Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-03-28
How to Begin Housekeeping.

NOW W DfRiN uOusthetUtUks
Between dining-room and kitchen are two
doors, q passage FIVE feet long; on The Night
Of this, china shelves behind q sliding glass
door, on the left, a blank wall. The Kitchen
looks out upon neat backyard. A couple
Of stationary tubs are on one flank of sink,
q copper boiler the other. Under il is pot
and-kettle closet. The modern improve
ments are packed into the smallest possible
space consistent with the availableness
The floor is painted the range shining clean.
Two tables and three wooden chairs-one of
them low rocker-compose the movable
furniture.
"a trifle cheerless," Joan admits, blithely |;
&" but when the fire is lighted it will look
different. Here is my mixing room u open.
ing the door of communication with the
small apartment cut off from the back hall.
A table is set against the solitary window.
Before this rug knitted of woolen strips,
warm, thick and serviceable, lies on the
painted floor. A broad ledge runs along one
side Of the room. Under it are q covered
-four barrel, above which square section Of
the ledge is hinged like trap-door. Sew
eral buckets for holding sugar and other dry
groceries are ranged in a line with the bar
rel. From row of nails over the shelf de-
pend egg-beater, spoons-iron, wire, and
wooden-toasting. fork, cake-turner, and a
dozen other light implements. Bright tin
ware and kitchen-crockery are in neat array
on the shelf, with pastry board, chopping
and bread trays, etc.
If Joan was content in the dining-room,
she is jubilant here.
"The dearest, jolliest, most fascinating
little nook she AYERS, psrchipg herself on
the corner of the table while she enumerates
its charms. ain winter it can be. warmed
by opening the door. In summer the kitchen
door will be shut while l am busy in here
that leading into the hall, end the window,
be opened. There need be no litter of ma
terials in the kitchen, and on washing day,
when must run down to toss up something
nice for dinner, shall not be suffocated by
sospy steam. In this corner hope to be
queen. Mamma says no servant would
keep it as orderly as l would that most
young housekeepers make the mistake OF
expecting such work from hirelings as they
would do themselves. She told me to be
careful always to wash the bowls, spoons,
etc.. that have used, and put them back
in their places; to brush up the floor and
wipe the table clean when have flushed
my work. She thinks one reason so many
servants dislike to have the "mistress in
the kitchen is that she makes 80 much clear
ing up for them. She is hindrance rather
than help. "Our girl" enters upon her
duties tomorrow. She Is young, and will
need training, but mamma says l ought to
be able TO do that, and it will be better for
me to lead and instruct from the beginning
than TO be tutored by au elderly woman
who is 'set' in her way. That mother
Of mine is wonderfully wise woman
"She has msrvelously sensible daugh'
ter" rejoins the tbreemonth-old bride
groom, following her up the stairs.
If he had been told that he would find the
parlors laid with ingram carpets, his pride
as home-owner and his taste would have
revolted together. Yet such is the fact
The 6gureless fabric here is rich, tawny
tint, like that of bed of woodland moss on
which successive frosts have fallen gently,
Joan terms it " dark old-gold," and it is re
leved by border of shaded olive and scar
let. The hall is carpeted to match, as is
the mere closet above the mixing ROOM
dignifed by the title of " library"
The walls throughout the house are
"hard finish"
ave had to put up with it in the other
stories," represents the italical little mana
ger, "but made stand here, and talked
the landlord into agreeing to put cheap
paper on the walls. He named the price he
was willing to give and graciously permitted
me to choose the pattern. With five of the
eight dollars had saved (from the sixty
had allowed for the dining.room) added to
his limit. bought from James c. Munroe
179 Devonshire street, Boston-don't laugh
- ingram paper for these three rooms and
the entry. 1t comes in plain colors and has
double the weight Of ordinary wallpaper
Is not this creamy.brown, or brownish
cream, luxury to the eye2 And it hsr
monies perfectly with the carpet, without
having tonch Of the metallic yellow SC
trying to the complexion"
A hat rack with q small mirror set in il
is hung in the hall spindle-legged table
that was Joan's grandmother's beneath it
bracket covered with birch bark, on
which is painted thorny bough encrusted
with lichens, is fastened on the walls he
tween the front and back parlor doors. A
gray trail OF Spanish moss floats from it
upon it benevolently- owl
stands guard, crotcheted branch inter
woven by vireo's nest projects upward
Half-drawn pOriieres of Turkey red cotton
hang in the parlor doors. They are lineC
with cream colored silesia, and bands oi
oliveand-scarltt cretone are laid near the
top and bottom. Similar hangings drapt
the parlor windows, front and back.
"The lining tampers the red glare, anG
makes q cheap material look like one thai
cost twice as much" reports Joan. "WheI
a room is properly papered, curtained anC
carpeted, 1t may be said to be three-quarteri
furnished. have long considered parlol
sofa cunbrous monument to popular pre-
judice. could write an essay upon The
Sofa longer than Cowper's poem. 1t il
expensive, clumsy, and as inconvenient il
a small room as an elephant in a horse.
stall. Etiquette forbids men to seat them
selves upon it while ladies occupy chairs
yet the youth OF the present day delights t
establish himself thereupon. People ough
not to lounge in reception and drawing
rooms. What is needed there is encourage
ment to conversation. As a seat, the sofs
Is like the glutton's turkey inconyenient
being too much for two aud not enough fo
three Here are my substitutes for thu
costly monster"
She shows two wicker chairs, painteS
black and lightly gilded, which she ha
cushioned in the seats and padded at thu
backs also three reception chairs, black
and.gilt, the rush bottoms painted in stripe
OF white and scarlet. A Japanese stanC
and an ebonized cabinet were wedding pres
ents, as were three fine engravings. A
round table 10 draped with cloth embroid
cred by another friend. There is an easy
chair upholstered in raw silk, old'gold an6
black a bamboo easel (price s5) supports
the largest of the engraving; a pale blu'