The story
“Rosie is haunted by a single, awful fear—that someday she will be too large to hang out of the window and watch everything which goes on in the streets below. However, while Rosie is absorbed, one day, in the scenes outside, her daughter elopes with a fireman, her cat steals the bird from her new Sunday hat, and her son helps himself to bead trimmings from the same. Also, representatives of the Discord Piano Company remove the instrument upon which Rosie is several months in arrears. Then the place catches fire. Rosie sees the engines going around the corner, and laments that she is not crossed-eyed, so she can witness all the excitement. Meanwhile, the elopers are entering a church to be married, when the fire-gong summons the groom-to-be to duty. He is very much surprised to find his prospective mother-in-law’s home ablaze, but seizes the opportunity to save her. Rosie accepts her two-time preserver as her son-in-law—on condition that he buy her a new chapeau. She no longer hangs out the window, but keeps a wary eye on the flat—for if anything should happen, she wants to enjoy it.”
Summary from Reel Life · 8 January 1916
