The Springdale news., 1889-12-20
BACKYARD STUDIES.
Aunt Matilda's Observations from
 Her Back Window.


 When Aunt Matilda came to visit us and insisted on having a back room, we were greatly disappointed. fer sister Hattie and had spent weeks of our precious vacation time in mak ing all sorts of pretty nothings 10 beautifY the guest-chamber for her occupancy. We had not seen Aunt Matilda for ten years. In that time Hattie and l had grown from little Siris to young ladies in our teens and members of the high school. The principal things l could remember about Aunt Matilda were her pretty gray curls and gold-rimmed glasses, and that when she visited Us l always had on fresh, white pinafore, and she would say to me:
 "Gome here, my dear. and let me wipe my glasses on your clean apron. ,
 Very proudly would l comply with her request, for we considered it q great honor to wear any thing clean enough to come in contact with her polished gold spectaeles. Then when she had used one corner of the pima fore so carefully as not to leave a rum pie she would pass her plump, warm hand over my curls and say:
 What tall girl you are growing, Hetty, my child. hope you are q good girl at school and always mind your teacher"
 And l would answer: s'Y es, ma am, - very timidly and 20 back to my seat on high. Undiscovered chair, where l would make desperate effort to sit straight and keep from sliding off.
 Father had moved West-away out to Colorado-and, as 1 said, we had not seen Aunt Matilda for ten years when we received the welcome news that she was coming to pay us a visit. and We all resolved not to let her go away from Us again if we could help it. Perhaps this was the reason we had taken such extra pains with the guest chamber 1 know, when it was all finished, Hattie and l surveyed it with what we hoped was pardon able pride We had coaxed from papa new bedroom suit of polished oak which, with its broad mirror of plate glass, shone grandly in the sun light which streamed in through the curtains of the yellow china silk. The big, pIush-cushioned patent rocker was resplendent in draperies of hand painted silk, while the wicker chairs displayed their fine linen and satin ribbons, and even the ottoman was fine in silk embroidery. As for the bed-wen. it was simply lovely, Shams were not out of date then. and ours were marvels of fine lace and the Chinese laundry art-and the pret- tiest yellow satin bows in corner of eachl The lace spread over q quilt of yellow silesia, and the scarf of crazy work in silk and velvet completed the ravishing picture
 When Aunt Matilda came Mattie and 1 had the honor of escorting her to this chamber of state and, you may be sure, we watched furtiyely to see how it impressed her.
 Perhaps We were the more anxious because We knew she had opposed fathers coming West, and we wanted to impress her with the financial sue cess of the move, and to show her that truly Hsthetic taste dwelt even as far west as Colorado.
 '.Let me take off your wraps, auntie, V said Matte, setting her little handbag on the floor by the dresser and going up 10 Aunt Matilda. who stood looking about in d hesitating manner.
 "Wait minute. my dear-let me tell you something you won't mind if your old auntie is frank with you, know. I've lived over sixty years, my dear, and I've found that in the end it always pays to be frank with your best friends Nov. know you want me to feel perfectly at home here, and this room is very beautiful-yes, very beautiful indeed-but It is too large and fine for simple old lady like me. Don't you sec 1 couldn't really sit against any of these handsome draperies-it would be sure to mus5 them-and-w 1 shouldn' { feel the least bit at home here. I've lived q very plain, quiet life, you know. Now, girls, if you ve little cozy back room somewhere, with just plain furniture, so that wouldn' { feel that l was muss- ing any thing, I should enjoy it so much.
 In vain we protested that nothing was too nice for her to use, and that We had no other room good enough for her. She sileneed Us with grace