American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-03-23

place is a marvel of Art, and then my
china plates are perfectly in keeping
with the tone of the apartment, while
my pictures were notP'
"But you had some lovely pictures,
aunt; those two, especially, by Greuze
and Bouguereau were real gems.
Couldn'tyou have given them place?''
90 No; for the highest Art demands
that each room be treated as whole,
and that certain tone,' once adopted,
shall never be sacrificed to any lesser
considerations and it was in accord
ance with this maxim that 1 took down
my pictures, said my aunt, with a lof-
/ ty smile at my weakness.
was discounted, but 1 tried once
more: 81 think, though, that you
might have kept your carpets. These
waxed floors are so treacherous, and
then the comfort of walking on your
superb Administers
But now my aunt was thoroughly out
of patience, and she interrupted me
sharply: &c You astonish me, Frederic;
you have so little appreciation of or feel
ing for the best Art. Carpets, indeed!
utterly inadmissible in a properly treat
| ed apartment. Now these rugs
But it was my turn to interrupt:
Do you call that dingy square a rug,
aunt? Why, 1 thought it was a bit of
carpet out of Johns pantry, left there
by mistake"
"Then let me tell you that that din
gy square of carpet is a relic of price
less value, sir. 1t was once the prayer
rug of an Arab chief, and it cost me
over one thousand dollars answered
my aunt, looking really displeased
" housand-dollarsi [ echo
ed, in dismay. s'Oh, what "a But l
stopped in time to reflect, and the last
word remained unuttered. After all,
my aunt was rich enough to throw away
a few thousands when she chose, and
what a fool should 1 be if 1 angered her
by ill-timed or unwelcome criticisms on
her acts!
So l fastened to retrieve my error,
and, by dint of judicious admiration of
the famous rug, and many appreciative
comments on the plates, clocks, cabi-
nets, ETC., installed myself once more
in my aunt's good graces, SO that the re-
mainder of the evening passed pleas
antly enough.
Nevertheless, l was conscious of a
good deal of perplexity and annoyance
when 1 thought over the whole inter
view next day, and the result of my
thinking was a determination to watch
over my aunt as closely as possible with
out becoming obtrusive or exciting her
suspicious.
Well, in accordance with my resolu-
ton, went up there the next day, in
time for dinner, if she urged me to stay,
as 1 knew she would. L found Mrs.
kerammik terribly hoarse, but refusing
to believe that the barn-like atmosphere
of her house had any thing to do with
her severe cold. Several workmen were
busily engaged taking out the plate
glass windows, and replacing them with
sashes set with tiny acknowledged
panes of very poor glass. Wide leaden
settings connected these miniature
panes, which were, to my thinking,
exceedingly ugly. L limited as
much when she asked me
to admire them, and was sorry for it the
next moment. For my aunt quoted so
largely from the &c First Steps, ETC.,
thatI was overwhelmed, and actually
pretended to be convinced, to avert the
gathering storm. 1 went home that
night with copy of the horrid book in
my pocket, and an earnest injunction to
study it carefully. "For your percep-
ton of true Household Art is very dull,
my dear Frederic said my aunt, pity
ingly, as we parted.
From that time each visit I paid nv
aunt made me more and more melan-
choly, while found the house more and
more uncomfortable. Mrs KS art
studies were always necessitating some
change, which she called improvement,
but which to those about her was ALWAYS
little worse than the last fancy. 1t
would be impossible as well as useless to
describe her progressive steps-if that
may be called progressive which was
always retrogressive, for it was ever to
remoter ages, to more obsolete and
comfortless styles of living, that my poor
aunt inclined.
One room in her house had always
been placed at my disposal, but the first
time occupied it after this art fever had
seized upon her l was fairly COMPOUNDED.
The furniture had disappeared COM
pletely. A great clumsy carved chest
did duty for the very handsome dressing
bureau; tiny plate of polished steel
replaced the cheval-glass; an attenu-
ated stand holding basin, and remind
ing one irresistibly of dentists appar-
atus, was wretched substitute for the
stationary wash-stand with its abundant
supply of Croton; while some three
legged stools passed for chairs.
Although had long been persuaded
of the folly of unwise opposition, |
could not help demonstrating with my
aunt this time.
g At least you might have left me the
Croton, aunt l declared, after vain |
representations of my discomfort. But |
she only replied, sweetly:
{" 1 couldn't, my dear nephew, 1
couldn't. That was so horribly out of
keeping with the rest of the appoint
ments! You can't mix the centuries in
that inartistic way"
So things went on, from bad to worse,