Three quotes from the 1953 short-story collection “The enormous radio & other stories” by John Cheever:

1. It was a walkup. You rang the bell above the mailbox in the vestibule and were answered with a death rattle in the lock.

2. Irene shifted the control [on the enormous radio] and invaded the privacy of several breakfast tables. She overheard demonstrations of indigestion, carnal love, abysmal vanity, faith, and despair.

3. The child's beauty was bright, and the old woman was dressed in black, and they walked hand in hand, like some amiable representation of winter and spring.