The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-01-23

A coy corner Yields n moral influence
uncauallcd by all the straight-oackcd
chairs in Puritan New England. just
try n on your husband. and sec how pa
tiontly he waits for his dinner when ne
comes home an hour earlier than usual,
expecting you 10 know IL beforehand
and he ready. accordingly. or try II on
yourself. for that matter. when you nave
Kept things sizzling for two hours while
that same obstrcperous better half stays
down town talking business with
well. never mind with whom but try the
remedy suggested and lull yourself into
a serene frame OF mind before he returns.
No room for a coy corner2 Nom
sonsei You can build II i'm the middle
OF the floor. IL doesn't matter where 1t
g. ~ only II Is comfortable.
The Fashionable woman who has been
going I'm for Dclsartcan hops. after every
physical EFFORT has learned the value of
lounging places I'm her boudoir. But how
about us poor. ordinary mortals VINO
cannot afford boudoirs and would hardly
know what 10 do with them II we could?
The average woman has neither time nor
inclination TO retire TO her bedroom
for that il what NEST Of US have instead
OF a boudor every time she wrings out
her dish cloth or hangs up her broom,
buf IL there were "A comfortable corner
handy where she could drop down for a
moment without going TO bed or disar-
ranging the order which has just been
accomplished there would be fewer cases
Of nervous prostratiOn and more peace
full households.
The orientals have taught us lesson
I'm this matter. Chairs are almost up-
known I'm the harcm yet the women
there are healthy and beautiful beyond
all others. else be assured they would
no, be there. For the past two years,
women have been deluged with htcra-
ture desCanting upon the value OF re-
pose hut as to how that repose Is 10
be attained without neglectng necessary
work or without being caught in I'M
graceful attitudes, the majority OF us
have bee. left I'm ignorance.
This. my girl chum and have learned
from an experience born of necessity.
We had no furniture TO speak of, and
We were compelled TO find cheaper sub
stitute. First let me give you list OF
all the articles of set furniture with
which we started and with which
we proposed TO lit out five rooms:
one single bed. one secretary, one set
of book-shelves. two chairs, two little
tables and bureau. With these, plus
three coy corners and couch since
procured we have developed a domcle
which we should hesitate to exchange
FOR the most palatial residence in New
York
The directions for making corner seats
always say. "Have a carpenter construct
etc. and when ne gets through.
pay him more than a brand new couch
would cost. But | am here tc bear testi-
mony that no carpenter has ever cross
ed our threshold What we did was TO
go TO publishing house. smile upon the
man who has stacks of big fiat. wooden
boxes 10 dispose Of. pay two little boys
forty cents TO bring over couple OF
those smilngly-procured boxes on push
cart. and the rest was in our own hands.
We then borrowed saw. though II We
could net have borrowed Il We should
have bought one. Hammer and nails
were already ours. and we proceeded TO
tear those boxes 10 pieces TO get the
necessary boards, some Of which We're
five feet long. Two of these We set at
n right angle and nailed together TO ut
the corner. The front board had TO be
pieced with "A smaller one from a gro
GERS box This was the skeleton. across
the top OF which we nailed small boards
and stretched pieces Of burlap. webbing,
or ANYTHING strong enough to hold a
mattress. one Of our mattresses-which
of course are throe-cOrncred TO fit the
frame-we stuffed with excelsior, an
other with cotton batting. and the third
was a contribution from relative and
gloried I'm a true inwardnoss' OF pro-
per, curled hair. The mattresses which
we made ourselves were covered with
figured denim at fifteen cents a yard and
cost about eighty-fVe cents apiece, IN
Guiding the stufiing. In purchasing the
mi, TpngmEtT
enough TO make an extra ruiiie which
will conceal the front Of the board frame
and the flaws Of amateur carpcntering.
The triumph OF artistic repOse was not
reached. however, until we provided our
seats with comfortable pillows and with
canopies overhead. The canopies were a
cause of much perpleXity at first but we
made one with denim, in contrasting
shade To the mattress, and for the other
some one gave us an old chenille curtain
which we draped from a rod and tackled
70 the wall with brass lacks The front
Of the chenille canopy formed an invit-
ing place for an old redparasol, and the
corner at the back was filled with a
couple Of bright fans. pen-and-inN
sketch. and red and blue stripped s3sh
which had served its term OF usefu ness
as an article OF wearing apparel.
The Arrangement OF the rod for cur
tain OF any kind often deters an other
wise energetic woman from attempting
the most daring deeds of decoration.
Here is the method which we have u9ed
20 bear aloft the fVe hurlap draperies
which we found necessary for purposes
of concealment. We bought three or Tour
dozen good sized screw hooks some OF
which we screwed into the ceiling a. IN
tervals for the purpose of supporting the
hrass rod purchaSahle at the rate OF
four cents foot. For our canopies we
used only two Of these screws Tor each
end OF the rod. and for the rod we didn I
bother 20 buy brass. but used an ola
s;ick wrapped with blue cheese cloth In
one case. and piece OF gas pipe In an
other II the ceiling Is too high for the
curtain TO reach IT, suspend the rod 10y
strings fastened 10 the screws l cite
these details merely to show how in each
case II Was the article at hand that we
utilized.
For pillows. we bought cheap hgured
goods at six or eight cents a yard' hiied