Three Attics

As an adult, looking back, I realize that what we called the "first attic" was actually just half the second floor of the house, a half that had never been "finished" as we now say. But my sisters and I didn't care; it just meant we had a whole half-floor to play in. This was where my wind-up Victorla was located, and where my sisters would establish doll villages.

There were also old trunks filled with memorabilia from the turn of the century, including an extensive selection of magazines, such as The World Today with articles such as "Why Japan Will Never Attack Pearl Harbor".

And then there was the trunk full of labels for a home remedy that, apparently, was being concocted in-house. Mrs. Beals' Blood and Liver Syrup lists no ingredients, as such a list wasn't required. But you can bet either heroin or morphine were primary components, as most bottled home remedies did in those days. Which is, of course, why consumers of these products felt better when they took some.