Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1881-05-11
The Improvements at Smiths.

AAO improvements GG Ou1lGl'SI
When the gentle spring came in this year
with blizzard and miscellaneous assortment
of snow-squalls and hurricanes, the thoughts
OF Mrs. Smith, of the Thrty.third Ward,
turned naturally to house-cleaning. In talk
ing over the matter with Mr.. Smith, who tried
Intellectually to prove that there would be
some advantages in postponing the perform
ance until fall, the conclusion was reached
that it would be a good thing to improve the
opportunity to have the sitting-room repaper-
ed. Mr., Smith had a surplus of a hundred
dollars or so on hand, and he expressed a will
hngncss to devote portion of the sum to that
purpose. After rejecting for a day or two
and scanning the walls with more than usually
close attention, Mrs. Smith was able to con-
vince Mr. Smith that bright and beautiful new
paper would make the paint look dreadfullv
dingy, and so it was arranged that the room
should also be repainted. The work was
begun, and as it approached completion, it
really produced very handsome results. But
Mrs. Smith observed that, although the inside
of the sitting room door had been prettily
tinted, the outside retained its dull white an
III.
she saw that it would be necessary to tint it on
both sides. Mr.. Smith admitted the necessity,
and the door was so painted. 1t occurred to
Mrs Smith, however, that when the door was
shut ii did not match the other three doors in
the hall. Indeed it looked so extremely odd
that she asked Mr. Smith if he didn't think all
the doors ought to be painted alike; and he
said he did. But in doing this, the wash
boards had to be tinted also; and as they were
white all the way down stairs the painter told
Mrs. Smith that the job would be botched un-
less he tinted all the washboards in the hall
so she told him to go ahead and make the work
complete. The beauty of the newly painted
wash-boards made the paper in tho hall seem
So shabby that Mr.. Smith with many misgiv-
ings yielded to Mrs. Smiths entreaty that the
hall should be repapered from the first story
to the third Mr.. Smith had noticed that the
| fresh tint ON the washbOard near the parlor
door did not correspond with the white paint
upon the door, but he concluded not to men,
ton the fact to Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith. it
seems, had made the same observation, and
| one evening she gently led Mr. Smith up to a
discussion which ended by his agreeing to
must have misunderstood the order to tint il
only on the outside, for he painted both sides,
and Mrs. Smith saw that she could not live
happily in that house unless all the woodwork
in the parlOr should be repainted to match
the door; and she let Mr.. Smith know that in
her opinion, so long as they were about it and
had gone that far, the parlor might rs we'll be
repapered at the same time.
Mr.. Smith made up his mind TO stop right
there. He had already done moro than he
could really afford. but after the lapse of a
few weeks h0 saw that Mrs. Smith had some
thing heavy upon her mind, and he asked her
to tell him frankly what it was. She wanted
to know if he had looked at the parlor carpet
since the improvements were made. His
heart sank within him, but he controlled him.
self and said that he had not. Mrs. Smith
asked him TO come down and examine it. He
did so, and in half an hour he walked sadly
up stairs. committed to the purchase of new
carpet. When it came and was put down,
Mrs. Smith said that if her father, who loved
her dearly, were alive, no doubt he would
come forward instantly with an offer to pay for
recovering the furniture and for the purchase
the discomfort which she experienced when
she saw how sadly the furniture and the piano
cover looked in contrast with the carpet Mr..
Smith, of course, yielded at once; and rs the
old parlOr carpet, now in the sitting-room,
made the furniture of that room look shabby,
Mr.. Smith, after some urging, agreed that il
might rs well all be recovered at the same
time. When the bill came in Mr.. Smith
found that he was in debt to the extent OF
about One-third Of his income for the present
year, and he resolutely hardened his heart.
Mrs. Smith has 'iwelt upon the advisabity OF
tinting the other sides of the bedroom doors
that open into the hall she has made sarcastic
references to the fact that the chandeliers arc
old-fashiOned and ugly; she has spoken with
bitterness of the bad taste which keeps shabby
pictnre-frames upon handsomely papered walls
and more than Qnce she has expressed regret
that she even consented to put new cover on
SUCH hideous old piano, in a room with faded
curtains. But Smith is obdurate and misera.
bic, and there is consequent GOODNESS between
him and Mrs. Smith. His experience makes
him interesting as an awful example for hus
bands who are subjected to temptation at thi:
time of the year, to undertake Improve
ments' in conjunction with spring house
cleaning operations. Phiia. Evening Bulletin