Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/102

104 down to inquire the reason, and found it was a mistake of the captain; he had made a previous engagement.

Notwithstanding our protestations to the contrary, I found we must either go by this little boat, or stay all night. I chose the lesser evil, and embarked, but from the time I started from the landing at Weehawken, till I got to the landing at Spring-street, New York, I never drew a long breath. On my landing I bid adieu to all clam-bakes.

The next day I went on Fifth-avenue, and all around, to see my friends, who were very kind to me at Saratoga, New York, or any other place they met me. It was at such times as these I appreciated my profession. I went through several elegantly furnished mansions; they were so perfectly exquisite that I thought by some magic power, I was taken across the sea to some of the lordly mansions it had been my good luck to see while in Europe. When I was a child, I remember all the upper part of Fifth-avenue nothing but woods.

I will now give you a little description of some of the mansions of my ladies in New York; I am proud to say my ladies, as I have worked for them so many seasons. I will commence with the mansion of one well known—G.L., Fifth-avenue. The hall, to begin with, was as large as some of our parlors; on the left hand side were two reception rooms, one blue and the other green; in one of these rooms was a large book-case, all rosewood and looking-glass; it attracted my attention, as a most magnificent piece of furniture. On the right hand side were two very large parlors; on entering, the first thing that caught my eye was a full-length likeness of the host himself. This parlor