The Washington bee., 1901-06-22
FOOLED WITH PAINT.
How Mr.. and Mrs. Wilkins Fnam
eled Their Furniture.
Ia Spite of Temporary MiSfortuna
the Episode Ended 10 Madame's
Entire Satisfaction, But Hubby
Did Heaps of Thinking.

Ohe EVIL day Mrs. Wilkins read
among Hints for Housekeepers" in
her favOrite journal that old and
worn furniture could be made fresh
and beautiful by the simple process
OF painting it with enamel paint.
You bring me a can of paint and
a brush John" she said to her husS
-oand, "and I'll start in on our bed.
room set in the morning" fi
Wilkins brought her three cans
labeled pure white enameT' and 4
small brush, and she could hardiv
wait for him to finish breakfast the
next morning, she was so anxious to
Degln. When he got home that niDhE
the kitchen was dark and cool. and
the dlnlng-table was bare. He found
her IN the bedroom dressed in an,
old wrapper, her head tied up IN
towel, three empty paint cans ON
the floor, a brush in her hand and
the room looking like a calciminer's
studio.
Dinner ready?" he chirped.
She looked at him a moment IN
speeches. scorn, let her brush fall
on the hard wood floor and burst
into tears.
"Dinner!" she blubbered, looking
for clean spot on her wrapper Ia
wipe her tears, talk to me of dinner
a day like this, you selfish bro-oo.
oo-hoo-"
He looked sheepishly around upon
the ruin she had wrought. The
dresser looked as though it had
fallen into a kiln of dirty lime. tba
chiffOnnier was streaked and spottedl
the once shining surface of the oak
bedstead looked like the white.
washed hunks of ten-eent Indninns
house. AS Mrs. Wilkins, sitting forS
lornly on a soap box, wept on, her
husband silently noted the white
polka dots on wall paper and pol-
ished floor, he laid finger gingerly
on the dresser and saw that the
paint was yet wet. %.
"Come away" he whispered then
"I'll get dinner ready in minute
while you take off that painters out.
fit and wash the smears off yous
hands and face"
While Mrs. Wilkins, very wearily
and smelling oppressively of turpen%
tine, poured the tea, Wilkins sug-
gested that painting furniture is No
task for any woman.
Painting is quite a trick" he said,
"easy if you know how, but tiresoms
and annoying if you don't. I'll finish
up that job after dinner"
He went out and bought two more
cans of paint, got into his old lawn
tennis suit and went at il. He was de-
termined at least to make the re.
bellious oak furniture look white, so
he smeared and spread on the sticky
'ename" with lavish hand. By mid
night he had consumed all the paint
and the bedroom set was as white as
snow.
In the morning when, by the strong
sunlight, they surveyed the work they
had dope the man swOre and the wom-
an swept again. Pools of white paint,
gummy and thick. had formed on the
floor about each leg of the bedstead.
The outlines of the dresser and the
chiffOnier were on the floor in great
stripes of white paint that had run
down the sides of the pieces during the
night. Stalactites, like dripping
cream taffy, depended from every
angle of the painted furniture and
even the half-dried upper portions
bristled with hairs from the paint
brushes.
Mr.. and Mrs. wilkins finished break
fast in gloomy silence.
what are you going to do about it?''
she ventured as he took his hat.
"Just watch met" he grunted as he
rushed downstairs.
He came back. says the Chicago REQ
ord-Herald, with a black-bearded man
who looked like Judas Iscariot, but
who proved to be dealer in second-
hand furniture. They sold him the
"set" for five dollars and knocked on
a dollar on condition that Judas would
cart it of before noon. That after
noon a furniture wagon delivered g
new bedroom outfit, and Mrs. Wilkins
was happy till her husband came home
and intimated that he believed it was
"a put-up job"
You're a nasty, mean. evil-minded
thing" she deslsred. "Besides-who
spoiled the furniture, I'd like Il
know?"
We'll I'm not a journeyman house
painter" he growled, "and whaps
more, I've hired a grainer and stainep
to take that football gridiron of thaS
bedroom floor"