The Republican journal., 1874-02-12

window. il you must know. | always did
like bow-windows, they are so cheerful
and sunny; and filled with plants in the
winter they give = room perfectly
summerlikc look. Then one takes off the
stltf angu!arity Of room, and gives it in
dNlduality Here's q proposition in the
Rnle OF Three 1or you, founded on fact,
as slory-writers say; as a spice Of TO
nance and imagination to u woman's
character, so is a bow window to square
ROOM
''Ah. Laura, YOU have such an awful
way of putting things T. | forsee shall be
managed and never know. it. However,
Wen contrive the bow window somehow,
if possible, = said the indulgent Lance, who
being in that delightfully."- acluiescent
state OF mind often manifested in mankind
before marriage, when the wish OF the
beloved object is law-il Laura had sug-
gested threestory -cupola as a desirable
addition to their modest mansion, he would
undoubtedly have Seen at once the feast
blllty and necessity of the thing.
spring and summer passed away. Lance
haunted carpenters like an avenging spirit,
became an object OF terror to painters and
timers, worked hard on the farm day
times, took Laura ont driving in the pleas
ant summer evenings. Laura tool, a trip
to New \ ork, and made 81 few modest
purchases at SteWarts. Not much for
herself; She saw no special reason why
she should dress more or differently after
marriage than before. Besides, she was
carefully outstanding Aunt Dunlap's six
hundred with n view to furniture She
felt IN honest pride in doing something to
help towards providing the mutual home.
in being u little of a helpmeet, to start
with nj least, even il she were to prove
the miserable failure in the end every one
predicted Long webs of cotton cloth grew
into sheets, pilloW-caseS. curtains, what
not under her busy needle, flying in and
ont through the long summer days. Also
She found time to practice various culi-
mary arts in the Kitchen a bit of the sum
mer was put away for winter use, in the
shape Of canned berries, peaches, etc Her
bread and pies were really quite wonder
full so Lance thought.
Early in October they were married, and
moved into their new home, now hardly
to be recognized in its daintiness of fresh
paint, pretty papers, new furniture 1t
was fan from being Il fashionable or I'M
posing residence-nothin@ Gothic, or
Italian, or EliZabethan about it, unless in
deed we except I.alua's one extravaganza
the little boW-window but it had an
eminently cozy, homc-lke air, The
moment YOU stepped inside, YOU received
i comfortable, cheerful impression, as if
here were 2 place where people We're in
the habit Of enjoying themselves. Enter
ing Il small square hall, on one side was
the dining room, on the other, the parlor
back OF the parlor, the bed room. The
furnace imparting a summer temperature,
the doors OF these adjoining rooms stood
open, giving good air and 4 deal of room
mess for so small q house. The parlor
paper was a green and gilt flower on a
light drab ground; the carpet, an ingram,
small checks, green the predominant
color Through the bow window the sun
shonc brightly in over Lauras plants,
making a summer within, even if the
ground were white with snow outside and
the mercury down among the zcros Each
side of the boWwindoW. on little brackets
Parian husts, Eve and Psyche. wedding
presents, looked out from English ivy that
tWincd around them, and then met over
the hanging basket IN the middle Of the
window. On the walls hung two OF three
good en%raring5 and photographs, over
them clusters of bright autumn caves
souvenir OF their wedding tour. \ set of
hanging book okshelye3. bearing the united
llbraries OF Laura and Lance, presented an
ODD combination of poetry and works on
agriculture There was lounge which
was q lounge--nOt a rack contriyed to cX-
asperatc the human frame to the utmost
by it, Ennbblness-an easy chair, a camp
chair, a Shaker rocEino-chair, one or two
cane-9cated chairs, I centre table, with the
big lamp, booEs, papers, and Laura :
work basket
1his was the family sittiGgroom Look
ing in of an evening, You would have seen
Lance one side of the table in the bic
easy chair, reading his paper OF chatting
with Laura, sitting opposite in her Shaker
rocker with her sewing One great adj
vantage ii marrying a farmer is, that you
have him Mt home with You evenings pro
vided You make Yourself tolerably agree
able to him, Laura, even if she was mar
riel, still thought it worth while to fash
iohably arrange her h1ir, Wear the bright
bow, the dainty cellar, the little et-ceteras
thai really add SO much To 4 woman's at
fractions. Lance had TOO much respect
for Laura and himself too to sit down for
the evening in his old frocI,, tumbled hair,
oyeralls tucked into coarse boots. sayorinn
strongly OF the barn-yard He brushed his
hair, clonne'l an old coat and slippers, and
so, with Il little trouble, gained vastly in
comfort and in his wite's affections.
From their window the light Of ahappy
home streamed cheerlulv out over the
snow, ;ls i benedclion to the passcrs bv.
People were fond Of dropping in there for
an evening, it was, $50 pleasant" they
said Many Il farmers boy and eirl, after
an evening at Lance's went home thinking
farming wasn't SO bad, after all and they
wouldn't be IN such Il hurry to GROW old
old enough to leave for the city, if It could
be as pleasant at home For fashion in
Knpsic Farm had orda ned an entirely
different order OF things for that prevailing
at Iance's The Iarlor Of every respect
able farmer must contain u very hard and
slippery hail-cloth sofa, six chairs, and a
huge rocking chair possessing the same
qualities in even u greater degree; other
furniture to correspond arranged at still
angles around the walls. This sacred
apartment, rs we'll rs the whole main part
Of the house, was KEPT cold, dark, shut up.
suggestive to the bold invader who dared
penetrate their dreary shades only OF
funerals The family lived mostly in the
kitchen, sustained, probably, by the proud
consciousness of possessing best parlor
and hair-cloth furniture. Passing by at
night, you would think the house uninhab-
tied, did not a ray OF light from way back
in the l. reassure You Did company come
unexpectedly, so great a parade was made
Of building fires, opening rooms, getting
ont the best things, that the unfortunate
guest telt he should never dare come again.
20 Lance and Laura We're lmconsciously
doing missionary work in demonstrating
that farmers home need not necessarily
be destitute of any desirable comfort or
refinement That we may see how the
public stood affected, we will lift the cur
tain on Aunt Polly Grigg's least ROOM
on an occasion of more than usual solemn