Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-16
COTTAGE
An Illustration of Simplicity Drawn from
can Old Maids Paradise"

AN illustration of Simplicity Drawn from
IAN Old Maids Paradise"
Many directions given in regard to
household furnishings are b%ewildering
from their impracticable character and
carelessness of expense. One is told
that antique china, highly decorated in
classic designs, is essentials; that por-
there's must be rich and Oriental; that
onyx Corinthian columns are useful
additions to furnishings; that all arti-
Giles must be unique, richly carved, and
in strange designs. 1t may be pleas
ant to contemplate luxuries of that
sort, but with a limited income one is
apt to be exasperated at the accouuts.
Miss Phelps, in her last book, can Old
Maids Paradise" has described an in
terror OF a cottage with are simplicity.
She says the small parlor was painted
gray, the walls, ceiling and floor
harmonlzing in different tints. A
border OF black ran around the floor,
and several felt mats of cherry color,
fringed with gray, gave a cheerful
effect. The beams and rafters left bare
by the absence of plastering were
touched with a neutral tint. The dado
was formed of wood-cuts, all land
scapes, from American and English
magazines, bordered by a fine line of
black. A frieze of cardinal flowers cut
from chromos finished the top of the
room. The curtains were cotton
flannel of a silver shade, bordered and
tied with cherry. The cheap and COM
Portable lounges were upholstered with
gray cotton flannel, and had bright
pillows. The deck chair at the window
was tied with cherry ribbons.
There was a tiny open stove.
The rocking chair was old
and generous. Books, statuettes and
pictures were abundant, and the room
had the air of having been lived in a
long time. The dining-room was oiled,
not painted, and the rafters of the cell
ing were covered with thin lichens
lined with gold paper. The curtains
were English %silesia, of a golden brown
worked with oak leaves. One of the
chambers was blue and the other
green. On the pale ceiling of the blue
room pale butterflies from natural
history cards were pasted. The wind
wv were draped with blue and white
muslin. The green room had green
floor, walls and furniture. The walls
were hung with ferns, pressed and
fastened securely with gum t%ragacanth.
The curtains were of cheap white mus
lin, and were not tied. The room
looked like a bower. Miss Phelps adds
that there was not a stork, a bulrush, a
Japanese fan, nor a grandmother's
teacup in the house. But it is useless
to deny that Japanese fans are desir-
able and ornamental, if they are we'll
chosen and are not used to excess. The
advantage of Miss Phelps picture is its
illustrative force. A cheerful, artistic
room and house does not depend en-
tirely upon its pecuniary Jalue. The
elegant mansion which has been fur
nished under the direction of the house
furnisher, and which bears not a
thought nor a suggestion of its owners,
is lifeless and bare compared to the
house furnished under the loving care
of a tasteful possessor to whom each
object represents careful study. The
poorest clerk can have a pretty, attrac-
tive home if he saves his wage pru.
IDENTIFY and buys gradually, one at a
time, the cheap, but harmonious and
tasteful furnishings.-Boston Journal.