The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-03-05
HER EXPERIENCE.
n Was Useful. but Costly. as Ia often the
Inse.

II Was Useful, but Costly, as IL Oten the
Case.
"All are not equally talented, " said
young Mrs. Mildmay. 81 always felt
that ! was not in it. when people fell
to talking Of the beautiful pieces Of fur
nituie they had made out Of just nothing
at all and the contents of the ragbag.
and after We began to take The Ladies'
Encuuragcr and | read the articles in
the column headed solid Comfort With
out Expense Twas really quite ashamed
of myself. They are something like this
Sarah, having married John, who
has salary Of $40 week, abandons all
hope Of having prettily furnished par
lur, and what Mrs Shoddy calls "arti.
cles Of bigotry and virtue" about her,
until she pays a call upon Rosetta, who
is the bride Of William, whose salary
is only s. weekly, and is conducted
through a fiat so gorgeous that none of
the Four Hundred has anything to
compare to it, and being moved to tears
Of envy confesses their cause to Ruset-
ta, who clasps her in her arms and
kisses her and confides TO her the secret
of all this splendor. She takes The La
dies Encourhger, and from its pages
has learned all the arts and handicrafts
necessary to convert suapbuxes and -four
barrels into exquisite pieces Of uphol
stored furniture, with the assistance Of
the ragbag and paper Of brass headed
nails The statues that adorn the man
tlepiece and homemade cabinets are not,
she explains to Sarah, really solid silver
and gold, as they appear TO be-they are
plaster, silvered and gilded. Sarah lis
tens and rejOices goes home and sub
scribes to The Encourager, and does
more than Rosetta has done-for she
not only revels in furniture of rare
beauty, but frescoes her parlor ceiling,
expense / > cents. Result, domestic bliss,
for John clasps her in his arms and
thanks heaven for such a wife.
"These articles fired my imagination.
l desired that my John should also
thank heaven for his spouse We were
not out Of furniture, but the parlor cell
ing needed frescoing, and thought ]
would begin with that.
Accordingly / opened an account
with n paint store near by, selected u
design from French master to copy
Cupids very much foreshortened with
wreaths of roses and blue sky and pale
pink clouds by way of background.
stood on Il stepladder while Bridget held
it save when she went to run around to
the store for other pots of paint.
1t was lovely, l thought. But about
4 o. clock, having occasion to look down
ward, found that my head was perma-
nently turned back on my shoulders,
with the eyes rolled upward.
How Bridget got me down l never
knew, hut was in bed when John came
home, and remained there three weeks.
During this time ! had the salts
faction of overhearing Johns conversa-
tion with practical painter who had
been called in. This gentleman first
remark was:
"'Good lands What crank has been
putting them ducks and cabbages on your
ceiling?'
"'Well, no matter who it was, John
answered gloomily. What will it cost
to get it OFF,
We'll, said the painter, it's slath-
ered ON so thick that 1t Will be u hard
job. Take me and my man three days,
/ reckon. Then there'll be three coats
needed to cover the stains.
You can begin tomorrow said
John with "A groan. 1T must come off if
l have to mortgage the house for it, If
the neighbors see it, they'll think we're
all crazy.
''At this point made q vain endeav-
or to stop my ears with the pillow and
between pain and modification tainted
away. | never tried to make home hap
py with anything else save ON one occa-
sion-a barrel chair which The Encour-
ager assured me would be so luxurious
that my husband, having once cast
himself into it, would never leave it to
go to the club. Ii cost rather more than
one from fine upholsterer s, and when
John had cast himself into il / really
feared that it would never leave him.
1t collapsed on the spot, and he was
obliged to be extricated from il like
tooth and spent the rest of the evening
making bonfire of it.
MARY KYLE DALLAS.