The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-10-12
wv what-and came home with bigger


"What are you doing in your lookup,
Laurel" repeated Jerome. II hope you
aren't trying your hand at novelwriting2 2
l couldn't hold up my head among the
boys any more, and you'd never stand the
ghost of a chance of getting married, if
it should get abroad that my sister was
scribbler."
"Don't trouble yourself about my
chances, DEAR" begged Laure. GAS
to writing novel, l Icouldn't do it to save
my life"
arded Jessie.
No, she isn'tp cried the small fry.
"She's been a-crackin' nuts there all win
ter long, and eatin' them all herself and
never givin' us any"
Sculpture caught Jessie. II knew
it was something she had picked up at
the Academy of Design. mean to fol-
low you in next time and see what you
do, Miss Laure. It's SO silly to make
secret"
But other matters of interest dulled
the family curiosity, and the young lady,
who could keep to her way as resolutely
as her father could his, finished her ex-
periments. And about the time Of
Spring cleaning, when the rest of the
house was in confusion, word was sent
forth through it that the secret chamber
was opened at last, and Bluebeardess
herself invited all to enter!
81 tried to do the best could for it with
my MEANS" explained Laurestine, as in
terjectiOns arose around her. "We
haven't money to spend on carvings and
fancy crockery, even for the downstairs
rooms, so l learned to do this myself"
The ceiling was white; she had the
walls hung with the palest of pink papers;
her carpet was one which once served in
the parlor; with the greatest hardihood
she had painted rose border on canvas for
it, which gave it the look of being the
central block of mosaic. On the wood
work, however, Laurestine had laid out
her energies and invention, staining and
graining the door and window-frames,
carving the low dado at the foot of the
walls with grasses, and the head of her
black walnut bedstead with medallion
of Thorwaldsen's Might" She had
brackets carved with ferns for holding
ferns. But chief of all, she had cab
met made of an old kitchen cupboard,
which she had ornamented with sphinx's
head and lotus blossoms, and stained and
pounded and studded with queer nails
until it was mysterious beauty in it
self, without any of those curiOsities
which Laurenstine hoped to store in it
duringa long and useful life. She had not
done her work so minutely as to sacrifice
design to detail, either. 1t looked so
easy to do, yet so effective when finished,
that Jessie cried out in pet:
"I don't think it's fair; my room is as
plain as pincushionW
"Well, why didn't you study wood
carving ?' chafied Jerome going over in
admiration to Bluebeardess's side
"My DEAR" remarked father, this is
very pleasing-quite so. But what did
it cost?'
"Some time and some study, papa,
and fraction of the allowance you gave
me for clothes. Now if you think ]
haven't made failure of carving up
here, there's the parlor-W
Yes, and the scratched piano, which
presented just as good a surface
as any for the artistic knife. And all
Nature was full of leaves and flowers to
copy. An inexhaustible field opened
before Laurenstine.
The family trooped down stairs at her
heels, glad to have beautifier in their
midst, who. if she was not practical in
all her undertakings, had still the true
idea of the loving and lasting work which
goes to build up home.
Laurenstine swooped up to the old
piano.
"Tll run border of hollyleaves and
berries around the lid" said she, "and
put a Christmas wreath in the center.
The whole top would be better rough
ened hollyleaves and berries for the
front legs, too"
The family found changing, but con-
tinuous group around her while she drew
her design.
"But, my DEAR" cried mother, when
the small, triangular knife set to work
scooping the precious rosewood, edo be
careful It's been my life's warfare tc
keep the children from kicking that
piano full of dints, and then you 60 at il
with knife"
"Let us have knives and go at it, too
mother" begged the little fry; "We
want to do as Laure does"
"No, indeed, you may not" replied
mother, breaking into cold PRECIPITATION
even at the skilled daring of her eldes
daughter.
But after she watched the work awhile
and saw the prickly holly starting out
its beauty seemed to demand back
ground as valuable as rosewood, and sh'
no longer felt afraid of Laure's destroy
ing the furniture.
When Laure had finished her carving
she went over her background with
blunt tool and steady little knock
which left it full of dints, and the Who'll
family lived in astonishment at the re
suit of simply removing wood in on
place and roughing it in another.
THAT'S the poundin' we heard an
thought was. nuts" observed tn
small fry.
Now, if father had been called upo
: to have the interior of the house i
: which they were to live stained, grained
or carved, he might have denounced
as foolish extravaganza and somethiD
8 he would not do but when he saw in
! ages of beauty and real artistic wort
I growing under his child's hands, the
were of the greatest value to him.
he WdJCucu ltdl diJcI lcdi. IL pdi
artist had been at work on a marble-ant
5 rosewood palace for his coming days {
rest, the hard driven man OF busine
s could not have taken more pleasure in |
: The children carried his example
' point further, and not only watche
a Laurenstine, but zealously strove to in
: itate her on the back fence until
!. looked like some strangely marke
Egyptian wall.
a Jessie partook of Laure's spirit, an
also of some simple lessons in prospe
tive drawing, and then sat ambitious
! down to work on ebony; perhaps she d
j. not get much done, but the beauty 10
D ing side of her was stimulated by II
n Art School; and even Jessie found tn
81 to bring the very best result you C,
II out Of your wants, your means, and yo
le time, is high art of life.