The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-12-09
MRS. NEWTON'S MISTAKE.

the village were sure to observe it and
remark on its stately proportions and
fine finish, which distinguished it from
the plebeian rows of brick and mortar
on either side The whole village had
taken vivid interest in the house from
the LAYING of the foundation to the COM
pletion of the tower that graced one
side of the building. knowing to a dot
the location of every closet, cupboard
and shelf in it.
own such home," was the comment
of the Brompton ladies. 1T is the
most convenient house ever built in this
town" And the Newton children
We're equally the envy of their play
mates. who felt sure that life could
offer nothing better than to live in the
pretty, new. stone house. The most
intimate friends of the Juvenile New
tons built many fine plans, too, for their
own pleasure when the family should
be installed; Lily and Mary would be
sure to have one of the rooms for a
play room, where they could have their
toys and dolls, and the long back
balcony was the very place to put up
swing; besides, the double parlors were
large enough to hold three sets. and
they thought it would be easy to coax
Mrs. Newton to let them have a
quadrille party, and with the eagerness
of children they could scarcely wait till
the house was finished.
But at last it really was completed.
The carpenters and painters and
plumbers had taken away themselves,
their tools and fixtures, and the final
scrubbing up and cleaning were done.
Mr.. and Mrs. Newton made trip to
neighboring city to purchase carpets
and furniture for the front part of the
house, purpoSing to take what had
the remainder. The carpets were
tackled down, the curtains hung, the
furniture suitably arranged, and then
the rooms were-shut up: that is, shut
and closed to the family. Visitors were
allowed to inspect and admire them,
but were not invited to sit down on the
velvet sofas or raw silk easy-chairs.
Mrs. Newton acted as if she had been
the guide of an exploring party, or a
cicerone who points out to strangers
the oddities or beauties of a gallery of
curiosities. When the tour of the
rooms had been made, beginning with
the guest chambers, beautiful in their
immaculate linen and lace pillow
shams, thence through the handsome
apartment fitted up as a library, dark
and gloomy, though elegant. then de-
scendlngthe broad staircase to file into
the richly-furnished parlors, to descant
a few minutes on the beauty of the car
pets or the lovely pictures that adorned
the walls, to tell the cost of the bronzes
on the mantel-piece or the price of the
carved cabinet (for Mrs. Newton be-
longed to the class who Judge of the
merits of thing entirely by the
amount of money paid for t)-then the
shutters would be closed, the curtains
dropped to exclude every vestige of
sunlight, and all the grandeur of the
Newton home was shut in upon itself,
not to be opened again, unless to be
cleaned, until the advent of another
caller.
The stting-room-or rather the apart
ment thus fictitiously styled, for the
family never sat there-contained the
well-preserved, ancient hair-cloth sofa
and set of chairs, together with the old
fashioned. sprawling-fgured Brussels
carpet and square comfortable that
had adorned the best room of the New
tons in their old home. There was a
pretty bay window at one end. afford
ing pleasant outlook upon the lawn,
and beyond, q vista of village street
with its rows of Lombardy poplars.
This sunny recess would have been q
choice place for flowers, but they made
dirt and litter, Mrs. Newton said, and
required 80 much sunlight, and sunlight
was hard on carpets; SO the bay win
dow, with all its bright possibilities of
cheer, and beauty, and warm radiance,
was draped in heavy damask, and the
brightness of the outer world excluded
1t seemed more aplace to hold afuneral
service than the sitting-room of a fami-
" of children. The fact was that Mrs.
Newton found it hard to bring herself
to use in common what had hitherto
been treasured with care as the best
She liked fine things, and she liked to
keep them fine. and the way to do this
was obviously not to use them. The
large dining-room opening from this
apartment. fitted up in q style CORE
spending with the house, was also ia
booed place.
There's no use in buying nice furni-
ture, and then having it scratched and
ruined by careless children" said the
mistress of the house. II want to
keep this room respectable enough to
bring company in here, and it wouldn't
be month till the carpet would be full
of grease spots, and the paper ruined
with fly specks, if we used it every
day." Then the lock was turned, and
the dining-room, with all its pretty APP
pointments, was left to the enjoyment
of stray fly or two which had escaped
the vigilance of Mrs. Newton. There
was small breakfast room in the rear
Of the building, with one solitary win
dow looking out upon the kitchen