Free press., 1908-02-29
DRY OF
a RUG
Pa Selected lt with HE usuat
Good Taote

Pa coughed as il he had something
on his mind and he did his best to
look benevolent.
"I-er-bought a rug to-day" he
said.
"A rug?" cried ma
"A rug?" cried Bee.
"A rug?" cried the rest OF the fam
lily. and Shep, the family dog, looking
as handsome as a picture took advan-
tage of the excitement by barking
loudly and tossing one OF pas slip
pers in the air, pretending it was
naughty sheep. Shep had new rib
bon and he had been giving himself
airs all day.
(Ma, l ought to say, is an authority
on old china, Bee is studying sculp-
ture, and the rest of the family hopes
to be poet some day. Pa is very
stout and he has any number of
chinsl.
Yes" said pa; "a friend Of mine
who is in the trade gets them very
cheap, and l arranged that he should
buy one for me and ship it by express.
six by three, my love-"
Just the size for the parlor, my
dears," said ma. I'VE need a new
rug for the hearth, and unless l am
mistaken here is the expressman
now"
She went into the parlor and made
a place for the rug, while pa carried
it In and united it. II had a green
fringe and border which shaded into
tan. Inside this was blue and inside
the blue was an olive streaked with
orange. Large heads Of cabbage dot
ted the design wherever there was
room for them, these vegetables being
portrayed in pink and yellow, while a
fash Of green with red spots breaking
out all over it composed the center.
Now, the beauty OF these rugs is
this" said pa, beaming at us. when
one side is worn out you can turn
them over and the other side is just
the same!"
II think, my dears, said ma, that
the dining-rOom would be the better
place for 1t, after ALL"
We found a dark corner for it be-
hind a door and pa sat and admired
it while ma and Bee shuddered to
themselves. Pa is very touchy in
anything rejecting upon his taste, and
he seemed to think that his choice of
this rug assured his reputation for all
time.
"And the beauty Of these rugs" said
he, 'iS that they last practically for
eyer.''
The next day we put it UP in the
spare room and pacified pa (who
missed it the moment he got home)
by telling him that it was too good
for any dining-room. This mollifled
him, but the next morning he got a
letter from Aunt Jane saying she was
coming to spend few days. Ma ran
upstairs, and when she came down she
avoided Bees eye. Bee ran upstairs,
and when she came down she avoided
my eye. I wasn't going to have it, SO
l ran upstairs and put it in mas room.
When came down ma looked at me
and sighed and fetched it down into
the kitchen. Shep looked at it very
thoughtfully. The groceryman knocked
on the back door, and ma hastily
threw the rug down into the cellar.
Shep ran after it, thinking it might
be sheep to mind, but as soon as he
saw what it was he cried to be let up
again and scratched the cellar door
until the whole house ratified.
Perhaps" said Bee, "if you hung it
out on the line some one might steal
it."
Hang that out on the line?" cried
ma. II would die first!"
And added:
"BeSides-no one would steal It."
She looked refectively at Shep.
Leave it to me, my dears," she
said at last; 81 think have plan."
And as soon as pa had eaten his
dinner that night, an extra special
feast, she unfolded her plan.
Pa" she said, that dog Of ours
gets to know so much that sometimes
l am almost afraid of him. When you
picked him out as a puppy 1 must con
fess that l had my doubts about your
choice, but, as a matter of fact, he is
a most wonderful dogi Most wonder
full! Now, what I've been thinking is
this: Here's winter coming on with its
cold, blizZardy weather, and that old
pet hasn't thing on the floor Of his
coop. We've never made him a pres.
ent yet, but he's such an extraor-
binary dog that don't you think we
might, as family, let him have our
new rug? He would appreciate it so
much! The pet! Look at him, pa!
Isn't he picture?"
do you think 1t would ftp" asked
pa, doubtfully.
Bee snatched the rug and ma ran
out at once. with Shep in glad pur-
suit. They staid out so long that pa
began to wonder.
What's the matter?" he called.
He won't go in" cried ma.
HE swears and growls!" cried Bee.
Make him go in" commanded pa.
A vague form fitted through the