A tour around New York, and My summer acre; being the recreations of MrFelix Oldboy . grow old. It is wellfor us all when we can carry something of this poetryof life beyond the fifty years mile-stone. My grandmother lived in a three-story and basementbrick house that faced St. Johns Park. The househad a peaked roof and dormer-windows; in front abrown-stone stoop, with iron railings ending in a loftyextinguisher, whose use departed when link lightswent out of date, but whose pattern was still fashion-able. In front two large sycamores gave ample shade,and the wide porch in the rear was covered
A tour around New York, and My summer acre; being the recreations of MrFelix Oldboy . grow old. It is wellfor us all when we can carry something of this poetryof life beyond the fifty years mile-stone. My grandmother lived in a three-story and basementbrick house that faced St. Johns Park. The househad a peaked roof and dormer-windows; in front abrown-stone stoop, with iron railings ending in a loftyextinguisher, whose use departed when link lightswent out of date, but whose pattern was still fashion-able. In front two large sycamores gave ample shade,and the wide porch in the rear was covered by grape-vines, and the yard was shaded by a horse-chestnuttree. The house was severely plain outside ; within, itwas a model of comfort for that time, though latter-day luxury would think it stiff and lofty walls of the large parlors were painted alight drab. There were chandeliers of cut glass, forcandles, hung from the centre of each ceiling, and sim-ilar clusters of glass pendants adorned the mantel-piece,which was further set out with massive silver candle-. A TOUR AROUND NEW YORK 83 Sticks and huge rare shells. Rich carpets of a largepattern were on the floor; the furniture was of satin-wood and ebony of severe pattern in the front parlor,and of horse-hair, still more severe, in the back. Old-fashioned tete-a-tetes were the only sign of yielding tothe weakness of the human frame in young couples,while immense rocking-chairs and small and hard otto-mans gave what comfort they could to the old and theyoung. Heavy curtains hung at the deep windows,which also contained antique courting appliances, inthe shape of cushioned seats that filled the windowspace, and that were cosey enough love-nooks whenthe curtains were let down and used as a shield. Pict-ures and books were there in profusion, and a cabinetcollection of shells that my father had brought backwith him from the Indies. Bric-a-brac was unknownand portieres were not dreamed of—-heavy solid ma-hoga
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnewyorknybuildingsst
