Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-02-05
MRS. REEDS
NEW CARPET.



wanted a "boughten" carpet. She
had made rag carpets, at different
times, thereby depriving the most
of the family of the larger share
of it's wardroba for the time being;
but she had steadily refused to
compromise on an ingram, as her
husband urged her to do.
IT'D be cheaper to buy thatkind
of a carpet than it is to make rag
ones" he declared. you use up
lust about ev'rything we've got in
the shape O clos, ev'ry time you
90 into the carpet bis'ness an the
money it takes to stock us up
ag'in, put into what you pay out
for SEWN rags an weavin', an
the etcettery, 'ud buy a real nice
carpet"
But | don't want an ingram
carpet" Mrs. Reed would re-
spond. 81 won't have one. I've
set my mind on a Brussels, an
till | can have one O that kind I'll
git along with a rag carpet. Pm
'shamed to have folks see a rag
carpet in the parlOr, of course-it
looks as if we was poor as Jobs
turkey, or stingy. But | won't
have anything else put down on
the floor till | can have real nice
Brussels. I've ben a-sayin' up
for it a long spell back, an by'm-
by | reckon I'll get enough to-
gether to git it,"
The Reed parlOr was a pleas
ant room, with comfortable fur
niture in it, and the young people
OF the family enjoyed using it.
It's hOmelike air made it more at
tractive for the average visitor
than many rooms more preten
tiOusly furnished. But it would
never be what it ought to be, to
Mrs. Reed, until the lOng-desired
"Brussels" was to be seen there.
So she worked and Saved"
until she got enough money
together to crafty the ambi-
ton of her life. 1t was an inn
pOrtant day in the annals of the
Reed family when she announced
that at last the carpet fund was
complete.
81 do hope you'll go right off to
town an buy it, them" said Mr..
Reed. GIVE got tired o. hearin'
about it,"
''I'm gOin' to-mOrrer," an
nOunced Mrs. Reed. 81 guess I'm
as anxious to have it bought as
you be. | declare, it seems to me
/ hain't had hardly anything as
I'd like to had it for the las six or
seven years, jest because o. savin'
up for that carpet. | ought to
take a good zeal o. comfort out of
it when l git it, to make up for
what Pve gone 'ithout, for it's
sake"
81 don't b'leeve you will,
though" said Mr.. Reed. you've
Jest ben a livin' fer that carpet,
ever sence you begun scrimpin' to
git it, an when it's got you won't
have anything left to live for.
The ambition of your life will be
gratifed, so to speak, an | s'pOse
you'll jest set down in the front
room an look an look at the ear
pet
"Oh, you quit your hectOrin',"
said Mrs. Reed, too gOod-natured
over the prospect of her carpet to
be offended at anything her hus
band could say. 81 shouldn't
wonder if you admired it as much
as anybody"
She had ga dretful time" in sc,
her carpet, she informed
the family, on her return from
town. IF there hadn't ben so
many of 'em, 'twOuldn't ha' ben
so hard, but when you come to
have as iuany's 20 pieces spread
out on the floor at one time to
look at, 'an' ev'ry one real ham
some, it was jest distractin' to
make up yer mind. There was
sOmethin' in this one | liked aw.
full well, an Somethin' Jest lovely
in that one. an when | looked at
the other one see sOmethin' that
was nicer'n rs ben a lOOkin' at,
an | did jest get so muddled IN