River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-06-23
THE STORY OF A SCREEN,

--Soushern Churekman
THE STORY OF SCREEN.
The level beams of the mellow May
sunset were revealing every flaw and
crack in the cheap papering which COW
cred the walls of the little garretroom
where Mabel Moore sat busily at her
sewing machine, and single pot of
blue velvet pansies in the high, marrow
window made spot of color for poor
Mrs. Moore's eyes &c rest upon, as she
toiled at the fioss-silk embroidery which
was her whole occupation.
The room was small and scantily fur
nphed, but there was within its walls
one relic of evanished days-a black
satin screen, mounted on standard of
gilded bamboo, and painted in deep
rich colors, with a scarlet hamingo
floating upward against background
of reeds and grasses, while in the dis
lance famed a stormy sunset sky.
"Mama did it herself. when she was
girl at boarding school," said Mabel
Moore, to those who sometimes asked
the history of this remaining token OF
luxury. eve have kept it through
everything. | would not part with it
for its weight in gold
And en- she would laughingly tell
the tale of how half dozen collectors
of antiques and aesthetic furniture, at
different times, had endeavored to pur-
chase the old satin screen.
Zone man wanted to buy it with a
| pair of tongs and brass coal-scuttle,"
Ioc 10 ,fforad hrotyaf1
set of Thackeray's novels and fender:
and third bargained with a tete-d-tete
set of china, and broken-nosed alabas-
ter statue of Phyche.
For Mabel was bright-eyed, sweet
faced girl, VIII, had a very keen sense
of the ridiculous, and lived through the
hard realities of her life with the quiet
fortitude of an Unborn heroine.
But after all, the secondhand deal
ers were nothing in resolution and per-
sistence as compared with Miss Ann
Azalea Harper, the daughter of the
landlord from whose leaky and badly
drained premises they had removed
few weeks previously. Miss Ann Az
alea had very fair idea of bric-a-brac
treasures, and she had cast her fine
eyes upon this very screen.
"It's worth deal of money" said
Ann Azalea to herself. "And it was
only this morning that Aunt Hepsy was
wishing for just such an old fashioned
screen"
Now aunt Hepsy was rich old maid,
shrewd, crusty, elderly, and full of dis
trust of all the smoothe-tongued rela-
tives whose professions of love and re-
spect were so extreme.
"a screen?" said Hepsy. eyes, l
want a screen"
'Ill paint you one, dear aunt, said
Ann Azalea
"Much of screen you could paint"
said the old lady, disdainfully.
II improved a good deal at board
ing-school," said Ann Azalea, meekly.
'And I'll stretch it upon an antique
bamboo rack, and really think it will
please you"
81 don't said Aunt Hepsy.
''May / try, dear aunt?'
EYES," said the old lady, grudgingly;
''you may try"
And Ann Azalea, who had already in
her mind appropriated poor Mrs.
Moore's antique screen, set diligently
about the work of getting possession of
the same.
''You owe my pa ten dollars for rent"
said Ann Azalea. spitefully as she sat
painting for breath in the little garrett
room, after having toiled up the three
long and narrow flights of stairs. 'You
can't deny it."
'It1s quite true, acknowledged meek
Mrs. Moore, who, in her daughters alb
sence, was absolutely defenceless; "but
"You ought to be ashamed to owe
so much money as that" said Ann Az
alea.
We have been very unfortunate of
late said Mrs. Moore "But we fully
intend to repay all our Indebtedness in
full as soon as my daughter"
"Oh, that's all nonsence," brusquely
interrupted Ann Azalea. "Pa ought to
have put an execution that's what he
ought to have done"
Poor Mrs. GORE shuddered.
"And it amt too late now" added
the young lady, ignoring the Code and
all its provisions.
ooh, Miss Harper!"
"But we don't want to. he exorbit-
ant" graciously went on Ann Azalea.
80. sooner than be the expense of a
lawsuit I'll take some trifie or other in
pay. That screen, for instance" with
her greedy eyes fixed on the picture
ed flight of the scarlet famingo. Ten
dollars is deal of money and the
screen is an old style thing, but |
wouldn't mind calling things even,
Just to ease your conscience, if"
II couldn't oh, couldn'tp' cried
poor Mrs. Moore, the tears coming in
to her eyes at was work | did as a
girl. My own poor mother sketched
in the green bushes and grass with her
own pencil, and--if any one is 10 have
it, it is already promised to an old fami-
ly friend, who is TO pay twenty-five dol
lars for it.
every we'll" said Miss Harper, ris-
ing, with an ominous toss of her head.
Then, if you really mean to swindle
US
"Miss Harperw
eff you really mean to swindle u.s."
severity repeated Ann Azalea, II may
as well stop at the constable's On my |
way back and put on the distraint at
once"
Mfs. MOORE CldSp6u neI tnlH HduuS
in q sort of nervous horror.
If poor Mable, who had gone out so
buoyantly to carry home her little par
eel of finished work, should return and |
find the minions of the law in possess
ionl
~ am a selfish creature" she told |
herself, ito prefer my own inclinations
to dear Mays happiness"
And so she told Ann Azalea, with
burst of tears, that the screen should be
hers.
81 will send it to you-in the evening""
she said, piteously.
'If you'll only wrap bit of brown
paper around it, I'll take it now" sug
gested Miss Harper, who believed in
the adage Of the "bird in the hand be-
ing worth two in the bush"
And so the scarlet flamingo was carri-
ed away in the triumphant arms OF
Miss Ann Azalea Harper.
"After ALL" soliloquized she, II got
it for absolutely nothing. For pa said
the old mahogany bookcase he took of
- Al IA 1