Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-03-12
LIGHTS AND SHADES.

room IN New York cheerful with the
merry CLEAN Of freight, and the Chin
ing tick of q musical clock, and the
half-uttered twitter of the gold-plum-
aged carary, who was composing him
self to sleep in his cage among the &C.
raniums-the very sort of room which
the wearied business man would long to
call honsc-always provided there was
a sunshiny little heart somewhere
about, to set all the household ma
chinery going harmoniously!
Yet there wasn't an expensive article
the1e-no rosewood chairs, cushioned
in satin-no malachite stands, or mo-
sale rugs, or costly agate vases-only a
neat little mahogany tea-table all set
with plain blue ware, as shining as the
most transparent Of gold-veined china
could be, and sober-pattern carpet,
which seemed to say, II know I'm not
velvet-I make no pretence-but here
1 am, and I mean to be as serviceable
as possible !" Everything else was just
as neat and as plain: and if there had
been one solitary grain of dust any,
where within the four walls, it must
have pinned away and evaporated out of
sheer loneliness
Little Mrs. MILFORD fitted busily
around in her snug domains, now
placing her husbands slippers where
they could warm nicely, wondering
parenthetically, why he didn't come !;
now setting a tiny bouquet of roses and
geranium leaves in small vase in the
center of the tea-table-now pulling an
oblique corner of the snowy cloth into
Observation-Disclosures, and now lis
tening, with her pretty petite head
against the mantle-shef, to the merry
song of the shining tea-kettle, as it
dubbed joyously on the fire, breathing
out a dense white vapor-cloud from its
liquid lungs at length the foot
steps sounded below, the key turned
and clicked in the door-and he came.
But not alone. There was a good
deal of very excusable pride in his man
ner, as he presented his fair wife to an
old school friend whom he had not met
for several years, and who was doing a
prosperous downtown business.
It had been a casual encounter on
Broadway, such as oftentimes happens.
They had walked along together, con-
versing cordially until at length the
corner was reached where their paths
diverged. But their say was not half
said, and in the warmth of his heart
MILFORD invited his friend "home to
tea " with him. Mr.. Maynard accepted
the offer. Six o'clock was his own
fashionable dinner hour but he did not
say so neither did he mention that his
wife was at a matinc, and probably
wouldn't be home at present.
And the cordial manner of his friend
made him sigh and think of the old
times, when he had been wont to sit
down to dinner just as the creeping
sunshine reached the "noon mark on
the old kitchen floor, and when "sup-
per" wasn't an association of gas
lights, champagne, s,,gar-temples, and
spicy game, but IL quiet meal, taken
just when sunset Redeemed the crest OF
the tall poplar trees on the hill !! Ah
the good old times
It was long since he was in such 8
tiny, unpretending room as that where
he now sat, accepting the cup of fra
grant tea from Amy Wilford's dexterouf
little hand. Yet everything was sc
bright, so neat, so exquisitely tasteful
the fire glowed SO red, and the
rosebuds in the vases gave such o re-
fined grace to the little blue tea-service
and the common painted waiter, that
| In fo1k M 1,1 ~
mosplere of home
| He never missed the silver urn, OF
the gold-bantled china of his own state
ly table never noticed that his feet die
not rest among the velvet crimson
shades of his own Wilton carpet no.
perceived the wide difference between
Amy's linen collar and shilling delaine
and the Honitons and brocade that hi
fashionable helpmate wore; but h,
knew there was some charm here which
was lacking ct his own hearth-stone.
It was a genuine old fashioned "tea
hot biscuits, amber preserves, deli
cate pink shading of dried beef, ant
cake that would make even dyspepti
smack his lips. Maynard could no
help complimenting the ediblcs. III
didn't get any such at his restauran
where he lunched, and his wife's Iris
kitchen corps had an altogether diff
fercnt idea of things.
"Oh" said Amy, laughing, ("
made them myself.
"Did you?' He looked at her hal
amused. II did not know ladies eve
employed themselves nowadays"
81 am capital cook" said Amy
We are obliged to study economy some
what, and SO am my own housemaid.
"Then you don't belong to the rose
leaf sort Of ladies', who think it horribl
to touch their white fingers to cooking
utcnsil?"
Ono, indeed !" she said, opening he
blue eyes in astonislment. at keep
mo healthy and happy; and as Charlie: