Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-29
WINIFRED BLACKS
W SPECIAL ARTICLE
THE RICH MANS CARPET
1922. by Newspaper Feature sc7vic.
He's dead-the Rich Man.

L > dtdu-lHe INCH NAN.
The very rich map-the man of af.
fairs.
The man whose word was as good as
his bond-the man who started as a
poor boy and ended as one of the
great financiers of the country.
And the papers have been carrying
stories about him-stories of his gen
crosby and his kindness and his simple
heart-stories of his keen wit and quick
intelligence and bulldog tenacity.
But there is one story they haven't
told yeti wonder if they knew it.
once not so very many years ago |
went to see the rich man at his house
on a matter of public business. | was
shown into the library where the rich
man sat at a great mahogany table with
a background of a gorgeous room.
Fine pictures hung on the walls.
rich draperies made q dull. sole light.
and under my feet was a magnificent
Persian rug in the softly-blended colors
mat are neither too bright nor too
faded.
my, BUT IT WAS LOVELY"
How do you like my rug asked
the rich man. It's a birthday pre-
sent"
liked it and | said so. and then We
got to talking Of rugs in general. and
he said.
IN never forget the first rug or
no IL WASH a rug either, it was a
carpet, that | ever bought was a
young man. newly married, and we
iived ID a little cottage in the work
Ing district of a New Jersey town.
My young wife wasn't particularly
Wen 11St fhnn and -
went out for a walk before bedtime.
and there was a little shop on th,
corner. not far from our home. In
that shop window there were carpets
and curtains and there was one CARPET
with which We both fell in love. /
suppose neither you nor | would like
II very well now, or at least YOU
wouldn't. maybe.
1T had a kind of a light ground
yellowish-white, Id call il: cream |
suppose It was. as you women would
huge, gorgeous roses. every one of
say-and scattered all over were great.
them bigger than a cabbage and bright
red.
My. but it was lovely, Nv little
wife caught her breath with delight
time she looked at it. We couldn't
it, and w were afraid somebody
would buy it and carry it off. before
had a chance to save the money.
One Saturday night, while we were
there the proprietor of the
store came out. I see you like that
piece OF carpet, he said. Why don't
you buy it:
I'VE told him we didn't have the
money, and he asked me if | wasn't
The young fellow up at the mills and |
Yes and he said. Give me some
hing down on il, and promise to pay
ne every Saturday night, and you can
AXE il home-now.'
Il wouldn't be half so delighted If
somebody offered me a million dollars
today.
And | was afraid he'd change his
mind. and | ran home and got nv
and | wheeled that Garnet
home. and my wife and ! put il down
hat very night. | broke my nails and
my thumb doing il. but. pshaw.
didn't care
HOW SHE LAUGHED
And my wife lit the best lamp and
brought il in-l can see her this min
ute standing in the d~oorway-she held
the lamp above her head and oh, that
Then | held the lamp and
looked at the carpet and then we
set the lamp down and we both looked
at the carpet-but after we'd gone
10 bed we said what if il didn't look
by daylight and in the morning I
TO creep out of bed without wax
ing her up first and we went in and it
prettier by daylight than il was
by neutrality-suspicious. she laughed: my
little wife, 10 think hat she'd beat me
to it. She was nothing but a child.
dear girl-she died before six months
was out.
Il married again .later-married hap