| Show GARDENS ON THE ROOF A sensible S 1 MI casort sort of summer vacation no no malaria no I 1 am not going to the country this summer said a rich and decidedly original friend ot of mine the other day in I 1 new york in n response to tho stereotyped question which greets everybody at this season of the year III 1 I shall spend a month in the mountains in the autumn when tho the foliage begins to turn but tho the summer I 1 shall spend in my roof garden I 1 suppose I 1 stared at him blankly for he laughed and added I 1 yes my roof garden come up and see it all ali the advantages of the country no mosquitoes toes no malaria cool air largo large airy bedrooms house with all modern improvements and all that sort oft of tiling liing come up and dine with mo me and I 1 will show you wo we strolled up the avenue and entered his bis house on oil murray hill after a capital dinner my friend smiled as he led the tha way to the cl evator we will ivill have coffee and cigars in the tha garden when I 1 had ascended tho the stairway and stepped through the scuttle cut cle I 1 could hardly believe that I 1 was on the top of one of tile the commonplace brown stone houses of fashionable io abl new nev york the flat roof had bad been covered with a narrow matted t flooring potted plants and shrubs in boxes delighted the eye relieved relieve tl the sharp angles of the eaves eates and hid the chimneys A large marquee such as we see on country lawns agns awns protected us from the sun and ru rugs cane easy chairs hammocks two or three small bamboo tables and a multitude of chinese lanterns made the roof seem a bit of fairyland what do you think of it ho be said gayly is as we ve seated ourselves and his wife made tho the coffee in one of those french balance coffee pots which make the best coffee in the world it was wag charming and I 1 told him so it costs no more than a week at a fashionable hotel would and it is much more comfortable my cooling cooking suits me there are no unpleasant people no wild rushes for trains or boats no stuffy little hotel rooms no impudent waiters we ive have a cool breeze liera here every night and a fine view see there where the brooklyn bridge stretches across the river like a necklace of diamonds that cluster ol of brilliants brilliantz brilli ants is the light tower in madison square and the one just below is union square tho the little spark off in the bay is the statue of liberty beyond are the electric lights of st george imd and Er astina staten island over there is the casino with its many colored lights on the roof garden froni from which I 1 got my idea and beyond it are the twinkling lights of jersey city and hoboken I 1 think thin it is ic rather jolly myself he concluded modestly it was awful jolly and I 1 wonder that more people do not follow my friends frienda example during tho the evening half a dozen people dropped in and were shown up to the roof ices and a bottle or two of wine were served and when I 1 strolled down the hot city street again I 1 could hardly realize that there was such a jouy jolly little park high up in the air where here all a the comforts of the city and country could be combined into such euch a unique and delightful whole new york times |
