The Huttig news., 1908-09-19
THE STORY OF
 A RUG Pa Selected 1t with His usuaI
 Good Taste

Pa eoughed as if he had something on his mind and he did his best to look benevolent.
 'I-er-bought rug today" he said.
 "A rug?' cried ma.
 "A rug?" cried Bee.
 "A rug?'.. cried the rest of the fam fly. 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, I ought to say, is an authority on old china, Bee is studying sculp- ture, and the rest of the family hopes to be a poet some day. Pa is very stout and he has any number of chins).
 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. A six by three, my love-
 Just the size for the parlor, my 1ears," said ma We need a new rug for the hearth, and unless l am mistaken here is the expressman now
 She went into the parlor and made place for the rug, while pa carried it in and united it. It had a green fringe and border which shaded into a 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 flash 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 samei"
 T think, my dears.' sad ma, that the dining-roem would be the better place for it, after all"
 We found 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 refecting 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, lis that they last practically for ever
 The next day we put it up in the spare room and pacified pa (who missed it the moment he got homel by telling him that it was too good for any dining-room. This modified him, but the next morning he got 3 letter from Aunt Jane saying she was coming to spend a few days. Ma rar upstairs, and when she came down shs avoided Bees eye. Bee ran upstairs and when she came down she avoided my eye. l wasn't going to have it, SC I ran upstairs and put it in mas room When 1 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 a 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 rattled.
 Perhaps" said Bee, If you hung it out on the line some one might steal it."
 Hang tbat out on the liner" cried ma. "I would die frst!"
 And added:
 "Besides-no one would steal it.'
 She looked refiectively at Shep
 Leave it to me, my dears,' she said at last; T think 1 have a 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 1 am almost afraid of him. When you picked him out as puppy I must con fess that 1 had my doubts about your choice, but. as matter of fact he is a most wonderful dog, Most wonder full, Now, what I've been thinking is this Here's winter coming on with its cold, blizzardy weather, and that olc pet hasn't a thing on the floor of his coop. We've never made him a pres ent yet, but he's such an extraor dinary dog that don't you think we might, as a family. let him have oul new rug? He would appreciate it ST muchl The ret, Look at him, pa Isn't he a pieture?"
 Do you think it would fit?" asked pa, doubtfully.
 Bee snatohed the rug and ma rar 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 so in!" cried ma.
 "He swears and growls,' cried Bee
 Make him go in," commanded pa
 vague form fitted through the gloom, paused for a moment, but reso ! I