Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-05
THE MAGAZINE EXPLAINS JUST
HOW TO MAKE IT.

A few evenings later Tom laughed
again and Helen flushed guilty.
What's it now?" he asked, teasingiy.
1T won't cost but rs cents, apollo
getically explained Helen. lust strip
of denim and these gold knobs. It's a
towel rack. You know the bedroom is
terribly bare. Tom, with nothing but a
bedstead and a straight-backed chair.
And the magazine explains just exactly
how to make it.
The smile died out Of Toms eye and
something very soft and tender took its
place as he watched Helen frown over
the covered cardboard. Tom was quite
niture.
But the denim towel rack never appeared
in the bedroom. Helen explained shortly
that denim was puckery material or else
this was poor denim.
That hadn't altogether discouraged her.
There came another magazine that Helen
read industriously all one afternoon and
she was preoccupied that evening. Tom
grinned.
What Is to be be, honey? A wrapping
paper kitchen cabinet or silesia chif-
fonierr
much. And the magazine is very explicit.
Just a yard of sateen and two brass ham
dies and wooden meat platter Or
meditatively-"I believe a 10 cent tin
tray would be better. What is It? Oh, a
serving tray. dear. You've seen them in
the stores covered with something. II 1
can get the right twist on this"
She went to work the next morning.
But somehow neither Helen nor Tom
could weld brass handles to the tin tray
and by the time they were through
struggling the sateen was dorinkled and
frayed: Helen chucked the whole mess
into the waste chute and cried.
"GOrne dav sweet hea SHARED Tom
It'll get a raise"
'Twish I hadn't wasted the money" she
walled. Altogether I've spent enough
to buy a clock"
Never mind" said Tom. and he sat on
the edge Of the bed to take off his shoes.
It was announcement having only one chair
In a bedroom that two people occupied.
The next Monday he gave Helen an ex-
ira dollar Where did you get it," she
asked suspiciously. Now. Tom, you've
been doing without lunch.'
And that was all he would tell her.
Helen looked at the dollar lovingly.
It was the first that she had to spend.
except for necessaries, for some time.
She resolved firmly that she would
was through with all magazine entice-
mentA Not even a glowing description
of the perfectly gorgeous hall trees
that could be contrived out OF can
Of varnish and three old curtain poles.
with a fiat dozen hooks. enthused her
and she scornfully refused to read In
structions for turning four barrel
slaves and a square of bargain counter
plush into a Sleepy Hollow rocker. No.
this dollar would be invested in GER
tainty. not will-o'-the-wfsp. She
washed the breakfast dishes and swept
the kitchen while she pondered what
was most needed in the flat-the big
gest need. that is, that a dollar could
supply. She ran out and got a paper
for the advertisements
hogany chair nor brass bed for a
dollar. Helen gloomed over the ads.
The difference between what she
wanted and what she had was tan
talizing. She let tho matter go over
lunch she mourned. II only Tom
hadn't such old-fashioned ideas about
a wife working! And then, while she
slipped her cup OF tea, she picked up q
magazine and read and succumbed to q
It read ridiculously simple. Just a
box and framework and five yards of
blue lowered wolfe. and there was
beautiful dresser. It was terribly in
convenient keeping ones clothes in a
the box She trusted that previous
failures had made her more skilled.
She knew they had. Tho next day she
got the wolfe. Fortunately. she had
brass w .aSk tba .ele from
pretty in tho store and certainly the
box had been straight and even sided
when she bought 1t. and the artistic
canopy above had looked easy. But
one loud. horrid clash with the blue
Of the bedroom walls. And that
straight box wabbled and spread and.
bulEed in a most inartistic way when