Smyrna times., 1912-03-13
The Story e Fl: Of
~ Lace Curtains

acknowledge 1t, Ruth and Edgar |
had for years been living on the ex-
pectation of Aunt Adde'S fortune. |
Considering that she had brought |
Edgar up as her own son and that |
she had no one else in the world to |
whom to leave her millionaire hus-
bands money. it is only natural
that, in a perfectly unobjectionable
way, Ruth should sometimes plan
for sable furs, latter or Edgar
hint at an automobile, "when'-
Aunt Addie still on earth had
Spartan ideas as to the proper ex-
penditures of a young architect and
his bride; but Aunt Addie gone
from the world would surely make
possible the fleshpots of Egypt and
Iuxuries of Sybaris.
Imagine the shock, then, when
after the due solemnities of the
funeral services, Deardorff, Aunt
Adde'S old lawyer, read her will
to the assembled friends, and, after
varying bequests to this one or that,
announced pompously, 'To my dear
nephew and niece, Edgar and Ruth
Simcox. my best pair of duchess
lace curtains" Ruth gasped faint
ly: Edgar swore under his breath.
Deardorff, smiling sweetly, vouch-
safed the further information that
Aunt Addie had requested him to
make no answer to any questions of
theirs, but simply to see that the
lace curtains were handed over to
them. There was nothing for it but
to take the hated articles home and
set them up at the two front living
room windows.
They were really beautiful cur
tains-real old lace, bearing with
them an atmosphere of wealth and
luxury. Had they not aroused such
bitter reflections, the artistic Ruth
and Edgar would have grown to
love them, and after the first week
or two that is just what did happen.
The two spent many happy hours in
the pretty little living room reading
up on laces, and tracing the ex-
qusite patterns of their own acqui.
sition.
1t was Ruth who first discovered
that the blue wall paper was
shabby. 1.-The curtains make il
look TERRIBLE" she complained, and
forthwith the room was repapered-
a most expensive paper this time,
brocade on a dull gilt background,
to harmonize with the curtains.
Edgar. with his eye for detail,
began to grow ashamed of the rug.
1t was woven rug, very charming
in the days of blue wall paper anc
stenciled curtains, but horribly out
of place with duchess lace and gill
brocade. He found a wonderful
Persian at an enormous bargain
but il took nearly all his bank &C
count to buy it.
And how the crude cherry furni
ture looked by it's wonderful fade
tones! Edgar and Ruth agreed tha
new set was absolutely indis
pensable. but they had not tn
slightest idea where to get tn
money. Finally. Ruth had her oil
lynx muff refined, and Edgar sen
back the raincoat he had just puI
chased, and with what the oil
furniture brought and the sad rem
nant of the rainy-day bank account
they managed to buy a walnut Ii
brary table, with a bookcase an
chairs and couch to match
"Thank goodness, our pictures al
in perfect taste !" sighed Ruth hC
eyes on the duchess lace curtains.
For while they were perfect
happy, but, unconcsiously, at frs
and then obtrusively, the oth'
rooms began to jar on them.
was so annoying to pass from Il
quiet splendor of the living room
= a bamboo and mating bedroom,
cheap mission dining room
They had each long made the dec
sion, before they admitted to ca
= other that assnredly the house nee
ed refurnishing and doing owe
They were half through this d
lightful but extravagant task
was the money Ruth's mother h
left her that was going now-wh
it occurred to them how out of pla
a house of the sort they wer epla
2 ming would be in their little su
urban neighborhood.
Who else on that block had due
ess lace curtains and Persian pray
rugs? The upshot of it was, that
month or two later they moved t.
neighborhood twice as exclusive a
house twice as expensive. Ede
had Just had raise, and surely
G search for beauty is always iustifi,
1t did not take Ruth long to f
bitterly, the difference beween
appearance and that of the otl
women who lived in houses such
- l., uo~ oa;Ohhora ruoro ualu