Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-28
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| slip over the overstufTed living room
| furniture. 1t is craze among mousse
| wives We knew one once who even nad
one made for the monograph, and put
it on the first of June and left it on
until September /, so that there was
no music in that home for three months.
| Most men regard slip covers with suspi-
| cion, as merely nuisances to creep up
the back of the sofa and get wrinkled.
! The curious thing about slip covers
! is that the housewife doesn't want one
| to sit on them, although that was the
very thing they were made for. Mr..
and Mrs. Jones' for instance, call upon
| Mr.. and Mrs Smith. Mrs. Smith has
| just recently become the proud pos
SCISSOR of some very snappy slip covers,
all done in linen plaStered over with
neat bluebirds at intervals. Mrs. Smith
was very careful to insist there should
be bluebird looking out from the
exact center of every seat. Thus there
are three bluebirds on the seat and
three more on the back.
| When happy Mr.. Jones, who pos
sesses very good opinion OF Mrs.
Smith, enters the room, the very first
thing he does is to make dive for
the big sofa, and plump himself down
squarely on one of those blueblrdS.
Mrs. Smith smiles delightedly, but Mrs.
Jones knows that she is thinking about
| her slip covers. Finally, the worthy
| hostess can stand it no longer, as she
watches Jones twist around. Don't
you think you would be more comfort
| able in this chair?" she asks him.
"Oh, moi" roarS Jones heartily. Il am
perfectly comfortable, thank YOU Mrs.
| Jones gives him a look. but it passes
clear over his head. She knows that
Mrs. Smith wants to get Jones OIL the
slip covers, but doesn't want to ask
him point blank, Of course. After
a few minutes have passed, Mrs. Smith
| tries it again. "Oh, Mr.. Jones. you
don't look comfortable there" she
smile. combined with her famous up
ward look, which has always won
Jones' approval, much to the disgust
of his good wife. Il am sure you will
be more comfortable over here" chortles
| Mrs. Smith This is perfect" says
Jones. without budging. And there he
stays for the remainder of the evening
Such are the trials of housewife.
After the slip covers come off, dra-
peries and curtains go back up again.
| There was once time in Washing
| ton when every household took down
these decorative materials at the first
! touch of Spring, but modernity has
made that a bit old-fashioned, along
| with music boxes, witch hazel and
peppermint sticks. Many homes to-
| day refuse to bulge the draperieS,
leaving them up all Summer long, only
| to be taken down, cleaned and put
right back again at this time of year.
Then there is the matter of the rugs.
Formerly practically every home in
| dulged in the pleasant practice OF send
ing the rugs away to be stored for
| the heated SPELL Now many keep the
| Orientals and WiltonS down the year
around. only sending them away at
stated intervals for thorough clean
ing. Despite open doors and windows,
rugs and draperieS and wall paper
show much less dirt in Summer than IN
Winter. when ash dust from the furnace
tends to filter into everything.
Nor is the basement overlooked. This
repository of old boxes newspapers.
bottles. paint cans and Sundr1eS OF
every description comes in for thor
ough overhauling. Looking at the place,
the housewife thinks to herself that
every last thing" as she says, can
and must be thrown away; but when
she starts the task of Kidding out" she
feels that maybe she had better keep
| that. after ALL" SO that when the job
is completed the basement is just about
as full as ever. Easements everywhere
thus continue TO harbor old boxes
newspapers, bottles, magazines, paint
cans and sundries of every, descrip-
ton.