The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-04-18

MHs tEHAANSs
Mr.. and Mrs. Peregrine Paret, PEREZ
CRIME, junior, and Miss Grace Paret sat
at breakfast in their pleasant dining
room overlooking the garden. the ave
nue., the baseball ground, and straight
across the river to the steeples and
high chimneys that doomed through the
mist hanging over the great busy me-
tropolis. 1t had been Mrs. Paret's boast
that she had the finest view from her
front windows Of any house in River
view, and that not one unseemlv blot
rested upon the landscape. So that it
became . sore thing to her when her
husband leased . big lot in the direc-
of Perkins, who got a lot of old boards
together and reared kind of workshop
there, from which he emerged at va
rious times in the day, sometimes in
his shirt sleeves, and again in a leather
apron and queer cap; if the weather
was inclement, perhaps he wore a
wooden jacket, and at this season of the
year his pantaloons were generally
thrust in his boots. The man, as Mrs.
Paret justly observed, evidently be-
longed to the working class, and she
had no objection to Mr.. Paret's hiring
him to superintend the various repairs
necessary that spring in their house
hold, but she did strongly object to the
peculiar manner of the man; it was not
so much that he had dared to use his
own Judgment about the wallpaper,
but he had actually appealed to Grace,
to her daughter, to support him in his
choice, and Grace, in her thoughtless
way, had stood there in the hall talking
with this man Perkins-talking, smiling,
blushing. Why, Grace could not have
shown more attention TO the Grand
Duke himself than she had to this paper
hanger.
1.-THE impudence, the unparalleled
impertinence," said Mrs. Paret, "of a
paper-hanger, an ordinary paper-hang-
er, daring to intrude his choice of ma
terial, and actually using a pale gray
ground instead of the shade l Orderedr'
"But, mamma" said Grace, "you
said yourself that it was the prettiest,
after it was on the wall"
THAT has nothing to do with it,"
said Mrs. Paret. waving her hand, and
majestically~ disposing Of her daughters
plea" nothing whatever to do with
it. It's the principle of the thing,
Grace; the idea of an ordinary paper
hanger
Il don't think he's altogether ordi-
nary, mamma" said Grace. "You
must allow yourself that he's a little
extraordinary, he's a kind of Admira-
BILE Crichton. I'm sure l never saw
such skill in my life in hanging the cur
tains; and hung they would never have
been if our people had been left to man
age them. He Just climbed the ladder,
Peregrine," added Grace, turning to
her brother, land took the great clum-
sy things in his arms, gave a twist OF
two here, a tack Or two there, a push
up and a push down, and the whole
thing was lovelyr
"Hum," said Peregrine, junior, tug
ging at the few wisps of hair he called
q mustache - hum yes nc
doubt; but there's such a thing as fell
lows being too confoundedly brisk, you
know. Fellows good enough, nc
doubt, in his ~way-capital mechanic,
all that sort of thing; but hang it, you
know, fellow must keep in his own
groove. Watkins says to me yesterday,
See fellow over there saving board?'
And l says, Yes And says Watkins,
Fellow wants to Join our boat club.
Mop says l. Fact says Watkins.
Case of blackball,' says /. And il
was; club couldn't stand that sort Of
thing. you know-kill it quicker'n
lightning"
THAT'S the reason you lose every
race said Grace. "Mr. Perkins is a
better oarsman than anyone in the club
Possible" drawled Peregrine.
PLENTY clubs glad to get him, no
doubt, but we decline the honor. II
precedent is Established that sort, no
knowing what'n be consequence"
"~Peregrine is right" said Mrs.
Paret. ga place for everybody and
everybody in his place. is my motto;
and one thing is very certain, that ram
shsckle OLD barn over there is running
our property. l told you, Mr.. Paret,
what would be the result when you
leased him the land"
Mr.. Paret said nothing; his half-shut
but keen eyes had at first rested upon
the face Of his daughter, and an ex-
preston of eager anxiety, which was
very rare with him, had now given
way to the usual grim composure Of
his features. He was q very quiet
man. And would sit for q whole even
ing with his head up against the wall,
never once haxarding q remark Of his
own, but ~contenting himself apparently
with the conversation that went on
about him. His extreme ~reticenca had