The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-26

every blllllS III the wrong pace.
, Our parlor walls were decorated witt
l bottle green paper. on which was painte,
the most luxuriant red hollyhocks. Gu
bed room was dark SLATE color, and tn
f design seemed to me millions of gull
: snakes squirming in mute agony. On
dining room was nearly all brick red Dor
der. The little space left between tn
: dado and border proper was sort of rec
pink; and the effect OF these tints sur
gested Il torture chamber to me. rathe
than the eating room of e quiet christian
family. As the other rooms in the house
were finished somewhat like these hay,
described, there was not a place wher,
our old furniture and carpets looked well
and. spite of myself, though | was deep
ly in debt, | was compelled to buy new
things for every room, not excepting the
kitchen, for Bridget threatened to leave
eff she cuddent hev' a range instid OF
that ovid cook stove. Twas as ovid
fashined as 4 hair cloth sofl'y' Even our
china, that was IIaviland's best. looked
wrong in the red dining room. and had
to be replaced By decorated porcelain.
But | found that our new chairs and
sofas were all built on the right angle
plan. Instead of fitting the body. the
body must be fitted to them. As this
task was very irksome to me, ordered
certain chairs and touches that | knew
were comfortable to be sent home from
the auction rooms and stored in our attic.
The Winter was very severe, and SO re-
vealed to us the defects in our house that
we began to remodel it at the first dawn
of Spring. Plummet assured me that
would ruin the effect OF the TIA liam wing
if | removed any Of the windows in our
bedroom: So had them bricked up and
left the blinds and castings untouched.
He tried to dissuade me from changing
the parlor: but. rs knew the darkness
was injuring the eyesight of the entire
family, | had the windows reset, so we
could look out between the pillars and 4
modicum of light could shine in. These
necessitated repapering, and more long
oils from Dado n Co. As the northwest
winds seemed to be DETECTED from its
course by the tower. and, in consequence
plunged down our kitchen chimney. put
ting out the fire and filling the house with
gas, built up the chimney eighteen feet
and covered it with hood, and thus
made that chimney SO prominent that
from certain point the house looked
very like gas factory. After the warm
weather set in, built a bay window on
the south side of the sitting-room, run
out the kitchen six feet and made a new
pantry. and enlarged my Office When
these improvements We're completed |
confess my house looked very like pa
tient of mine, whose body is distorted
and joints enlarged by inhammatory
rheumatism, and | was SO in debt my
only salvation was in the popularity OF
my Favorite Pill
cannot detail all my vexations with
that house, for they were legion. | lived
in it till | had spent upon it and its fur |
niShings about thirty-five thousand dol |
lars, when fortunately I sold it to man
who had become 4 millionaire selling |
pigs. To be sure. I only received half |
what had expended; but the burden of |
it had become so insupportable that the
day left it, and, with Phila Ann and |
the children, rode over to the old But. |
tcrfoss house was the happiest of my life.
felt like dancing a jig when went into
the wide parlor. And the oftice-ah.-
what charming place it did seem. The
fragrance of aloes and rhubarb still
hung about it. Every door and window
was in exactly the right spot, and can
not describe the pleasure took in again
closets and setting up my bottles on its
wide shelves.
The old fashioned things | had stored
in the attic and what | could buy of my
and art loving neigh5ors, fur
nished our house. Nothing was too nice
Or too delicate for the sun to shine on,
and our friends after laughing at me a
little, said our house was the pleasantest
one in town: and they told the truth, for
We had light and air. furniture built with
some regard to the curves of the human
body, and really tasteful combinations of
color on our walls There is an old story
Of a flea who took up his abode in lob
'ter shell. not because he needed it. but
because it was finer than the dwellings
'f his friends, and would be good prop
,rty to sell if Il real lobster should come
llong. Somehow, the house | built al
ways reminds me of that lobster shell.
Perhaps the man who is now in it is q
real lobster, and feels at home. | hope
so. | never did. any more than the flea.
toat Oh the subject of what is beauti-
fu in houses and their decorations: and
fun one-half the persons who profess to
know all about it are as ignorant as SO
many barn owls. |. therefore. sincerely
pity all people who are about to build or
buya house: and, in the hope that may
assist them to avoid possessing what Is
nnsu ted to their wants and tastes. to
them | dedicate this brief account of
what my neighbors call DE-, Gillyflow-
rs PEl.''