The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-11
Matching the Banner,

81 never was go disappointed in my
life," said Old Miss Beekley, letting her
eyeglasses drop hopelessly at her side
Are you quite sure, Belinda p
GIVE been everywhere said Miss
Belinda Beckley, the younger of the
two ancient maiden ladies. ''Every-
wherel And there's nothing that CORE.
spends with it in the least degree"
The two Misses Beckley looked at
each other despairingly. And if one
had been gifted with fertile magma
tion, it would have been easy to fame,
them pair OF elderly enchantresses in
the midst of a magic palace. For tht
quaint, low. ceiled drawing rooms Were
filed with jointed bamboo screens
carved masses of ivory, hideous painted
ware, and tiny cups and saucers
transparent as so many egg shell,
And, by way of finishing up the ha
monious whole, they had hung the
walls with draperies and banners ],
wrinkled Grape encircled with gol
thread, lustrous satin, brocaded tape.
try, even strips of gil ed paper VIII en-
Oriental plants hlossomed, and phc
nonenal birds set all ones preconceive
ideas of perspective at defiance. AL!
q faint perfume Cf teak and sandalwoo
hung on the air, and dingy rugs blotte.
out the harvest roses and tulips of til,
carpet, which had been good enoupi
for the half. pay captain who had one
been uncle to the two Misses Beckley
and it only required coffee colore
native with wooden shoes and braide
queue to make one believe ones self il
the Flowery Land.
Japanese, you see," the two old la
dies world say, looking complacentl
at the astonished quest who had stun
bled from an atmosphere of newly
fallen snow and New York sunshin,
into this half lighted, strangely scented
mosaic of the East" entirely Jap
anese."
But life is not without its shadows
and upon this especial evening, as the
nephew and heir.apparent of the old
ladies, one Frank Franklyn, sauntered
in, just ss the daffodil gold of the Feb
ruary twilight was turning to hazy pur-
pie, he found both his aunts plunged
in the deepest abysses of gloom.
Mr.. Franklyn looked from one to the
other of the weird and agitated faces
never tipped at that particular angle
over her false front except when mat
ters were very bad indeed and Aunt
Belinda leaned against the mantel in al
attitude Of limp despair
"What is the matter?" he asked, setting
his hat on lacquered tripod in one
corner, and balancing his cane in the
angle of the wall behind a stuffed ibis
whose speculative eyes seemed to glare
at him from the partial shadow after G
most uncomfortable fashion,
"Look there, Frank?" solemnly uttered
Miss Beckley, pointingwith her crooked
gold headed cane to the opposite
wall,
beautiful !" said Frank Franklyn, al
o venture. For he saw only long and
narrow parallelogram of black satin
mounted in a border of glimmerine
gold brocade, with roller of cream
white ivory, and background on which
q pensive stork wandered through
waves of lead-colored silk embroidery
and beneath the silver green shadow Of
sacred palms.
'Tsn't it ?" said Miss Belinda, hel
venerable face lighting up with mo
mentary satisfaction, only to darken
again into gloom. "But, oh Frank.
we haven't got match for it,"
"Not got match for it p,
"1here's nothing-nothing," cried
Miss Beckley, tragically lifting hel
hands, Sin all this room that is fit tC
hang on the other side of my deal
grandfather's portrait"
:" Why" said this reckless iconoclast
/ should think that almost anything
would do"
The two old ladies uttered a simul
taneous cry of dismay and horror.
Crank" reasoned mild Miss Beck
ley, "you don't understand high art. "
"Ycu're dear, good-hearted fel
low" added Miss Belinda, with tina
degree of charity wherewith mission
airy may be supposed to regard a we'll
intentioned cannibal, "and in knotty
point of law I don't suppose you hav'
your equal. But, you see, you are no
aesthetic"
"N-no," confessed Mr.. Franklyn
rubbing his nose; "perhaps 1 am not
But why don't you and Aunt Mirand
go down to the stores and match tn
thing"