The Iola register., 1889-02-22
love IN A COTTAGE. "
The Story of the Little House OF
Laurel Street.

" tiiluh IL l. UtO
that you have to come down to this tiny
little house after living in that lovely
home on the avenue said Anna May
hew to her cousin, as the two stood in
, the middle of an empty room in the
small house which was all that re-
manned to Jeanette of the large estate
which her father was supposed to have
left TO her at his death. Everything
else had been mortgaged SO heavily
that when the crash came all had to 60.
perhaps you'd better say that /
ought to think myself fortunate that l
have even shelter for my head" re-
lied Jeanette, trying to speak lightly
Of the matter.
That is about all it is, a shelter.
Where the carpets, curtains, and furni-
ture are to come from. don't see."
81 do,''
Then pray lend me your spectacles.
May be, too, you can imagine Oliver
Sawtelle contented and happy in these
shabby rooms, surrounded by cheap
furniture you'll have to buy"
No, can not think that he will be
at all contented; but men, you know,
have their clubs to which they can re-
sort However. he will have to make
the best of a bad bargain: though l am
sure his aunts will not fail to remind
him that he would be in a very differ
ent position to-day if he had married
Minnie Morris instead of me- Her
father has weathered the financial
storm which has wrecked U.S."
Anna was sorry she had spoken as
she did, for she had suspected for some
time that Oliver Sawtelle was not the
devoted husband that he might have
been; there was really nothing serious
against him, only that he spent less
and less time at home. and was more
devoted TO his club than man should
be who had been married only two
years. So to change the current of her
cousins thoughts she asked:
''As for furniture. now with what do
you propose to fill this bare room? l
presume it will be the parlor?"
.'Sitting-room. / shall dub it. and
then my PLAIN cretonne-covered chairs
will not look so out of place. intend
to have the floor stained. and so dis
pense with carpets: 'one can make SER
viceable rugs out of yard or two of
gay bordering and small center of SOL
id color. / intend to take that old sofa
and easy-chair which were in the house
keepers room, and by covering them
both with some of that pretty cretonne
which i saw for twenty-five cents a
yard, at Blanks. will make them look
fresh and comfortable, some of the
same cretonne shall be converted into
curtains, sofa pillows and cushions for
the backs of those two willow rockers
of mine"
.'Oh! if you are going for that sort of
thing, you can get along on the little
money you have set aside for furnish
ing"
Il can and must get on with it! /
have good wide window-sills here, so /
have good place for plants; and they,
you known, do much toward brighten
ing up room
Anna shed more tears that night over
Jeannette's .'come down in the world
than Jeanette herself did. Jeanette
sys too busy planning TO have many
spare hours for pitying herself; indeed,
che did not want to find time for such
sentiments, for the thing that troubled
her most was not this sudden descent
from vast wealth to literally nothing. |
but the alienation of her husbands af- |
fections. Long before this crash came,
she had seen that he cared less and less |
for his home, so. to stihe sorrow, she |
had become gayer than ever before in
her bright young life; she dressed and |
danced, rode and drove. laughed and |
fiirted mildly, until the failure of the
great clearinghouse in which her hus-
oand and mis- father were partners, 1
brought financial ruin TO her.