Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-14
WOMAN AND HOME.
A PEN PICTURE OF THE OLD PARL Or
WE USED TO KNOW.
Let Each Home Take Care of Itself.
Valuable Hints for the Laundry-Task-
ing Children Girls Education - A
Model yyife-HeIpful Hints.

Let Eacn Home Take Care OF Itself.
Valuable Hints for the Laundry-Task-
ing Children Girls Education - A
Model Wife-Helpful Hints.
There is usually parlor, with sometimesa
wood stove, quite often with no heating ap-
paratus, which, except on state occasions, is
o closed room. 1t is generally somee hat de-
tachcd from the remainder of the house,
hall dividing it from the sitting room The
blinds and windows are tightly shut and the
dark shades pulled down, and as you pause
in the doorway the atmosphere chills even in
midsummer and the dim Light through which
you see the ghos!ly folds OF the lace curtains
makes you feel YOU are entering a solemn
place. Here you will find a Brussels carpet
on whose dark ground are strewn roses and
pinks modelled after those which might have
furnished fragrance TO the inhabitants of
Brobdingnag. There are sofa and chairs of
haircloth which have not yet acquired the
individuality which even furniture gains
from being set in families, but look just as
little at home Us they did III the rooms of the
dealer in the neighboring city. There is
table with marble top, reminding one of
gravestone, whereon is lamp with spark
| ling pendants, set on a dainty mat of shaded
green, and a few books placed at proper
angles One is an album which belonged to
| the mistress of the house when a school girl.
We turn over the leaves and read the weak
sentiments of the faded writing on the yellow
pages and congratulate ourselves on the
| march of ideas. But soon the critical mood
disappears, for ont of the book steals gentle
l s
odor of dried rose leaves We comprehend
| how much real feeling the lines represent and
the pleasure they afforded; we imagine over
them girls tears dropping and catch the
| echo of q laugh
| girls laugh idle, and foolish, and sweet
| Here, too, is a volume of selected poetry,
also largely sentimental On the fly leaf, in
studied schoolboy hand, is the name of the
Oldest daughter of the family, who, we have
been told, died i'll her 18th year, with the
words. "Philopena, Present from her friend,
| { I. D. We recognize the initials as be-
| longing to a neishboring farmer, in middle
| life, with busting wife and troop of rosy
| children We have heard the report that he
| waited on Emmeline and took her death
| hard Here again are the traces of romance,
this time with touch of heartache There
Is also The Mothers Magazine, periodical
which bears the date of 1910, bound in rcd,
| "BaXtcrs Saints Rest, the familiar photo
| graphic album, and the latest edition Of Long
| fellows poems.
On one Of the walls is a hair wreath, made
| 10y Emueline.' Opposite hangs portrait of
a lady with a face which reminds one of
| Martha Washington Her plump throat is
| I I.,-, Ct, rf ich
now an treasured in a bureau drawer of the
| spare chamber as a precious heirloom, As
companion piece to this is the portrait of a
| Saunt. stern looking man, who holds tuning
| fork to the ear of IA lO-yearold boy in an
| <itlandiSh costume Neither from the ex-
preston nor the position of either can one
determine whether the elder is inclined to
amuSe or mfict corporal punishment, but
| the family tradition explains that the
| vision Of childish Innocence Il an early
picture of the master of the house;
that the elderly couple are his
parents, he being a child of their Old age;
that the worthy gentleman was a singing
| master of much local rcPute and that this
was a happy thought of the artist to suggest
his fav0lite pursuit. The lines We're evi-
IDENTIFY not traced by pupil of Sir Joshua
Reynolds or Gilbert Stuart; the eyes are
never detected III following you about the
| room: they are, nevertheless, very interest
ing On another side IS a group of a half
dozen family photographs in round gilt
francs and between the windows long
mirror with frame much too massive for the
low ceiling above it. On the mantel are a
pair of ancient silver candlesticks, each hold
M PAR of wax candles. When the four
used 20 I've lighted at once, the younger men,
bers locked on with feelings akin to those
with which they now regard presidential
illumination Besides, there are a vase of
dried grasses a piece of iron ore. a gift cup,
and basket made of sawed hutternut shells
hoaped with wedding invitations.
We find much elaborate fancy work in the
shape of tides and ottomans, and sofa pill
low 50 bright and fresh that one knows it
never harbored an aching head or tear
stained eyes. On light stand in one corner
rests the great family Bible, in black and
gold 1t Is a show volume, and since the
day it was brought home it has only been
opened when it was carried into the hall for
the use Of the minister on funeral occasions
and when a writing master who once boarded
here wrote in fourishing hand the family
record. The blessed contents, we know, are
the same, but otherwise it is not half so val
liable as the old leather covered book in the sit
ting room which Father likes, but of which
the rest have grown ashamed This has fig
ured at family worship for hundred years
and, within, three generations have recorded
their births, deaths and marriages, not in the
round, meaningless, uniform hand of the
writing master, but in the cramped style
which speaks of fingers unaccustomed to tht
I pen and stiff from holding the piow.
On lower shelf of this stand we fine
ranged rows of daguerTeotypes. Here is tn,
most attractive feature of the whole room
We SEE pa and ma before marriage" and 'pt
l and ma afteI,arriage,' babies Of all descTlp
tons; little girls i'll long pantalats and mitts
and little boys i'll bleuses, white undersleeve
and belts young ladies in striped silks Gu
'.l0w uecked, and with their hair in curtains
young men with their threats swathed IL
| yards of cravat, evidently to relieve the pair
occasionel by their strangling collars, anC
| with the ends of their hair tucked under witt
| much precision, while on the top it rear
| itself into an astonishing crest. There ar
women with caps and fronts covering thei
| own beautiful white hair; old men witt
scanned faces. and We find one CHASTITY like
ness OF the dead. We recognize some of these
grown older now; the fresh, undevelopeC
couftenances have taken on lines of patienc
and decision i'll some cases, in other case
! have grown hard and disagreeable On
can read much of family history by studyin;
these records of the suns. J. underwood
in Good Housekeeping.
Don't Worry Nor Hurry.