Having instructed her friends, Anne added one last bit of advice: We will go as high as $3,000 a year for seven rooms, or $1,500 for four to five rooms no more, as that is all shelter is worth. If we cant find a place at that price, well stay in a hotel!
So the second day of house-hunting went forward by two divisions instead of one, and all that day Mrs. Stewart and Eleanor experienced the same snubs, weariness, and failures, as thousands of other home-hunters in New York had. And at evening they returned wearily to the hotel to hear what Anne had accomplished.
Polly and she have not yet arrived, announced Eleanor, as Mrs. Stewart and she entered their suite.
I hope she has had better luck than we can brag about, added Mrs. Stewart, dropping into an easy chair.
A long time after the first division had returned, baffled, to the hotel, Anne and Polly burst into the room with happy faces.
Oh, we just found the most wonderful place! Polly and I actually discovered it. We were giving up all hope of ever finding a decent apartment at any reasonable figure, and had started for the subway when we saw this one. The flower-boxes caught Pollys eye, so we are really indebted to her for having secured our home.
Annes enthusiasm was contagious, and instantly Mrs. Stewart and Eleanor wanted to know where it was located.
Anne and Polly exchanged smiling glances, as if the secret was too precious to impart to others.
I suppose you two did up the entire upper sections, to-day, eh? asked Anne, countering their eager queries.
Did we? I should say we did! I got a taxi for the day and we flew from one pile of stone and marble to the next, and so many rides up and down in gorgeous elevators all day has kept my head still spinning. But we had the same results as yesterday. When you inspect one of these modern honey-combs you see them all. The only difference being that a few owners manage to retain the elevator and telephone operators, while
the majority of superintendents apologise by saying, My help went on a strike, to-day.
It really looks, Anne, as if these poor New Yorkers will have to move out to the country if they want to live this year, remarked Mrs. Stewart, earnestly.
Her companions laughed and Anne said: Mother, you are too precocious. But now listen to our find!
As I planned, you two went uptown while Polly and I went downtown from here. We covered all the lower sections by criss-crossing back and forth, but we came away from the Gramercy Park section, late this afternoon, with an utter sense of failure. In fact, I was silently planning to inquire about good boarding-houses, when we hailed a Lexington avenue car, going north.
Being woolly westerners, we failed to ascertain how far northwards the car went, and having paid our fares, sat down. I remember turning to Polly and saying, This is actually the first car in New York that I have been on that wasnt crowded to the platforms.
Polly laughed at the remembrance, and Anne smiled. But it was our salvation, Anne, ventured the former.
Anne nodded and continued her story. Then we soon learned why there were vacant seats on that car. A pleasant-faced, grey-haired man of about fifty, must have overheard my comment because he spoke to us after we were seated.
Perhaps you did not know that this car goes no farther north than the next block? It is switched back downtown, from that point. Did not the conductor mention it to you?
I was furious, and I replied: No! he never said a word when I paid the fares.
By this time the car stopped and the conductor called out: All out dis car goes no furder. We switch back next corner!
So Polly and I had to get off with the others. When we stepped down from the car, the nice man lifted his hat to us and said: I judge you are strangers in the city. Can I direct you anywhere?
I thanked him and told him we were only going as far as Forty-second street to the hotel. Then I added, sarcastically: But there may be no cars which run as far north as that street!
He laughed and said: You had better walk over to Fourth avenue and get the car there. It takes you through the tunnel much quicker than the Lexington avenue car runs to Forty-second street. But be careful and do not board a car that stops at the car-house on Thirty-second street.
We all laughed at that, as it would have been just like me to do so; then we thanked him and started along Thirty-first street to reach the car. And there we found our Haven of Hope!
Where? Not on Thirty-first street, I trust! exclaimed Mrs. Stewart. Isnt that section of the city dreadful?
Not the block where we found a home, explained Anne. It has several remodeled houses and several other flat houses on it.
But just wait until you see our house its fine! said Polly, eagerly.
Polly caught hold of my arm and exclaimed: Oh, Anne! see the lovely flower-boxes in that cute little house!
I saw three narrow windows on the second floor with green flower-boxes on the outside sills, but then my eyes dropped lower and I spied a swinging sign at a side-door. It merely said: To Let inquire, etc. Polly saw it at the same moment, so we stood and gazed at each other.