Year: 1873

From the Golden Age.


l know room where sunshine al
ways fingers, and there is brain ot
summer and mignonette in the air
whenever [ think of it, There tired
man comes home, and throws off overcoat
and hat without looking to see what be-
comes of them There is a broad table
in the light strewn with papers and
magazines, and woman's work, with a
litter Of rose leaves dropping over them
from central vase. There is a wide
sofa of the days Of the Georges, fresh
covered in chintz, with ferns and hare
bells for patterns, and the tired ms,,
goes down there with a great ruffied
pillow under his shoulders. and opens
parcels and letters, dropping them as
he gets through on the floor, the most
natural place for them. \ girl has
been painting, and her waterceiors and
paper lie on side table, just as she
left them to rush away for an inpromp-
tu ride. | have never been able to dis
cover any disarrangement of the house
hold economy by this flight Some
body left a shawl on chair There
will be nothing said about it at break
fast next morning. There are 10 laws
here against playing with the curtain
tassel, no regulations as to how cften
the snowy muslin curtains may be put
up or let down. They do not last the
season 'out, crisp and speckless as our
nelshbors do across the way, but the
only consequence is they are oftener
new and clean.


There is nothing very fine about this
house but things are renewed oftener
and look brighter than they do in state
lier houses. The chairs have no par
tieular places and anybody feels at lib
Crty to draw the sofa out when it pleas
es him. There is no primness about
the place. Ii there is grass on the
lawn, it is meant to be walked on, and
the gerauiums are fondled, and caressed
as If they were children. Do you
know there is magnetism in green
leaves and growing flowers derived
from the earth ; heart, that makes it
good to handle and feel them? This
house is known as the place where one
dares to be late at breakfast There
is no ceremony Of waiting. Coffee and
cakes are put where they will be hot !;
the table is cleared to suit the house
keeper ) convenience, and small one
set for the late conner. Nobody lies
awake at night till the light ceases to
shine under your chamber door, ii YOU
want to sit up and read your novel
through.


There is an unwritten law of conven
icnce for the household, which regu-
Iates everything better than any code
NapoIeonic. And the benefit of allow
Ing people to be a law unto themselves
is, that they are much better natured
about it when they do obey. There is
indulgence and repose in this lovely
home, and great deal Of time for
things which most people cut short. an
hours play with the children, fright
DOWN chat with neighbor, day Of
letter-writing once a fortnight. And
the worth at these merry, comforting
letters quite outweishs the fact that
there are cigar ashes on the mantel, and
a pile Of work on the sofa. Disorder
does not imply dust or soil of any kind.
1t does not include shabbiness, or mean
chaos. 1t means ''leave to be'-in
most eases, thinking ofpeople more than
Of things. Order is simple harmony,
Of a few notes Disorder is the flower
ing, branching melody Of one theme
and that theme, individuality.