The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-02
HER ROOM
Will Tell Her
Character.
IN FURNISHINGS
Taste Should Be Individu-
ally Developed.

tum- sanctorum, where her thoughts,
tastes. talents and fads are fully ex-
pressed This retreat sacred from fam
lily intrusions. strict rule and parental
authority and interference, should ex-
press only the girls character and be
all her own, a haven in time of trou-
Bile. a place of rest and recreation in
happiness
IF you have not seen her sanctum
you do not know the girl" says a clever
matron. Il met bright young girl re-
Gently for the first time in her home.
After chatting a while in the stiff, con-
ventional drawing room. she said i'm
pulsively;
IF you want to know me real well,
come up to my room" Delighted with
her invitation, as l did want to know
her real well,' 1 assembled the stairs.
The room was perfectly situated. Two
windows looked toward the sunrise and
one large one opened to the south. A
corner fireplace with brass firedogs and
fender, and a soft white rug on the
hearth told of fireSide chat and COM
fort. Over the mantel was an antique
mahogany framed mirror, for this girl
had ancestors. The mirror was fes-
TONED with-what do you think?
NO"
silk draDery?"
"Oh, dear, noi''
Then what?"
You cannot guess, so I will tell you
candy tongs Never were so many
candy tongs strung along ribbons as
those that ornamented the astonished
old mirror. She was a popular girl ev-
identity. who had many friends contin-
ually adding to her sweetness.
The mantel was crowded full of brio
a-brac, conspicuous among which was
q pair of vases Stimulating paper bags,
with a puppy and kitten struggling
through Over the door sat 'Topsy,
a relic of childhood days. On the an
tique mahogany dressing table We're
dainty furnishings of silver and hang
ing scrap-b basket trimmed with scarlet
ribbons, over which tiny white mice
peeped out from under bows and knots
There were photographs galore pretty
girls and handsome boys in every at
fitude of grace, comic college boys din
ing with skeletons, and athletes show
ing off their muscles.
"A reading table was piled with
books-what does my lady read? Rob
ert Browning, 'Checkleys Physical
Training, 'Platos Dialogues, Les
Miserables' in the original, Looking
Backward and Rider Haggard's nov
els.
But what is this? A decorated bis
cult jar, containing sweet cakes? Oh,
no! Hard, dry bread crusts!
What are these for-to make your
hair curl? They say crusts will do it,
!. oh, no. laughs the girl, ] nibble
at the crusts to make me thoughtful
Here was a new idea. and an I'M
solved problem presented itself. Were
the crusts the outcome of 'Plato's Dia-
logues or the Dialogues the outcome
of the crusts?
oh, what is that? L recoiled in
stinctively as a huge snake brushed
against my foot from under the ta-
Bile
Don't be alarmed, said my friend
1t is only my Japanese makebelieve.'
My horror is real, however l think
the. girl loves bit of the horrible now
and then, which accounts for Rider
Haggard on the reading-tab
One corner Of the room is filed
with souvenirs of gay cotillons, din
ners and merry luncheon parties, an
artistic record of happy hours But
the piece de resistance of this charm
ing boudoir is an antique writing desk
black with age, whose polished surface
reflects the silver accessories. This
beautiful heirloom is descended from
great great-grandmother to this
pretty granddaughter Standing be-
fore it is an ancient fiddle back chair
which once held dainty maid with
ruff and powdered hair, and it is said
that this modern maid is the living pic
ture of that beautiful ancestress of
long ago. Across the wide southern
window the sweet summer air blows
all day long. and in winter the sun
shine here is warmest.
There is big, soft diyan piled with
cushions, on which the little maid
takes her siesta, book in hand, or per
haps sits dreaming day-dreams. A
Gathering of hoofs is heard at the
door, and the girl has vanished.
'tAh! 1t is /, who had been dreaming
day-dreams, for there she stood, smil-
ing and hospitable and now / realize
that I know her real we'll because of
her ROOM
A DAINTY WHITE BED.
Iron beds, even those having brass
rods and knobs for trimming, present
rather q bare appearance unless they
are prettily draped. In every coun-
try except this, a valance is invariably
used with these iron beds, but here
they are more frequently Seen in their
ugly baroness than draped or trimmed
The Puritan housewife has an aver
sion to any sort of bed trimming which
may become the habitat of vermin, yet
II the bed and the house in general is
Tree from such pests, the valance will
not be found a. harbor for them
here is the description of the arrange
ments OF draDeries on the pretty bed.
OF course the bed is painted white; the
enamel paints easily restore any break
OF scratch made on the iron rods. and
dry so quickly that it is possible to
freShen up any article Of furniture
without much loss of time This espec-
1ai bed is one of the inexpensive kind; 1t
has no brass rods, but the knobs on the
four posts are beautifully bright Be
meath the spring bed. and along the
length Of the side supports, is laid a
lafh covered with muslin. To this the
valance is tackled with small uphols-
terer's tacks. The material chosen for
the drapery is dotted muslin; the val
ance has deep hem, and the cover for
the mattress has three-inch ruff1e.
which, falling over the valance. makes
heading for it. The cover is made
long enough to go up over the pillows.
or roll pillow may be covered to
match. and this is laid away at night,
pillows being substituted. AS the in
expensive dotted muslin is used it is
not wide enough TO form the bed COW
ering, unless scanned down the middle.
To avoid a plain, ugly seam an inser-
ton Of lace or darned net is let in.
Above the bed shelf is fastened To
the wall, and this too, is draped with
the muslin curtains Of the same reach
ing TO the floor and tied back to the
bedposts. Rufies edge the curtains
Against the wall full widths of muslin
hang free.-New York Tribune.
DON'TS FOR EVERY DAY.