The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-04-03
MRS. CACKLE'S CARPET.

Carpets, young man, if you pleasel'
said Mrs. Cackle.
What sort of carpets, ma'am? Mo-
quette? Wilton? We have some very de-
sirable importations of royal velvet'-
mo, Brussels! The cheapest thing you
have in Brussels that is any way decent"
Mrs. Cackle sat up on the eighth floor
OF NEEDLE & Minturn's great store, her
silken f1ounces ripping around her ample
form, the bird of paradise plume on her
hat nodding, as if to give extra signifi-
canoe to every word she spoke. Her tan
kid gloves, glistening with many buttons,
were distended with rings; her lacAscarf
was fastened with gaudy diamond set
bar, and her plump visage bore the traces
of pearl powder and cream of roses, laid
on with no sparing hand.
Beside her sat her dear particular
friend, Miss Rosina Rufford, who always
played the part of Damon to her Pythias,
and invariably went shopping with her.
''You see, Rosina," said Mrs. Cackle.
who was one of the kind that talk very
loud in public places, and indulge in all
sorts of details, cts for wedding pres
ent. Lemuel gave me check for a hun
dred dollars, and told me to buy nice
parlor carpet for his cousin, who is to be
married next MONTH
Mr.. Cackle is always so generous,
smiled Miss Rufford, whose new set of
false teeth made her smiles very smiling
indeed. GA hundred dollars, did you
say, dear? That will buy very nice
one, indeed!"
cit would" said Mrs. Cackle, elf I
was goose enough to buy it. But don't
mean to. Cackle's only man, and men
never do understand things. Chat do
these out of the wilderness people under
stand about carpets? And what do they
want of the best grade? No, young man,
don't want any of the dollar and a
quarter lines. That's too high. Haven't
you anything for about a dollar, or nine
ty cents? 1t needn't be the very finest
quality, tell you. If I spend fifty dol
lars on it," turning once more to Miss
Rufford, It'll be all that is necessary,
and the extra sum I'll invest in new
satin gown for myself. Ha, hA, ha!
Cackle is SO very close with his check
book, that now and then have to cir
cumvent him."
''You are SO witty, dear, Uttered Miss
Rufford. :
Nothing under dollar and twelve
cents?" shrilly repeated Mrs. Cackle, as
the salesman came back again. 81
couldn't think of paying that. Have
you no unstable patterns-nothing that
nobody else will buy? The people that
want this carpet for are dreadfully old
fashioned, and never will know the diff
ference"
''Oh, my dear, you are too funnyr
said Miss Rufford, behind her fan.
eve have one," hesitated the young
clerk-"a scarlet ground, with immense
olive-green pineapples all over it. We
haven't sold yard off it. Everybody
seems afraid of it, and don't really
thing
"Let me see it," said Mrs. Cackle,
promptly.
The porter presently wheeled up. a
mammoth roll on a hand barrow; the
clerk unfolded its hideous, glaring pro-
portions where, against scarlet ground,
some monster vegetable entwined itself
among impossible scrolls.
"You see, ma'am, it's quite unstable"
said the clerk. "Mr. NEEDLE was talk
ing of donating it to the reception room
of the Blink and DOODLE Orphan asylum,
at
cit is little peculiar" said Mrs.
Cackle, cycling it through her lorgnette.
ite-ahem!-what l should call ar
art carpet"
"Oh, my dear Louisa!" giggled Miss
Rufford.
''But very striking" said Mrs. Cackle.
.'tQuite DO, ma'am," said the clerk,
coughing spasmodically behind his
pocket handkerchief.
'sWhat viii you let me have it for?"
said Mrs. Cackle, in business like way.
eighty cents, ma'am, said the clerk.
''Say seventy five" spoke the customer.
1--WE couldn't, indeed, ma'am. Is cost
us more than that to import it."
''I'll take thirty yards" said Mrs.
.Cackle. "Let me see" Calculating on the
fat tan colored fingers where the rings
bulged out SO obtrusively(, "naught's
naught, eight times naught's-that
will come to twenty-four dollars, won't
it, young MANI"
"Twenty-four dollars, maam!" said
the clerk, scarcely able to repress his
amazement that any one in their senses
should buy SO ugly carpet.
"And that will leave seventy-six out
of the check" said Mrs. Cackle, glee-
fully. ''I'll tell you what, Rosina-I can
trim the black satin with the very incest
Escurial lace. Isuppose these back coun-
try barbarians will invite me to the we'd
ding, and I'd like to wear something that
will just paralyze them! And my hus-