River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-02
MRS. DREWE'S PARLOR.
How the Wall Paper Affected the
Domestic Happiness.

MRS. DREW T. > PARlOR.
How the Wall Paper Affected the
Domestic Happiness.
a pretty little farmhouse. painted a
snowy white. with blinds of vivid
green, stood Just outside the small New
England village Of Waterford. The
house was quite new The shingles ON
its roof were still yellow and resinous.
II had "A trim. smart look pleasing to
the eve. small, old house. painted
darll-brown, stood back a few yards
from the pretty white house.
Mr. and Mrs. Jared Dreve had moved
from the old house into the new one.
They had begun housekeeping as a
young married couple in the old house,
and they had lived in il twenty-five
years. The new house was the culmin-
alton Of the hopes and plans of many
years True. Drewe had never liked
the old house II had no -cunvcn-.
FENCES" The new house had well
right in the kitchen, big pantry
plenty IF closets and parlor- The old
house had had none Of these things
Il begin o. feel as though IRIS some
body Mrs.. DreNe said at the break
fast-tablr on the morning Of the fifth
day after they had moved into the new
house
..Du. eh?~ replied Mr. Drcwe. You
wimmen are great for putin on style
amt never ;clt No particular need If
parlor A common settm' room :
good enough fer me- or ever the
kitchen
Il don't mind settin' in a nice. clean
kitchen, myself" replied his wife. but
! don't want ali my cOmp'ny To have 10
set there -speshly the minister aud his
wife. Ire fcI, the need of a parlor a
many a time. If YOU amt
well you've got one now"
Eyes. when I git 1t furnished"
''Oh. I reckon you'll want II fill IL
fun Of ali sorts OF flub-dubbery-
woman-like"
I'm going 70 have things Hics, any
how. Land knows, I've waited long
enough for en-"
What you ca!l nice
well, I'm going to have a real
Brussels carpet, for one thing. and
marblc-top table and plush sofy and
lace curtains and nice chairs
''ShuckS-' Mr.. Drewe said. con
tsmptuouslv. hut he diJ not offer any
objection to this eXtrasIgant outlay of
long and carefully-ho1r,led funds. lie
knew. moreover, that most of this
splcndor would d. purchased out of
his wifc's own sa-ings- She was a wise
woman and had purse of her own
70 any other man cv'ry time I want a
little money" She had said in the be-
ginning II their pilgrimage a. man and
wife. No. sir: ms saving shall be
my own
Adhcring tenaciouSiy to this resolve
and ever keeping in mind time To
come when she should have a new
house, Mrs Drewe had none. enough
70 furnish the house as she pleased.
But his wife's secon.t proposition
aroused a spirit Of decided antagonism
in Jared Drewe-
Il want To- have the parlor PaPered
some time next week"
''Pap~rrd2"
prise and opposition depicted on every
line of his face
YES. papcrcd. replied Mrs Drewe
''You s-Posc I'm going to have bare
white walls whcn everybody else has
theirs Papcred2'
Wed all bare walls in the old
house.
Il don't care if we did We kept
thinkin' and thinkin' we'd build ev'ry
year. aud IL didn't SEEM worth while T.
fo any poPcrin' or tiNin' NJ; bd; if YOU
rc-Aun I ~ g0iu' u live the rest q NV
day in hare. white-walled rooms you're
mistaken
She spoke deci>ivelv. for she saw I'M
usual depths of opposition in her huS-
bands large, Unbcarlcd face with its
square. firm Jaw and chin Indicative. of
great frnne>> 81 purpose. Her own
face wore rc,nlute. emphatic express
siIu. She was PlucSy little woman
Her husband had a secret pride in what
hc called her grit. although he would
have died before he would have con
f,s>,d IT,
II don't see why on earth ycu object
81 u a little wall paper. jared
Il dsspis, wall paper" ne said. with
something like childish perversenesS.
Why
because dBF"
That amt any reason
Its unhealthy. for one thing"
..Fiddle-faiile-'
ANY doctor N tell We 50"
Il wouldn't blievc il Il he did.
Everybody has wall paper nowadays"
I'VE haven't"
..We'rc goin % have"
Were not.
Mrs DrcNe sat back stiflly in her
crair. rcsoiute aud defiant. Her black
ey,.s >huuc a She said:
There's no sense in your actin 81.
Jared Sparks tn goin' 10 have that
Tarior papered.
''Nou do. ami I'll never set foot ON IL
Is long a. live and breathe the breath
Of life
'Fiddle>ticbs.'
Il never will. Marthv"
What nonsense
II g--,r will-'
He ro>e from the table aS he spoke.
took his hat from a nail in the small
entry near the kitchen door aud went
out "a the barn. his every movement
seeming 10 accentuate his resolve
Mrs. Drewe did not refer - the mat
ter again. hut week from that day
when Mr. Drewe returned home after
a day spent in the city five miles dis
taut. he met John HAYS. the village pa
per-hanger. coming from the house
with an empty paSte-buclset an a roll
or two of paper under his arm
stepping into the Iittss front entry,
right The door was open. and he saw
his wiie standing in the center 81 the
room i"oking with pleased ewes at tn e
Tour walls around her covered with gor-
geous gilt paper Of the most pronounced
pattern.
chs assumed 81 81 o. .yRo-ancs Of