Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-17
the whole barn would have been in a

probably at this moment telling how he
was 1nposedupon by two young people
who lived IN elegant stile, who had hall
q million at their disposal, but who
were too mean to offer even the crumbs
Off then table to gentleman in re-
duced circumstances. The house is
painted, and that is somethinggained
though | admit the work could have
been done in q style more artistic.
Will worked early and late in the
vegetable garden back of the house,
while / turned my attention toward
identifying the interior of our home.
| had large trunk filled with cheese
cloth, chintz and cretonne. The arti-
cles were given me by an aunt who was
very eccentric. When she informed me
concerning the contents Of the trunk
must admit that I felt disappointed; I
had INDUCED in the hope that aunt
Sarah's presents would be handsome
silverw;tre or china. VIII declared
that ! actually turned up my nose
when opened the trunk; and he stated
that ! became positively pugnacious
when | viewed the contents. My nose
has a decided tendency to turn upward;
therefore I looked very severe and de
clined to laugh at the fun. Will assur-
ed me that he was only Joking, and be-
came SO eloquent in his eulogistic re-
marks concerningmy nasal appendagc,
that ] could not help laughing and of
course peace was restored.
Ifelt positively grateful toward aunt
Sarah when | realized that the con-
tents Of the trunk would enable me to
beautify my home so that it would be
81 10y forever.'
Soft, cream-tinted cheese cloth made
lovely curtains for the two windows in
my bedroom. I cut off six yards Of
cloth for each window, hemmed the
edges, and run drawing string through
the top, then wound the ends of the
string around two nails that were
driven firmly i'll the woodwork direct
ly above the upper sash. l henlmed
two yards OF the cloth lengthwise, and
madea gathered lambrcquin; then rum
ming a casing about three inches below
the top of the hem, to form q frill. I
fastened it on to the nails that sup
ported the curtain. In order to coun-
teract the plain effect, | made three
plaits in the centre and fastened them
with large bow of blue ribbon.
l peeped through the curtain and
saw Will standing directly in front OF
the window, evidently trying to at
tract my attention. When he saw me
he waved his cap in the air and e1ecut-
ing a regular ardance, in a style that
would have caused an Indian to turn
green with envy, shouted "bravo! little
one, you are making tremendous pro-
greSS."
Two gentlemen, driving by the house,
in a carriage, looked as though they
thought the place private lunatic asy-
lun. They probably imagined that I
was kept in solitary confinement. In
regard to Will, I have no doubt but
what they looked upon his antics with
intense alarm, for they applied the whip
to their horse, and in Il short time dis
appeared in the distance.
The floors all through the house had
been painted brown. Linsee>l oil vel!
rubbed into the boards, would make
them as good as new.
Away down in the trunk already men
toned I found three bright knitted
rugs, that had been fashioned by aunt
Sarah deft fingers, they were just what
I needed to lay about my room. My
pretty cottage set, all blue and gold "a
present from Wits mother) contrast
ed beautifully with the dark floor and
bright rugs. l did not fancy the ap-
pearance of the old, white mantel; the
paint was all worn OF and it looked
shabby in the extreme. l covered the
top with cheese cloth, lacking it under
meath; then measuring off three yards Of
the cloth, I cut it in two, lengthwise.
Taking one-half OF the material, hem
med it, and turning down the other
side, gathered it about one inch from
the top. Small galvanized tocks with
round heads, served to fasten the LAM
brequin on to the mantel, and were
rendered invisible by being placed I'M
der thefolds. A blue bow in the centre
and one at each end finished that front
of the decoration. I furnished the
mantel with pretty nickle clock and
two 6ligree vases. My youngest sister
had made a lovely toilet set, consist
ing Of a pincushion made of blue satin,
with q spray of ''Lilies of the Valley"
worked in Kensington stitch across the
top, and two bottles covered with satin
and worked in the same design. Lay
ing a "erazy work" scarf across the
top Of my pretty dressing bureau, l
placed the toilet set upon it; then
pausedto note the effect, when voice
at my shoulder, exclaimed:
"Why, Bess, you surely must have
had the wand OF magician, to enable
you to accomplish all this!' turned
q smiling face towards my better half,
who was so loud in his praise OF my
work, that I felt it would bewithin my
power to Conquer Worlds," should
occasion arise for such heroic action
on my part.
Returning to the trunk, drought out
piece OF cretonne. The pattern was
O. cluster OF crimson rose buds on q
dark brown ground. 1t made pretty
covers for my lounge, and for thegreat
easy chair that stood in the corner OF
the dining-room. I made a lambre-
uuin OF cretonne, cut it in squares and
edging each square with narrow red
fringe, fastened it on the mantel with
small brass tacks.
Two pretty hassocks were formed,
by cutting four circular pieces out of
the material; two straight pieces about
quarter OF yard in width, and Of SUI
ticient length to go around the circular
pieces, were cut lengthwise OF the goods.
Lining all the pieces with stout muslin,
l sewed them together and filed each
hassock with sawdust.s A curtain OF
cheese cloth, MADDEN the same style as
those in my bedroom, were put up at
the dining-room window and drawn
back, with loops made OF cretonne.
l cut sixteen patches five inches