The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-22
DeO0tees Of Anhque Furu1fure
 CyaSe Are ShW NumbeylesJ
Drives One to Endless but Delightful Poverty-0ld Moth Eaten Bureaus and Tables Much in Demand Mahogany
 Magic Word to Those in Quest of the Beautiful.
Fly DOLLY DALRYMPLE.

Materia Medica contains remedies for nearly. every disease known to mankind, but there is one more virulent than small pox, more to be dreaded than the bubonic plague or the sleeping sickness, and far mora contagious than the measles or the humps, and that is the germ which gives one the craze for "antidue furn- iture." No set of physicians, matters not how they diagnose the case, no brigade of pretty trained nurses in their blue uniforms and white caps, can eradicate 1t once 1t is installed in the system, and It Is usually contracted by associating . with persons who have been inoculated with in some time ago. One gazes contemptuously at the wom- an who pokes about nosing around in i musty, dingy, old shops, digging in dark t; corners, and emerging dusty, tired, but triumphant, dragging after her an old l moth-eaten table, minus one leg, like a soldier who has come out battle-scarred from the war, and with a leaf gone and stained as to top, with libations poured to the gods. in merry conclave, by many an "old roupder." This I say, calls : forth contemptuous smiles from the un- initiated, but behold! Prestol Mark the changel When the inoculation has done it's work and you have become a victim of the disease
 Two of my friends have caught the germ. And recently l was inveigled into making the rounds with them and ac- quiring several new articles for their already attractive collection.
 As we entered a little hole in the wall the store was nothing more, really Annette suddenly tore herself away, and rushing over to the most horrible look ing old bureau, disreputable and abso- lutely inebriated, like a drunken man on his way home after night with the boys, she said:
 Girls, look at this darling. Isn't 1t a perfect love of a bureau?"
 Not being inoculated with the germ, said;
 Ut is absolutely the worst looking thing I ever saw. Why, I had lots rather go to a furniture store and get a brand new, clean, up-to-date piece of birdseye maple than to have that dirty old thing Tn my rOom
 You goose" she replied. You don't know the value of that piece of ma hogany."
 Perhaps not" I said, as she asked the secondhand merchant (of course the merchant wasn't secondhand, but his wares) how much it cost.
 'It is very beautiful bureau" re- sponded the merchant.
 And Annette seeing that perhaps she had been too enthusiastic, said:
 Its all to pieces, of course but maybe I could have 1t made over, so 1t would look respectable"
 "One dollar and a half" said the mer- chant.
 "One dollar" said Annette, with the true feminine instinct. "Very we'll" said the merchant, and l accordingly the transportation of the ar ticle to Annette's home was arranged. As we left, I said: What on earth will you do with that awful thing? It's all painted white and looks like a scarecrow."
 But it's pure mahogany underneath, . scraped and done over it will be per- feet dream. Did you notice the lovely carved columns and the claw feet? Pure colonial every inch, and think of it be- ing only $1."
 How much will it cost to have 1t made