her and poked the lire and said nothing. If Mr. Walt Mason, lounging in his Beatrice lair, wants any more stirring of his soul by speculations concerning Heaven he should meet my Hibernian friend. She sayB there's only one road to that place, and it'6 the holy Catholic church road. But then she asks, wrinkling her brows over her squirrel eyes. Ye think there'll be any room for me and me mop there? Will the good Lord put us all into one hiven together, me with the fine ladies aB niver Knows me here? Or will there be siveral hivens? Why the good Lore knows I'm nothing but a hired girl; he wouldn't be asking thim ladies to associate with me? What d'ye think about it?" When I tell her my thoughts she calls me a heathen and is sorry she won't see me among the angels. The Modest Young Preacher said he always thought that he would not feel at home in Heaven. The Chatty Little Woman said: "You bet I would. I'd just be too tickled to get therp, I'd take it all in." "WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREEP The movement for some intelligent supervision of the great forests and na tural wonders of the country seems to be gaining steadily. Influential organi zations in California are actively en deavoring to save the magnificent red- J. F. HARRIS, No. I, Board of Trade, CHICAGO. 8TQGKS AND- BONDS Grain, Provisions.. Cotton. Private Wires to New York Gty and Many Cities East and West MEMBER New York Stock Exchange. Chicago Stock Exchange. Chicago Board of Trade woods and other important forests of thU Etate. The Woman's clubs of Min nesota united in a petition of the fed eral government to establish a national park at the head-waters of the Missis sippi and thus preserve almost the last virgin forest of pine in the country. Canada wisely proposes timely legisla tion, and will set apart 1,400,000 acres around the head-waters of the Attawa for a national park. Michigan haB been too largely despoiled to find much relief in the legislation, but there are some magnificent hardwood forests still un touched in the southern peninsula which might w!i be preserved. There are tracts in the upper peniasula which also might well be placed under state supervision, together with the reforest ing of the pine belt. Detroit, it is said, is soon to have a voting machine fac tory. That's nothing to boast of; Doug las county has had euch an industry for the last twenty years, and the perfected products have been on exhibition at every republican convention held in Omaha during that time. Rosewater, King Edward the 00th, is chief architect, and his workmen are carefully chosen and loyal. Detroit can't beat that, even with Pingree in charge of the works. HOUSEKEEPING IN MANILA. Mrs. Taber, a former resident of Lincoln- who spent a year in Luzon relates some of her house Peeping experiences in that city which are especially in teresting to women: The next few days were spent in try ing to adapt ourselves and onr ward robes to the climate, in finding our way about that unique city, in becoming acquainted with the idiosyncracies of its horses and cab drivers and in unsuc cessful attempts to find a suitable place in which to set up our own menage. We rode miles and miles under a broil ing sun in clouds of dust, in a most un comfortable "pocket edition" of a her dic drawn by stubborn little Filipino horses. We were obliged to abandon the use of hats for there wasn't room for us and the bats in the same convey ance; but this was the least of our troubles. We were sent on the most exasperating "wild goose chase'' after what we were assured was exactly the thing we wanted, only to find in the remote part of some suburb a Nipa bouse with a floor of strips of bamboo, between which it was possible to lose into the servants' quarters below any smal1 thing accidentally dropped. It was unique, clean and pretty enough, but not quite up to our standard of propriety. Other houses to which we were Bent and which we knew were just what we wanted had been rented a few hours before. Finally in sheer despera tion we settled upon a tiny white and green house in Erinita, but a stone's throw from the beach, which with a little alteration we made answer our purpose until a better one could be found. The two proprietors were natives and brothers, one, a padre, lived in a larger and better bouse in the same enclosure, the upper part of which was occupied by two German bachelors who often entertained us delightfully with musi cal evenineB. playing classical music and obtaining excellent effects with a zither and guitar. Americanos were evident ly not considered desirable tenants and it was only after much hesitation which mystified us not a little, on the part of the landlords and a great deal of per suasion on our part, that we were finally accepted as tenants. Tbis hesitation was explained when the lease, contain ing the stipulation that no liquor was to be sold nor dancing allowed on the premises, was handed to us; a sad com ment upon the experiences of Filipino householders with our countrymen. Ip front of our new hom,e is quite a little stretch of ground, separated from the adjoining driveway by a stone wall surmounted by a terracotta balustrade behind which stood a row of feathery bamboo trees. Orange, Hg and banana trees are everywhere, the latter in all stages of growth from the tender pale green shoots just springing from the ground to the tree heavy with the fruit which marks its maturity; a litter of shrubs and low bushes, all new to us, filled up the intervening spaceB. I ex pressed euch warm admiration for one with dark, lace-like foliage among which gleamed tiny red peppers, that it was immediately placed "a su disposicion Senora," by its polite owner. But we often longed for the sight of a little green grass cf which the yard was en tirely innocent; indeed, each unfortun ate spear that had the temerity to lift its presuming head above the bare sun baked earth, was ruthlessly pulled up by the roots. For what reason, I never could guess. Near the gate was a tiny "shack'1 in which lived an aged invalid relative of our neighbor's, who never neglected a polite greeting every time any one passed through. The entrance to our own quarters was by a wide stair way that mounted to a landing too small to be dignified by the name of hall; there was no outside door, only pots of San Franciseo Colorado on each side, guarded the opening. The visitor climbed the stairs to find himself before double doors thrown wide open and in the immediate presence of his host, which was often eoualiy embarrasing to guest and host. The sala was .a pretty room with cool, bare, polished floors and the usual canvas walls and ceiling artis tically stenciled in delicate colors; wide open windows, like those in the hotel, gave glimpses of luxurious tropical foli age and flowers and infinitely blue skies. Behind a row of spindles between the window sill and the floor was another set of sliding panels, making it possible to open two sides of the room from ceil ing to floor and from the corner posts to the partitions. In the corners rose queer, crooked trunks of trees painted to harmonize with the walls but still retaining the exact form in which na ture molded them. These were the main supports of the building. From this room opened two sleoping apart ments, so email, that with beds in them it was impossible to open and close the doors and we were obliged to compro mise with hangings of pretty Indian prints. From the windows of these rooms we looked out across the bay, beautiful in the tender half lights of the early morning, still and hot in the glare of a noonday bud, splendid under magnificent sunsets behind Miriveles and irrisistable beneath a flood of mys tic moonshine. We never tired of its shifting moods and changing aspects. There was still another small room that had been the kitchen, which we utilized for storage and off which was partitioned a tiny corner containing a water faucet and shower for the bath; a half barrel with a plug in the bottom did duty as a tub, the water draining on to the ground beneath, Bometimes tem porarily intercepted by the head of some unlucky Lata. From this room was sus pended a balcony which, with another faucet and halt barrel, served aB bath and laundry for the servants. On the ground floor a long low room answered for a dining room. A kitchen and servants' quarters behind tbis was improvised for the time being. The wallB of the servants' quarters were of bamboo mats. A bench with a layer of clay about three ihches thick in which was imbedded three earthen calans, served as a cook stove, a large hood above carrying off the smoke and odors. Of course with such an arrangement we were obliged to forego all kinds of baked and roasted foods but otherwiae it ans wered admirably. An the house had previously been occupied Oy two fami lies, cne on each floor, the only entice io the dining room from the i,jois above was from out of doors which was more than inconvenient in the rainy season. Every house in Manila which I had the privilege of entering was furnwhed with Vienna bent wood tables and chairs, which are considered "mas ele gante' than the prettier, much uore comfortable and less expensive bamboo furniture made by the Chinamen, which is also objectionable because, if not kept absolutely clean, it becomes in fested with chinchas. Spanish for that dreadful little insect so common it. cer tain neglected quarters of our own titles However, disregarding the warnings of our new neighbors and possibly plumin" ourselves a bit on the New England faculty of keeping any thing clean we adorned our cozy sala with low. rest inviting bamboo chairs and couches and pretty tables, arranging them according to our own ideas of comfort and conven ience, instead of in the stiff Filipino fashion of placing a table before a win dow and setting the chairs in rows into the room, on either side. Through the windowb the contrasting characteristics of graceful bamboo and stately banana trees were outlined agaiDst the sky, a pumalo tree shook its half-ripe fruit almost in our faces, a shrub with ex quisite white flowers peeped invitingl) at us and cool, Bait breezes from the ba played havoc with papers and draperies. The bedrooms were furnished with the orthodox Filipino beds and the other necessary articles of furniture. In all Manila there is nothing answering to the description of a closet. I suppose on account of the myriads of insect; that infest every dark corner. Ihe lack is supplied by big wardrobes, huge chests of drawers and frames with cur tains for hanging clothes. We looked upon a refrigerator as indispensable in connection with the dining room, but we might have saved the expense for we were never able to teach the servants itsuses. It was never used for any thing but a place in which to keep ice and finally succumbed to the inroads of the white ants. Our dinner table was constructed to suit our own taste, hav ing big bamboo legs and a finely polish ed top of beautiful, dark molave, "The Queen ot WoodE;" bamboo chairs, a serving table of handsome native wood and a cabinet for dishes, the glass doors of which we screened with muslin cjt tains, completed the inventory of that room. The furniture was slung from bamboo poles and carried from the shops where it was bought to Ermita. a distance of two miles, by Chinamen who never changed their trotting gait from start to finish. We had taken with us from home a limited supply of bed and table linen and silver. In a big 6tore managed b Chinamen who seem to have the mon opoly of house furnishings in Manila. iu found all the other things we needed tu make our house habitable; table crock ery, lamps, for in Manila there is no g-s. and the kitchen outfit which the -nem was allowed to select for hini-elf and which waB so modest it seerueil o ub entirely inadequate, and to which e added various articles that to my "r tain knowledge were never used, at Wst for the purpose intended. The cocinero, quite the most impr portant adjunct of a happy home. vs OfMKMJ1fXW!H2 THE FRANKLIN IKE And Dairy 60. Manufacturers of the finest qual ity of plain and fancy Ice Creaui Ices, Frozen Puddings, Frappi and Sherbets. Prompt deliver) and satisfaction guaranteed. 183 SO- 1 2th St. PHONE 205