Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-28
EVENING STAR.
THE BRUSSELS CARPET.
A Domestic sketch.

1t was the prettiest scene imaginable. A
little parler, gayly and prettily furnished
snowy curtains, bright carpet, nice prints
young husband at one side of the 6ro, reading
newspaper; young wife at the other sewing oI
shirt buttons: tea things on the table, and the
brightest of bright brass kettles singing mer.
rily on the hob.
| young wife spesks )-"And so, Harry, you
don't think my new carpet pretty, after sll2''
"On the contrary, my love, think it only
too pretty"
"Too pretty too pretty for what, Harry?''
"For as, my dear. Remember / an neither
a lord nor a banker, but man with an income
| to make
"But il only costs as much as an ugly one,
Harry
Sill, Lucy, it may do harm, BY leading to
other things"
! For some time nothing was heard in the
| little parlOr but the click Of Lucy needle, as
! it few through the linen, and the singing of
| the kettle on the hob.
| Presently Harry looked up
"My dear he seid, 4" forgot to tell you
met Robinson coming from the city. He pro-
missed to look in this evening; 50, if you have
any little preparations to make, now is your
| time"
"At what hour do you expect him." asked
| Lucy
About eight
"In that case shall hare jus. time to m AXE
| you a nice hot cake" and laying down her
work good humorcdly. she tripPsd awoy to tie
! kitchen.
When she was gone, Harry put away his
paper, and looked somewhat peuiteItly al the
new carpet.
cit certainly is very pretty" said he to
himself /" and L m half afraid L hurt Lucy by
what said She's dear, good, thoughtful
girl, and worthy any mans confidence and
! lOyo; but women are so easily led away 10
| buy whatever strikes their fancy. They re-
| quire cur stronger judgment to guide them.
Yes, l was right, on the whole, to give her
that little lesson"
| And Harry returned with renewed self sat.
isfaction to his drowsy debate.
Eight o'clock strikes, and Lucy appears,
preceded by delicious odor of hot cake.
There it is, Harry does it look nice9 9'
Beautiful like yourselfD and if il only
tastes half as well as it smells, we shall have
| Robinson dropping in TO tea every other even
| ing for the rest of his life
"Flatterer. But your friend has not come
yet. What sort Of person is he E? | hope he's
not Uery fashionable
Harry burst out laughing.
"Oh, don't be afraid, " said he " he won't
overpower you'With his personal graces. He
| Is long and lank, and his nose has a twist to
one side, as If some one had tried, at some
time or other, TO wrench ii of, and failed; but
then he is the drollest fellow you ever saw in
/ your life. Jones says he would make his for
tune IL he wen: on ibe stage"
as be not enc Of your party to Richmond
| the other day ?" asked Lacy as she arranged
her IriGat tee things and trimmed the Lamp.
! " GcS, 2Ed kept Us in roars Of laughter the
whole day. lie is a capital ventri!oqui:t, and
! sent the walters skipping about the house an
| sTerilg imaginary calls until they thought
! the place was beWitched. Then at dinner the
! fish asked what news from the river, and said
K hadn't been there these FIVE days; and the
! turkey grumbled about the stufing The
m-lted butter told US it was nothing but -four
| and water; and the ale revealed family se-
crets that would have made the landlady's
/ hair stand On end if she had been there to
hear. After dinner We went to stroll through
! the fields; and he bet Jones a sovereign he
! would sail across the river in my silk umb-
! Tela"
"In ysur umbrella :" exclaimed Lucy !;
! " and did he VIM
"Qf course he didn't, my dear. He lost
both his balance and his bet; for the moment
he put his foot in the umbrella ,wn it went
| and ne with il; and the bank was so slippery
! he was half drowned before we could drag
him up agin.''
WAS he frightened ?" said Lucy.
Not he" returned Harry THE first
thing he did was to make face at US, with
tbs water dripping from his crooked nose, that
set Us all off Laughing again like madmen ~
| " hat strange man H' said Lucy with q
slight shade Of apprehension in her tone
T." But that wasn't all, " said Harry, in The
full tide of his reminiscence 1--WE had 10
give him Some hot brandy and water 10 keep
him from catching cold and On the way home
he insisted on driving, and charmed, 1 sup
pose, by his success in that attempt, wanted
TO get on the horses back, to initiate Crancopi
in The Wild Courser of the Desert Jones got
frightened, and tried to pull him back lie
manfUlly resisted, and both looked go riGicu-
lOus could do nothing but laugh. That was
! rather an unlucky prank, though" continued
Harry Z" for the horse, not being accustomed,
L suppose, to equestrian feats, ran away, burst
from the harness, and smashed one Of the
shafts; and L had to pay two pounds four
teon and tenpence for my share of the dam
age
"And your silk umbrella" said Lucy
" did you lose that, too?'
"Yes, indeed seventeen and sixpence
more, by Jove!" said Harry, with a sudden
cessation of his smiles. "I did not think the
days pleasure had cost me 60 much"
Beside the dinner" said Lucy.
BESIDE the dinner; twelve shillings more =
We'll, L declare, said Lucy, laughing and
| clapping her hands, "that is the drolest
thing l ever knew. Two pounds fourteen and
tenpence, and twelve shillings, mako three
pounds six and tenpence, and seventeen and
sixPence, exactly four pounds four Shillings
and fourpence
"Well?"
"Just the price Of my Brussels carpet, ard
| fourpence over''
He-em !" said Harry.
| A SAD AFFAIR -M0thers, don't ieaVe your
Itt:te ones alone We learn that on the oath