The Democratic advocate., 1885-10-10
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DIRECT FROM JAPAN.
Lucy Randall Comfort, an Haspers Baaar

Lucy Randall Comfort, an Harper's Bazar.
81 never was so disappointed in my life, "
said old Miss Beckley, letting her eye
glasses drop hopelessly at her side. care
you quite sure, Belinda 2"
'Ive been everywhere, said Miss Be-
linda Beckley, the younger of the two an
cient maiden ladies. everywhere And
there's nothing that corresponds with it in
the least degree"
The two Misses Beckley looked at each
other despairingly. And if one had been
gifted with fertile imagination, it would
have been easy to fancy them pair of
elderly enchantresses in the midst of a
magic palace For the quaint, low-ceiled
drawing rooms were filled with jointed
bamboo screens, carved masses of ivory,
hideous painted ware, and tiny cups and
saucers as transparent as so many egg
shells. And, by way of finishing up the
harmonious whole, they had hung their
walls with draperies and banners in wrinkled
Grape encircled with gold thread, lustrous
satin, brocaded tapestry, even strips of
gilded paper, where Oriental plants bios
somed, and phenomenal birds set all ones
preconceived ideas Of perspective at def
ance. And faint perfume of teak and
sandal-wood hung on the air, and dingy
rugs blotted out the harvest roses and the
tulips of the carpet which had been good
enough for the half-pay captain who had
once been uncle to the two Misses Beckley,
and it only required coffee-colored native
with wooden shoes and braided queue to
make one believe ones self in the Flowery
Land.
Japanese, you see" the two old ladies
would say, looking complacently at the
astounded guest who had stumbled from
an atmosphere of newly fallen snow and
New York sunshine into this half-lighted
strangely scented mosaic of the East
Eentirely Japanese"
But life is not without its shadows, and
upon this especial evening, as the nephew
and heir-apparent of the old ladies, one
Frank Franklyn, sauntered in, just as the
daffodil gold of the February twilight was
turning to hazy purple, he found both his
aunts plunged in the deepest abysses of
gloom.
Mr.. Franklyn looked from one to the
other of the weird and agitated faces. He
knew that Aunt Miranda's cap was never
tipped at that particular angle over her
false front except when matters were very
bad indeed; and Aunt Belinda leaned
against the mantle in an attitude of limp
despair.
"What is the matter? ?" he asked, setting
his hat on lacquered tripod in one corner,
and balancing his cane in the angle Of the
wall behind stuffed ibis, whose specula-
tive eyes seemed to glare at him from the
partial shadow after a most uncomfortable
fashion.
"Look there, Frank |" solemnly uttered
Miss Beckley, pointing with her crooked
gold-headed cane to the opposite wall.
Beautiful p said Frank Franklyn, at a
venture, For he saw only long and mar
row parallelogram of black satin mounted
in a border of glimmering gold brocade,
with roller of cream white ivory, and a
background on which pensive stork wan
dered through waves of lead-colored silk
embroidery, and beneath the silver green
shadow of sacred palms.
"Isnt it?" said Miss Belinda, her ven
cradle face lighting up with momentary
satisfaction, only to darken again into
gloom. "But, oh Frank, we haven't got
a match for it.
"Not got match for~it-?'
"There's nothiug-nothing, cried Miss
Beckley, tr9gically lifting her hands, "in
all this room that is fit to hang on the other
side of my dear grandfather's portrait.
why" said this reckless iconoclast, 81
should think that almost anything would
do"
The two old ladies uttered a simultaneous
cry of dismay and horror
Crank" reasoned mild Miss Beckley,
"you don't understand high art. y
"You're a dear good-hearted fellow, :"
added Miss Belinda, with that degree of
charity wherewith a missionary may be
supposed to regard well-intentioned can
nibal, "and in knotty point of law don't
suppose you have your equal. But you
see, you are not aesthetic.
"N-no,'' confessed Mr.. Franklyn, rub
bing his nose; perhaps / am not. But
why don't you and Aunt Miranda go down
to the stores and match the things 2"
ave have tried" said Miss Beckley.
at can't be done" added Miss Belinda,
with sigh.
"Give ic to me" said Frank, who was
great at an emergency. "I'll take it down
town with me tomorrow. There's new
place open near the docks where they pre-
tend to import novelties. Tado Anoko, L
believe, is the name painted up over the
door. Probably the concern is kept by an
Irishman, with a staff of German clerks.
But I've seen some nice things out at the
door. Perhaps can obtain something to
suit you there
"Oh, Frank, if you only could r cried
Miss Belinda, clasping her mittened hands.
'At all events, it is worth the trial, !"
said Miss Beckley, cheering up little.