Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-03-29

our lives at that time. \ confused
dream Of beds;eads and sideboards IN
the drawing-room, wardrobeS in the
dining room, Dresden china and mirrors
in the kitchen, Naples men and strange
cats everywhere. timed beef dinners and
general all-pervading atmosphere of
straw
But at last it was all over and Marga-
ret triumphantly declared that the
house looked as if we had lived in it
for wears. thought it rather a dubious
compliment, but did not tell her SO.
One morning. as We were sitting at
breakfast, letter was brought in and
handed to my wife. The postman is
late this morning" she said, as she took
it. said nothing: had caught glimpse
of the handwriting and huge golden
monogram on the envelope. 1t was
from Aunt Georgina.
laid down my knife and fork and
looked blankly across the table at Mar
garet, who looked blanker still. She
had just spread a piece of toast with
marmalade- although she was in the
middle of eating an egg-in sheer des-
peratiOn and self elf-abandonment.
Il can't read it." she said presently,
tossing the letter across to Inc. lit
looks as if she had written it with her
left hand and her eyes shut"
l deciphered its contents with some
difficulty, and then read it aloud to Mar
garet. 1t ran as follows:
Ny DEAR MAGGIE ~ wish she wouldn't call
you Maggie, said: So hear you are established
in a new town house. think Of running. up next
Saturday til Monday, just for change OF air for
myself and BOulOtte ,B0ulOtte WAS her pugl, and
to havea peep at the fashions between saturday
afternoon and Monday morning. May | occupy
your spare room? OF course You have spare
room l know the delightful plan of all London
houses. All news when meet.
Your affectonate AUNT GEoRGISA.
To-day was Monday; she had not Civ
en- us long notice of her coming.
ITO think of her trying to make us
believe that she is really only coming
from Saturday to Monday" said Marga-
ret, scornfully. II don't quite see how
she could peep at the fashions between
! Saturday afternoon and Monday morn
ing, unless she means she is going to
study the bOnnets in church"
"Well." | said. dividing my morning
paper into two, and giving Margaret the
part with the births, deaths and mar
riages, which she always likes To see;
Its awkward her wishing TO come just
as We have decided not to have spare
room, but we can easily write and say
we haven't one"
No" said Margaret, shaking her
head Sagely, ''that would never do. In
the first place, she would be very much
offended, and she mustn't be offended,
for You know, Charles, | have some ex-
pectations from her-though it is not
much" That was very true. Then"
she continued, "our not having her to
stay in this house will not prevent her
coming up to town. She will walk in on
us directly she arrives Saturday after
noon, very probably. She will, of course,
expect to be shown all over the house;
and it will strike her as rather peculiar
why we have left our large front bed
room on the third floor empty. You
know the hOrrid way she always notices
everything. She will bear down on me
with an avalanche of questions, and
probably get everything out of me before
| know where l am. What we must do
is must turn that room into some other
kind of room-nOt a bedroom" she con-
tinued vaguely.
1t was time for me to go to the city,
so we did not discuss the matter any
more just then.
AS have said, this was Monday, and
by Wednesday evening we had not come
to any decision about our spare room.
But Margaret had written polite.
though, am afraid, rather hypocritical
note to Aunt Georgina, saving that un-
fortunately we possessed no spare bed
room, and entreating her to take up
her quarters at the PaddingtOn Hotel
and give us as much of her society as
was possible,
On Wednesday evening we began Seri !
ously to discuss our spare room; time |
was getting short. Margaret could sug
gest nothing but a picture gallery or
private chapel; but as we had no pictures |
worth speaking of and there was a
church in the next street, the suggestion |
could hardly be called good one; and
my idea of turning the room into a
kitchen-as the sanitary dwelling folk |
tell one that the kitchen should always |
be at the top of the house received |
by Margaret with ScOrn and cOnJumely. |
Fancy ones dinner coming down to
one instead of up" she said; show dread
full it would be. I'm sure | should never
be able to eat mOrsel."
Il don't quite see the objection" | re-
piled mildly, "unless you think it would
be come down; and, in any case, your
dinner must go down when You eat it,
you know"
Margaret took no notice of this re-
mark. 1t is always point of honor
with her not to see any of my jokes
when they are at her expense. She did
not even smile.
1T would be horrible" she went on.
81 should feel that the next thing would
be should have to wear divided skirts
and stockings with toes to them"
Il thought stockings always had toes"
l said, but Margaret vouchsafed me no
reply, not condescending to inform me
that she referred to DR.. Jaeger's new
system, where toes of the stockings are
like the fingers in the glove.
The next day, as | was sitting in nv
Office, brilliant idea suddenly rushed
post-haste into my mind. 1t was so bril-
liant, and also felt that the time was
getting on so fast, that l decided to go
home at once and communicate it to Mar
garet. | was rather proud of it, for as a
rule | do not have so many brilliant
ideas as she has. Therefore | at once
left the office, although it was only $3.50
o'clock. and hailing the first respectable
looking hanson that could see, drove
rapidly home.
L dashed upstairs into the drawing
room, where Margaret was sitting.
'Oh, Charley!" she cried; show yOu
startled me. 1 was altering dress,
and thought you were caller" And
she pulled out her paraphernalia from
II Z,