The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-17

| keeper had added a few rolls OF
wallpaper TO his stock of goods. and
one or two other families had papercd
some rooms. st last spoke to father
about it. He told me that he had been
thinking about it himself, and would
ike very much to have our little sitting
room papered. but times were hard
and he did not see how he could afford
it. Well, Lucy and had long talk,
and we decided that by some means we
would have that paper. If father, too.
thought it desirable. it was certainly
very necessary that it should be done,
and we began a regular system of
saving money. can't tell you how we
twisted and turned. We went without
butter, and at the end of the month
sold as much as we thought We had
saved. The eggs were my perquisite
always, so | put the family on very
short allowance, and we ate none al
all When the strawberry season came
we picked all we could, and our brothers
sold them for US in the village; and we
also gathered few blackberries. Some
times we did a washing ourselves and
added the money we saved thereby to
our little hoard; and once when father
gave me some money to paw seam
stress, we did more than half of the
work ourselves and kept half the
money. 1t grew very slowly, that little
fund of ours. 1t was not until late in
the fall that we had accumulated money
enough for our purpose. But at last
we had quite enough and a little over,
oh hrrrr
cover for the cushion of fathers chair.
We had kept it a secret all this time
and now We began planning to get the
paper hung without letting father know
any thing about it. so that it should be
complete surprise. He very seldom
went from home and we began to.think
we should never have an opportunity
to put it on, when he was drawn on
jury and was obliged to go away, to
attend court, to be gone at least three
days.
Now was our chance. We worked
bus y all the first day, putting the
rooms in order and cooking food
enough to last for the next two DAYS.
We thought it would take US all the
second day to hang the paper and the
third to clean up nicely. Just at night
we walked down to the village and
bought our paper. We thought it very
elegant. 1t was just As pretty in our
eyes as your fine new wall covering is
in yours. More so, think, for you
see we had made great sacrifices for it
and We value things more which cost us
an effort"
"What was it like?" 1 asked.
Grandmother laughed again.
'The pattern was large. wheel-shaped
figures of bright blue, ranged in alter.
nate rows on yellow ground. am
afraid YOU would call the colors crude
and the patterns stiff and ungraceful,
if you should see bit of the paper now,
but to us it was faultleSS. We could i'm
agine nothing more beautiful. Mr.. Bur
bank, who kept the store, told us how
to make the paste and how to hang the
paper. but he omitted some other in
structiOnS which would not have come
amiss. We were up bright and early
the next morning, eager to begin our
task. The boys wanted to help and, of
course, hindered more than they aided
Jamie found us 4 nice board TO spread
our paper on, it is true. and Ben tied
cloths on sticks for us tOuSe in place OF
paste-bruShes. But when thev got &c
scuffling and upset our pail of paste OF
the carpet, we felt that we could easily
dispense with their services. o, how
hard we worked! How our backs ached.
and after al we did not finish it until
noon the next day. And somehow il
did not look right. 1t did not seem
like other peoples paper. You know
we had never seen more than two or
three papered rooms. and we said, over
and over again that day, that if it were
not so far. we would walk down to the
McIntyreS' and see if We could find out
what was wrong with our work. But
we persevcred and the wall was all
papered and the room almost cleaned
up when we heard father drive into the
ward. We were tired almost to death
and worried with the idea that after all
something was not as it should be, and
it was with many misgiyingS that we
waited for him to come into the room.
"When he opened the door he looked
around in his quick. sharp way. why
girls. what's all thiS?' he said.
1--we thought it would please you.
father, l faltcred, and then for the first
time it dawned upon me that perhaps
had not done quite right in keeping
my scheme secret from him all those
long months.
Bat it evidently did please him, for
he began to laugh, and [ never shall
forget to my dying. day how heartily he
laughed, while poor Lucy and stood
by, aching from head to foot. with
nerves all rasped and strained and
utterly miserable at what seemed to us
fathers untimely merriment. You see
we had expected him to be pleased.
be we didn't think he would be so
much pleased as he evidently was, and
his pleasure was too much for us. We
sat down on the floor and began to cry
in each other arms"
What was the matter with it, grand
mOther?" asked Lucy.
Grandmother was laughing now.
my dear, we had known nothing
about matching the figures, and those
great, staring wheels came against each
other in the oldest way. And that was
not all. We did not trim off the edge
as we should, so between the breadths
of paper came wide lines of plain white.
1t was very funny. Many times in
later years | have sat and laughed at