The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-01-05
Mrs. DODD'S PORTIERE.

al mean to have portiere, sure's you
live" announced Mrs. Dodd.
"Lor, what's that?" asked Lucinda.
zone OF Mrs. Parloa's new recipes? L
hope It's something 600 ="
"a pOrtGer'e! child alive! Don't Won
know what that is? They's curtains,
hung up e. the doors, and they sweep
OF the floor-and they're worked with
crewels, and yarns and things! Lawyer
Brownies folks, over TO bingham, have
real satin brocade ones in the best
parlor, good enou II for gown. But
Mrs. Kitchener, the housekeeper, she
took me into her room, and there WAS
nothing but coffee-bagging, If you'll
believe it, with bits of colored cot on
flannel sewed on EN-; and the bAgging
ain't over 10 cents yard.
81 don't see the good of hanging cur
tains up to the doors; nobody can see
through EN-"
al r, child, the door is took of, and
the lortjer'e hangs in its place, and
looks mighty grand, and IN kes you
fee as though you was living in a
pal ce.
al don't believe it'll deceive me-"
shifted Lucinda
DO get the dictionary down, Lucinda,
and look out pOrtjerc. | want to know
how TO spell it, and all about it, and
when Mrs. Jerry comes in she can't trip
me. How cut up she'll be! You know
when Brother Ben left me his best
wooden carpet she wanted to know if [
wasn't afraid of moths getting into the
house."
Lucinda took down the consumptive-
looking dictionary and pondercd over
it.
al don't believe that's the right
word, she said presently, there amt
no such word hete."
40 such word You're Just like
your Aunt jerry Dodd-always making
folk miserable Don't you suppose
Mrs. Kitchener knows, and she living
this twenty year up ter Lawyer
Browne's?"
81 daresay shes poking finn it you"
"Poking fun at met Do YOU think
your mother Is person cakilated to hev
fun poked at her, Lucindy Dodd?"
The Dun ans have got an una
br.dged, said Lucinda, waving the
question; 81 II run over and hunt it mp"
But don't let on what you're looking
after want the neghbors to come in
and ask what I've got hanging up
there and [ want TO tell EN- a pOrtere.
10 be sure;' ard l want to see EN- a
turning it over in their minds, dying OF
curiosity to know what portiere is,
but hating to give in that they never
heard of the thinu beforei"
But Mrs. Kitchener, who had been
commits toned to buy the coffee-b ggiag
IN bingham, happened over with it the
next day,
do YOU know said Mrs Dodd, pri-
vately, @we've hunted through the die
tionary, and Lucindy's looking in the
unabridged, and we can't find portieTe,
high or low?"
@Of course you couldn't" answered
Mrs. Kitchener. "Why, it's q French
world"
"A French wordi" repeated Mrs.
Dodd "a real French word! You don't
say so! Why folksll come from Old
bury and heartfelt and all about to see
1t, Just as ii it was whole menagerie.
Mrs Jerry1l be just fit to die. But /
don't know what Tomll say about talxiag
the door off the hingesl'
~ guess he'll talk French" put in
Lucinda. And he did.
"Take the door off the hinges!" he
cried. "What tomfoolery is this, ell?
Are you crazy, Pameley? All the neigh
bors'l be laughing at you. Hang your
portiere."
@Thats just what we want to do"
gigeled Lucinda.
"The neignbors don't laugh at Law
yer Brownies folks, and there's portieres
and portjsres all over the house. / see
'em with my own eyes.
~And the doors took OFF," gasped
Tom.
ayes"
"Blest if ] ever heard of such q
thing! 1t must be modern progress!
Why not take down side of the house
and hang up curtain? What's it for,
any way? It amt pretty; it oks like
O horse blanket. It'll be mighty nice
for rheumatism and infuenzy. Why
not tske the roof off the house in
stead2"
But for oil Tom Dodd's disapproval
the door came off, and the portiere,
brilliant with cotton-fannel dragons,
Japanese young men and women, half
moons and hieroglyphics, reigned in its
stead. Mrs. Dodd was ready for the
neighbors.
MERCY sakes alivel" calculated Mrs.