Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-03-28
VOL. 7S.-39S9. NO. 25.
In the doorway connecting the parlors is

In the doorway connecting the parlors Is
a curtain that Darby examines curiously.
"Odd and oriental" Is his comment.
"Made Of elk strlps--cast off ribbons
and the like-sewed together as our grand
mothers Joined rags for carpets, and woven
into magniHcence by John Ryan, SO Bow
cry he Is informed. You will see the
same in the door between the library and
this passing into the back room. :" call
this our retreat, the heart OF the home, your
bower of repose II is where you and / are
to live and learn what home is l consider
IL my chef d'ouvre"
She would say "the keynote" II she had
ever heard the anecdote with which our
former paper began. She made a mental
sketch of II, first Of all, in entering upon
her work Of love, and has wrought the rest
up to it. Darby puts out bis arm to draw
her closer to him as the reposeful hush, the
heartcomfort Of the place, steal into his
soul.
There is q lounge here. Joan had it made
TO order-half as wide again as the conven-
tional pattern, with long, easy slope at
the head and with no back-then covered
it with cretonne old. gold and black picked
out with scarlet. Pillows of turkey-red
heap it into luxuriousness. A folded afghan
falls over the head slope. There is twist
of red drapery about the frame Of the por-
trait Of Darby's mother over the mantel,
plume of pampas grass behind it. Screens
of trellised ivy hide the view of the clothes
yard. A Shaker rocker is set near basket
work-stand. An ancient armchair, an heir
loom, has been stuffed into plumpneso and
comfort, and covered with 'cretonr . kke that
on the lounge. AT the left elbow is a round
table. The sweeping cloth repeats the tint
1t h. 10 I'M nod AZ
edges with deep scallops embroidered with
scarlet silk. A students lamp-the porce-
lain shade Of softest, most grateful green
foot-rest in suggestive proximity to the
chair, two or three magazines, a paper
weight, even this mornings newspaper,
show without need Of spoken hint where
the tired master is to be most completely
and happily at home. No two chairs in
| this apartment are alike. Most are low
| all are comfortable.
al picked them up at odd times and
places, and made frolic of rigging them
out" says Joan.
She is no artist, but she is thankful for
| the measure Of taste and skill that has ena-
bled her to prepare the charcoal sketches
| Darby greets as old friends. at all goes to
help make home
fhe library bookcases are breast high,
and stocked with her books and her hus-
bands. The shelves, like those below stairs,
are of polished yellow pine, and edged with
notched strips of red morocco. Joan tackled
them on with brass headed nails, and fss-
tened down with the same the red bsize on
the topmost shelf. On this are three plas-
ter casts. baize.covered table, and an
office chair, a study lamp, inkstand, port
folio, and blotting-book, testify that work
l 4 L.. i, - ,la harA A
tain Of olive felt, banded with scarlet, shades
| the one window.
The bedroom floors are stained, and rugs
Of the invaluable ingram are laid down.
| In the guest-chamber are muslin curtains /;
10 Joan's own, cretonne. The floor Of the
bathroom is covered with linoleum. There
is abundant store Of sheets and towels and
white counterpanes, clean, warm blankets,
and no comfortables or bedquilts, If we ex.
cept duuet or couure-pied, thrown across
| the foot of each bed. The furniture Is Of
inexpensive native woods in one room ash,
in the other poplar. In the servants cham
ber are an iron bedstead, good bureau,
washstand and rocking-chair.
In neither of the second-story bedrooms
are there many ornaments. Mamms's pu-
pil sensibly reasons that the dust of sleep
ing apartments should be dislodged and ex-
PEELED every day; that china figures and
vases, picture frames and plaques and
dried grasses and Japanese umbrellas collect
flying particles which Professor Tyndall
warns us contain embryotic bacteria. If
undisturbed they breed evil to human lives,
and to get rid of SO many myriads requires
more time than our Joan can spare.
Thoroughness and consistency are the
leaven of good housewifery as of stable
character. To unite taste and true econ
omy; to be content when the result reached
is comfort and prettiness, with no incon-
gruous streakings of splendor; to sound a
key note that shall bring the whole compo-
sition within the easy compass of those who
are 10 conduct it-thst is to make the true
best of ones self and the means at her dis
posal to be honest and ingram throughout.