Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-03-21

"ioooHutleu, out i lrieu
once more: / think, though, that
you might have Kept your carpets.
! THESE waxed floors are so treacher-
Gus, and then the comfort of walk
ing on your superb Administers
But now my aunt was thoroughly
out OF patience, and she interrupted
me sharply: You astonish me, Fred
eric; you have so little appreciation
OF or feeling for the best Art. Car
pets, indeed utterly inadmisaible in
q properly treated apartment. Now
these rugs
But it was my turn TO interrupt !:
do you call that dingy square ruq
aunt ? Why, | thought it was bit
OF carpet ont of Johns pantry, left
here by mistake.
Then let me Tell you that 'dingy
square of carpet is relic Of price,
less value, Sir. 1t was once the
prayer rug OF an Arab chicf, and it
cost me over one thousand dollars
answered ny aunt looking really
displeased.
| observation-disclosures = | echo
ed in dismay. Oh, what - But
stopped in time to reflect, and the
last word remained nnnttered. AT.
ter all, my aunt was rich enough to
throw away few thousands when
she chose, and w5at fool should I
be if | angered her by ill.timed or
unwellcome criticism on her acts
So fastened TO retrieve my error,
and by dint ofjudicious admiration
OF the famous rug, and many appre-
ciatlve comments on the plates,
clocks, cabinets, etc installed my
self once moro in my annt's good
| graces, 80 that the remainder OF the
evening passed pleasantly enough.
Nevertheless, l was conscious of
good deal of perplexity and annoy
ance when ! thought over the whole
interview next day, and the result
OF my thinking was deter mination
to watch over my aunt as closely as
possible without being obfrusve or
exciting her suspicious.
Well, in accordance with my res
olntion, ! went up there the next
day, in time for dinner, if she urged
me TO stay, as l know she would.
found Mrs kerammik terribly hoarse
but refusing to believe that the barn
like atmosphere of her house had
anything to do with her severe cold.
Several workmen were busily engag.
ed taking out the plate-glass win
dows, and replacing them with sash
es set with tiny diamond shaped
panes of very poor glass. Wide
leaden settings connected these min
iature panes, which were, to nv
thinking, exceedingly ugly. l hint.
ed as much when she asked me to
admire them, and was sorry for it
the next moment. For my aunt
qaoted SO largely from the First steps
etc, that l was overwhelmed and
actually pretended to be convinced,
to avert the gathering storm. I
went homo that night with a copy
of the horrid book in my pocket and
an earnest injunction to study it
carefully. For your perception of
true Household Art is very dull, my
dear Frederic said my aunt plying
y as we parted.
From that time each visit | paid
my aunt made me more and more
melancholy, while found the house
| more and more uncomfortable. Mrs.
KS Art studies were always neces-
stating some change, which she call.
ed improvement, but which to those
about her was always little worse
than the last fancy. It would be i'm
possible as we'll as useless to pre-
scribe her progressive steps--if that
may be called progressive, which was
always ietrogressive, for it was ever
to remoter ages, to more obsolete
AID 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 the
the art fever sliced upon her l was
fairly COMPOUNDED. A great clumsy
carved chest did duty for the very
handsome dressing bureau, a tiny
plate of polished steel replaced the
cheval-glass;an attenuated stand hold.
ing basin, reminding one irresista-
bly, of dentists apparatus, was the
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 persuad-
ed of the folly of unwise opposition,
could not help demonstrating with my
aunt this time.
AT least, you might have left me
the Croton, aunt | declared after
vain representations Of my discomfort
But she replied sweetly
Il couldn't, my dear nephew, |
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 until at last the very rugs dis
appeared, and the floors were all
strewn with what my aunt called
rsuhes, but what ignoranly and un-
believingly termed hay. Then | con-
graduated myself that We had reach.
ed climax, and could fare no worse
but was mistaken.
One day, on entering the parlor,
was conscious of very disagreeable
odor-just such a perfume, in fact, as
one might expect to obtain by distill-
ing half dozen tenement houses
and as many emigrant ships and bot
ting the result. / soon found that
this fragrance was due to some fear
fully dirty tattered hangings, evident
ly new acquisition, which draped
the walls and made the apartment
look like a veritable rag shop.
When my aunt came down, l ven-
tured in the most delicate manner. to
call her attention to this unpleasant
popularity of her new possessions,
and ask if a little fumigation might |
not be advisable. Such look as she |
gave met Then she said severely:
Frederic, those hangings are in
valuable They are SO old that their |