Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-02-08

Of course the carpet, as it was tax
en- up, had to be beaten before it was
put down. Becky paid half dollar
to have that done, for she couldn't
do it by herself, and positively de-
| clined going out of doors, with snow
on the ground, to lend hand in the
| operation. 1t will, trust, be consid-
cred proof Of the forbearance of
which [ have boosted, when I state
that | never once suggested to Becky
that the money thus spent would have
been much more satisfactorily earned
by the upholsterer.
Becky soon stitched up her ticking
into a shape modelled upon that Of
the new shams, and after having de-
voted one day to emptying her spare
| room Of all it's movable contents, de-
voted another to her work with the
| feathers. She sat hour after hour
over her self-imposed task, emerging
when household duties called her
forth, like a setting hen from her
nest, fluffy and featbery, the down
that flew from her as she moved
around settling everywhere and upon
everything, stubborn, impalpable
annoyance that she not succeed in
getting rid of for week afterwards.
But Becky had her way. By sup
per time, in high spirits she brought
forth to display before my unappre-
ciative eyes pair of huge, square,
in1d hot
would have made quite a comfortable
bed for single person, and, in addi-
ton to these, our own old fashioned,
familiar pillows, now plump and firm
as their aristocratic congeners.
"And I have feathers enough left to
fill up the pillows on the girls bed,
too" she cried triumphantly. ''Don't
you call that pretty good days
work, Lemuel?"
II certainly should if I had it to do"
I replied.
"But don't you think it pays, now,
really?" she persisted. 'EEvery pillow
we have is as good as new, and [ can
fix up all the beds so much better than
ever could before; I do think there
is nothing looks nicer than a hand
somely dressed bed, and if your pill
lows are soft you just can't make
bed look nice"
every well, my DEAR" said [, Elf
you are satisfied ought to be-"
And I was-until I went to bed. My
head had no sooner touched the pill
low than I knew that comfort had van
ished; too high, too hard, too big ev-
cry way.
[ had not been Becky's husband for
over quarter of a century without
becoming as well acquainted with her
ideas of comfort in a pillow as was
with my own, and [ was satisfied that
the new arrangement suited her as
little as it did me; but, poor son4. she
had had such hard days work, and
had taken such solid comfort in the
result of it, that I had not the heart
to confirm by a word the misgivings
which I knew she must be beginning
to feel
| did my best to endure the discom
fort she had brought upon me, with
out complaining, but finding that it
was impossible to get to sleep in what
was almost sitting posture, at last
tossed the pillow to the foot of the
bed, saying alphabetically:
cit is rather higher than like"
ayes, they are little too high now"
Becky conceded, "but they will soon
wear down.
By dint of doubling up my end of
the bolster [ succeeded in raising my
head to it's accustomed attitude, and
got through the night without seri-
Gus inconvenience. Betty, like the
heroine that she is, slept on her pill
low, and did her best to effect the de-
sired wearing down."
The next night the same incidents
were repeated, but this time my for
bearance endured less we'll the trial
that was put upon it, and as l tossed
the useless pillow to the floor, asked,
little testify, care none of the other
pillows softer than these?'
''No, they are all alike" said Becky,
meekly.
tried again at doubling up the boil
ster, but the result upon the proceed
ing night had not been such as to make
me very hopeful at present, and final
ly, after an hour or so Of restless dis
comfort, I arose, CROPPED my way down
stairs in the dark, and soon returned
bearing with me an old chintz covered
lounge cushion that, in spite of the
duck feathers that filed it, had been