Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-04-08

ana OF rltOB ana ceremonies necessary Tor the
preservation and publication and care Of all
these articles were stuffed into the poor girls
head, before, guil,lcss tf cares as the iea,h-
ers that floated above it. . .'-'.' .'
Poor Bill found very soon that his house
and furniture were kept at such an ideal point
of perfection that he needed another house
to live in, for, poor fellow, he found the diff.
ference between having house and home
1t was only year or tive after that my wife
and started our menaM on very different
principles, and Bill would often drop in upon
us, wistfully lingering in the cozy arm chair
between my writing table and my wife sofa
and saying with sigh how confoundedly
pleasant things looked there so pleasant to
have bright open FIRE and gsraniu,ns and
roses and birds, and all that sort Of thing,
and to dare to stretch out ones legs and move
without thinking what one was going to bit.
"Sophis is good girl" he would sny ''and
wants to have everything right, but you see
they won't let her. They've loaded her with
SO many things that have to be kept in Law.
endar, that the poor girl is actually getting
thin and losing her health; and then. you
see, there's aunt Zurah, she mounts guard al
our house. and keeps up such strict police
regulations that fellow can't do q thing
The parlors are splendid, but 70 lonesome
and dismal--not ray of sunshine, in fac,
not q ray Of light, except when visitor is
calling, and then they open crack. They're
afraid Of flies, and yet, the dear knows, they
keep every looking glass and picture frame
muifled TO its throat from March to Docem.
Der. I'd like for curiosity 10 see what fly
would do in our parlors." t,rt
Wcll," said ], "csnt you have some lit
tie family sitting room, where you can make
yourself cozy?" a..Is 5'g - -. ~ a1'9Ts
Not bit Of it. Sophie.and Aunt Xsruall
have fixed their throne up in our bedroom
and there they sit al. day long except a, call
ing hours, and then Sophie dresses herself
it that the way is to put the whole house in
order, and shut all the blinds and st in your
bedroom, and then, she says, nothing gets
out of place; and SHE tells poor Sophie the
most hocus pocus stories about her grand
mothers and aunts, who always kept every.
thing in their houses so that they could go
and lay their hands on ii in the darkest night
I'll bet they could in our house. From end
to end il is kept shut up and looking as il
we had gone TO EHrope--not book, not a
paper, lot glove, nor a trace Of q human
being in sight. The piano shut tight, tn,
book cases shut and locked, the cngravings
locked up, all the drawers and closets locked
Why, if want TO take fellow In the libra.
ry, in the FIRST place it smells like vault
and have to unbarricade windows, and rum
mage for half an hour before ] can get any.
thing; and know Aunt Xeruah il Standing
I in M ~ fp VSI, tt.,t a
back and lock it up again. A fellow cant
be sociahle, OF take any comfort in showing
his books and pictures that way. Then
there's our great u glt dining room with its
sunny south windows. Aunt Zeruah got us
out Of that early in April. because she said
the flies would speck the frescos and get into
the china closet, and we have been eating in
a little dingy den, with q window looking on
the back alley, ever since; and Aunt Zeruah
says that now the dining room is always in
perfect order aud that it is such a care off OF
Sophie's mind that ought TO be willing tc
eat down cellar to the end of the chapter. -
Now, you see, Chris, my position is deli
cate one, because Sophie's folks all agree tha,
If there is anything in creation that is igno
rant and dreadful and mustn't be allowed his
way anywhere, its man. Why, you'd
think to hear Aunt Zsruah talk. that we are
like bulls in china shop, ready to toss and
tear and rcnd, il We are not kept down cellar
and chained and she worries Sophie,g and
Sophies mother comes in and worries, and
if try to get anything done differently, So,
phic cries, and says she does not know what
to do, and so give it up. Now If want
to invite few Of our set in sociably 10 din
ncr, I can't have them eat where we eat
down cellar,--Oh, that would never do -
Aunt Xeruah and Sophie's mother and The
whole family would think the famly's homo,
was forever ruined and updone Wemustn'l
ask them unless VIC open the dining room
and have out the best china, and get the sill
yer home from the bank end If we do tha,
Aunt Xeruah does not sleep for n week be
forehand getting ready for il. .sand for week
after, getting things put away, and she tells
me that in Sophie's delicate state, it really is
abominsble for me to increase her cares, and
SO invite fellows to dine with me at Delmon
ico's and then Sophis's mother says it docs
MT look respectable for o family man to be
dining at public places. .-:.,sv ......,-7-
Ny wife soothed the chafed spirit, ard
spake comfortably unto him, and told him
that he knew there was thr lounging chair al
ways ready for him at our freside. "And
you know" she said, "our things are all SC
plain that We are never tempted to mount
any guard over them our carpets are moth
ing, and therefore we let the sun fade them
and live On the sunshine and the flowers"
"Thats it, said Bill, bitterly "Carpets
fading! that's Aunt Zerrah's .nonomauia. -
These women think that the great object o
houses is to keep out sunshine. What foo
was when gloated over the prospect of oul
sunny south windows! Why, man, there are
three distinct sets Of Notifications against the
Sunshine in those windows (: first, outsid,
blinds; then, solid, folding, inside shutters
and, lastly, heavy, thick, lined damask cur
tains. which loop quite down TO the foor.--
What's the use Of my pictures, desire tc
know They are hung II that room, and IT.
s-regular campaign to get light enough to SEE
what they are" 1ai2sH asf anpSL
" But at all events you can light them uT
with gas in the evening" .5-..s.
In the evening! Why, do you know my
wife never wants to sit there in the evening
She says she has SO much sewing to do, tina
she and Aunt Zeruah must sit up in the bet
room, because it wouldn't do to bring worf
into the parlor! What If some threads shoult
drop on the carpet? Aunt Zeruah wonlc
have to open all the Notifications next day
and search Jerusalem with candles to iint
them. No; in the evening the gas is lightet
up at half.cock, you know and if turn j
up, and bring my papers, and spread abou
me. and pull down some books to read, car
feel the nervousness through the chambe
floor. Aunt Zeruah looks in at eight, and a
quarter past, and at half past, and at nine
and at ten, to see il am done. so that sh'
may fold up the papers and put book OF
them, and lock up the books in their cases
Nobody ever comes in to spend an evening
They used TO try it when We wcfe first mar
ried, but believe the uninhabited appear
ance of our parlcrs discouraged them. Ey
erybcdy has stopped coming now. snd Aun
Zeruah says it is such comfort, for now tn
rooms are always in order. How poor Mrs
Crowfield lives, with her house such thor
o,lgiyfare she is s,,re she cNu't sea Cont;