Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-07-14
MRS. NEWT0N'S MISTAKE.

The NcwtOns lived in the handsOm.
est residence in BrOmptOn. Strangers
in the village were sure to observe il
and remark on its stately proportions
and fine finish, which distinguished ii
from the plebeim rows of brick and
mortar on either side. The whole vii
lage had taken vivid interest in the
house from the laying of the founda-
tion to the completion of the tower
that graced one side of the building,
knowing TO dot the location of every
closel, cupboard and shelf in it.
Mrs. Newton is happy woman Ia
own such a home" was the comment
of the Brompton ladies. at is the
most convenient house built in this
town" And the Newton children
were equally the envy Of their play
mates, who felt sure that life could Of
fer 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 a
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 qua
drille 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 plumb
crs had taken away themselves, their
tools and fixtures, and the final scrub
bing up and cleaning were done. Mr..
and Mrs. Newton made a trip to a
. ncighboring city to purchase carpets
and furniture for the front part of the
house, purpOsing TO take what had
hitherto been their best for furnishing
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. Visit.
ors 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 us if she
O. had been the guide of an exploring
party, or a ciCerone who points out tC
strangers the oddities or beauties of a
gallery of curiosities. When the toul
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 q library, dark
and gloomy, though elegant, then de.
sCtnding the broad staircase TO file into
the richly furnished parlors, to descant
a few minutes on the beauty of the
carpets or the lovely pictures that
adorned the walls, TO tell the cost Of
The bronzes on the mantle-piece or the
price of the carved cabinet (for Mrs
Newton belonged to the class who
Judge of the merits of a thing entirely
by the amount of money paid for it,
then the shutters would be closed, the
curtains dropped TO exclude every YES
tige of sunlight, and all the grandeur
of the Newton home was shut in upor
itself, not to be opened again, unless tC
he cleaned, until the advent of anoth
or caller.
The sitting room-or rather the
apartment thus lictitiously styled, fol
the family never sat there-continued
the well preserved, ancient, hair-clotf
sofa and set Of chairs, together will
the old-fashioned, sprawling-liguered
brussels carpet and square center
table that had adorned the best room
of the Newtons in their old home
There was pretty bay window at ont
end, alIording pleasant outlook upon
alawn, and beyond, vista of village
street with its rows of Lombardy pop
lars. This sunny recess would have
been Il choice place for flowers, but
they made dirt and litter, Mrs. New
ton said, and required so much sun
light, and sunlight was hard on car
pets; SO the bay window, with all 1T
bright possibilities of cheer and beauty
and warm radience, was draped il
heavy damask, in the brightness of tn,
outer world included. 1t seemed NOR,
place to hold funeral service thai
the sitting room of a family of child