The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-02-22
MRS. CACKLE'S CARPET.

MRS. CACKLE'S CARPET.
Carpets, young man, if you
pleased said Mrs. Cackle.
"What sort of carpets, ma'am?
Moquette? Wilton? We have some
very desirable importations Of royal
velvet
mo, Brusselsl The cheapest thing
you have in Brussels that is any
way decent"
Mrs Cackle sat up on the eighth
floor Of Meddle & Minturn's great
store, her silken founces ripplin e
around her ample form, the bird
of paradise plume on her hat nod
ding, as if to give extra significance
to every word she spoke. Her tan
kid gloves, glistening with many
buttons, 9 distended with rings;
her lace scarf was fastened with a
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 al.
waysplayed the part Of Damon to
her Pythias, and invariably went
| ahOnninr with her
"Yousee, Rosina, said Mrs. Cackle,
who was one Of the kind that talk very
loud in public places, and indulge in
all sorts of details, "it's for q we'd
ding present. Lemuel gave me a
check for a hundred dollars, and told
me to buy q 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. "a hundred dollars,
did you say, dear? That will buy q
very nice one indeedp'
'It would" said Mrs. Cackle, eff |
was goose enough to buy it. But ]
don't meanto. Cackle's only a man,
and men never DO understand things.
What do these out of the wilderness
people understand about carpets?
And what do they want of the best
grade? No, young man, l don't
want any of the dollar and q quarter
lines. That's too high. Haven't you
anything for about a dollar, ornine-
ty cents? 1t needn't be the very fin
est quality, I tell you. If / spend
fifty dollars on il" turning once more
to Miss Rufford, "itll be all that is
necessary; and the extra sum I'll in
vest ina new satin gown for myself,
Ha, ha, ha! Cackle is so very close
with his check book, that now and
then | have to circumyent him"
.:"You are SO Witty, DEAR" Uttered
Miss ,Rnfford. .'t..| So, !. 10. e.
Nothing under adollar and twelve
cents?" shrilly repeated Mrs. Cackle,
as the salesman came back again.
~ 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 difference"
"Oh, my dear, you arc too funny!"
said Miss Rufford, behind her fan.
w have one" hesitated the young
clerk-''a scarlet ground with inn
mense olive7green pineapples all over
it. We haven't sold q yard off it.
Everybody seems afraid of it, and I
don't REALLY think
LET me see it, said Mrs. Cackle,
promptly.
The porter presently wheeled up q
mammoth roll on q hand barrow;
the clerk unfolded it's hideous, glar-
ing proportions where, against q
scarlet ground, some monster vege-
table entwined itself among impos-
sible scrolls.
"You see, ma'am, it's quite unsal-
able," said the clerk. aMr. NEEDLE
was talking of donating it to. the re-
ception room of the Blink and DOODLE
Orphan asylum, att
"Itis q little peculiar" said Mrs,
Cackle, cycling it through her lorg-
nette. "Quite-aheml-what Ishould
call an art carpet"
"Oh, my dear Louisal" giggled
Miss Rufford. 81
but very striking" said Mrs.
Cackle.
"Qnite so, ma am, 3 said the clerk.
coughing spasmodically behind his
pocket handkerchief.
what will you let me haveitfor?n
said Mrs. Cackle, in q business like
Eighty cents, ma'am," said the
clerk.
Say seventy-fve," spoke the Gus
TONER.
wi couldn't, indeed, ma'am. It
cost us more than that to import
it,
"I,l take thirty yards" said
Mrs. Cackle. LET me seq
calculating on the fit tan
colored fingers where the rings
bulged out SO obtrusively) "naught,s
8 naught, eight LINES naught's-that
will come to t~wenty-four dollars,
won'tit, young MANI"
TWenty-four dollars, ma,aml'
saiid the clerk, scarcely able to repress
hifGAmazement that any one III their
senses should buyso ugly q carpet.
tAnd that will leave seVenty-six
i0uto the check, said Mrs. Cackle,
gleefully. I'm tell youWhat, Rosina
II can trim the black satin With tho