The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-05-16
Ghc Happiness of Shaking Ccs.pef.

The annual ceremony Of taking up, whip
ping, and putting down carpets is almost
upon lis. It i one Of the ills which flesh
is heir to, and cannot be avoided. You 90
home some pleasant spring day, at peace
with the world. and aEd the baby with q
clean face, and get Your favontc pudding
for dinner Then your wife tells you how
much younger yuU a.C locking. and says She
really hopes She can turn thai walking dress
she wore last fall, and save the expense Of
a new suit. and then asks You if you can't
Just help her about taking up the carpet.
If YOU are fool, and You generally are by
that time, you tell her of course you can,
Just well as not. Then she gets Slu-
Ger for the tacLs, and stands and holds it,
aud then You get the claw and go down on
your knees and begin to help her. You
feel quite economical about the first three
tacks, and take them ont carefully and put
them in the saucer our wife is good
about holding the saucer, and beguilcg you
with an interesting story ab"... how your
neighbors little boy Is not expected to live
till morning. tIcn you come to the tack
with IT, crooked head, and you get the
claws under it aud the head comes right
of, and the leather comes off, ard the car
pet comes of, aud as it won't do to leave
the tack in the floor, because it will tear
the carpet when it is put down again, yeu
go to work and I'm your lnucElcs, and
get silver under your thumb nail, and
tell your wife 10 shut up about that ever
lasting boy, and make up your mind that
it doesn't make any difference about that
tack, and 50 you begin on the corner where
the carpet IS doubled two OF hreG times and
has been nailed down with a shiHgle nail.
ACu don't care continental about saving
the nail, because You find 1t is not Il good
time for the practice OF economy bat you
do feel a little hurt when both claws break
..Ht t-,,p aud .,
bulge peg. Then your manhood asserts
ITSELF and you raise III your might and
throw the carpet claw at the dog. and get
hold of the carpet with both hands, and
the air IS fnll OF dust and flying tacks, and
there is fringe OF carpet yarn all along
the mop-bCaTd, and the baby cries. and the
cat goes anywhere, anywhere out OF the
word. and your witc says You ought to bC
ashamed OF yourself to talk so-but that
carpet comes up. Then you lift one side
of the stove and your wife tries TO get the
carpet from under it, but can t because you
are standing on it 50 you Try new hold,
and just after your back breaks the carpet
Is clear You are not through yet. louI
wife don tell you any more little stories,
but gets your old coat and hangs 1t on you,
and opens the back door and shOveS you
out, and mtimatcs that the carpet needs
whipping. W hen you hang the torment
ing thing across the ciOthes-iine the wrong
way, and get it righted, and have it slide
OH INTO the mud, aud hang ii up again, and
get half pint of dust aud three broken
tacks snapped out of thc northwest corner
into your mouth by the wind you make
observations which yOu neglected TO men.
ton while in tho house. Then You hunt
up stici, and go for that carpet. The iirs
blow hides the sun and all ohe fair face O
nature behind IA cloud of dust. aud, rish
in the centre Of that cloud, with the wlnI
square i'll your face, no matter how yol
stand, you WELD the cudSei until ooti