The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-04-24
) Margery DanVerS:: Fireman.
By CARROLL WATSON RANKIN.
4

had wisely concluded to convert the
superfuous house into cash. Mr.. Dan
vers :lad bought it for a ridiculouslV
small sum, and felt that he ought to Dc
congratulated.
But although good Mr. DanveTS was
jubilant over the purchase, Mrs. Dan
vers. on her first inspection OF the
new house. sat down upon the thrown
in carpet ard burst into tears.
The moment she beheld the parlol
wall paper she forgot all else and gave
herself up to grief.
It was really enough to make one
oblivious of other things. Mrs. Dan
woman, who loved pink-and-WnlCe
rooms. The late occupant Of the house
had been a big red-and-yelloW man
who liked redand-yellow rooms, ano
his taste in wall paper was certainly
deplorable. There was only one thing
in the house worse than the paper, ant
that was the carpet.
What, don't you like the paper!
exclaimed astonishei Mr.. Danvers
who was not artistic. why, that's
splendid paper! 1t must have cost S;
roll. Patterns a trifie large, per
haps: but just think how it'll wear!
1t will last lifetime!"
But. strange to say, this consollne
information only made Mrs. DanVerS
weep the more.
There's great stuff in that carpet
too" said Mr.. Danvers, eyeing 1t ap
provingly. It'll wear like iron, in spite
of the children running over it. Those
big magenta roses stand out we'll
don't they?"
Mrs. Danvers shuadered. The car
pet was calamity.
Reasonable as the price had been
it had taken all Mr.. Danvers could
spare to make the purchase. so ther1
was no money to be foolishly wasted
in replacing the perfectly good pape!
and carpet. Poor Mrs. Danvers, cover
ing as much of the ugliness as she
could with her pictures and. furniture
wisely made the best of it. but all hel
day dreams for the next ten years cen
tered about the repapering of the lis
figured parlor.
Her daughter Margery understood
and sympathized with her mother, and
together they would deplore the dura
bility of the obnoxious paper and car
pet.
1T would be such a pretty room,
Mrs. Danvers would mourn, If only
something would happen to that out
rageous carpet and that horrible pa
peri"
wouldn't it be glorious" Margery
would say, ''if our chimney should gel
struck by lightning as the Browns
did? The paper was torn off the din
ing room wall, and SCOT from the chin
ney ruined the rugs. The Browns seen
to have all the good luck"
The Browns selfishly retained tneil
monopoly of the lightning, and the
hated paper continued to bear
charmed life. No warning voice wa:
ever raised when the little Danverse:
approached the parlor wall with sticky
fingers; and although Mrs. Danverf
and Margery fairly courted disaster
none ever came.
At last, when Margery was II, both
paper and carpet showed unmistakablt
signs of wear.
'Do anything you like about it. It's
your house." said Mr.. Danvers, gener
ously, when Mrs. Danvers pointed ou
the defects. "Yes, get anything yot
like; all paper looks aliketo me. Hard
wood floors? Ye-es, don't mind. Still
1 am a little disappointed in thai
carpet l thought it would last for
ever"
so did L." said Mrs. Danvers; bu
if she, felt any disappointment it was
we'll concealed.
Then came delightful weeks. Tht
house was all torn up and turned ovel
to the carpenters and paper-hangers
Mrs. Danvers and Margery spent ai
their days and part of their night:
studying samples of wall paper. Mr.
Danvers spent all his in trying Il
dodge. the pals Of paste and varnisl
that lurked in every corner.
At last, however, it was all finishe
to the complete satisfaction of Mrs
Danvers and Margery, WHO ceased t.
covet the Browns share of devastating
lightning Indeed, the renovated par
lor became the object Of Mrs. Danvers
tenderest soucl,ule, and the little Ian
verses began to see imaginary ''Keel
off the grass" signs on every side. An,
then, when it was no longer wanted
the disaster came
Just week after the departure G
the last workman Mrs. Danvers wen
with her husband to a concert. leay
ing the house and sleeping children il
Margery's care.
Margery spent the first hour in tn
kitchen, making peanut taffy. Whcl
at last she returned TO the front o
the house she was greeted by an cd,
pungent order.
81 wonder, said she, IF 1 coul
have scorched my candy? No; tn
smell seems to come from the from
hall. Perhaps something is burnin
| upstairs"
| Sne stopped appalled, when she ha
reached the top step. Something Gel
tainly was burning. The upper hal
was full of thick gray smoke.
Ahe chidren!" gasped Margery
uarting through the smoke and int
the nursery.
Here the smoke was dense, an
| through it, at the far end of the room
| where a closet door was standing oper
Margery could see a dull red glow.
Quick! Quick" she sobbed, dras
| ging the heavy, half-stupefied childr,