THE STORY OF A HOME.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 11

THE STORY OF A HOME.

An American magazine has a' charming lit--3 story of a simple country dame whose isbarid rises to such wealth that he builds monstrous palace on Fifth Avenue with a awbridge and'a moat) and, it is rumoured, id oubliette in-the back drawing-room, lhe j •st.part of;"the. story.is concerned wth .the, y .turn -. from Europe of the .highly educated id "artisic daughter of the. W'ealthy , people, id her. succcssful'endeayour to .make: tne teribr of .this, hateful house artistic, one j llists .the services,of Miss Evelyn Vancourt, c famous artistic' decoratbrj, and. the. result j '■"satisfactory.\to all' except-. tlie bomely - otlierj whose soul longs for the .comfortable , i»ly house of her young, days. As an example ( i Louis Seize, decoration, it.. was , a_ lugn i jhivement:. It was eycrj'tliing,, as .Evelyn \ new, that tastd and ingenuity and wealth, , iuld; make .it—except a home. But she had , ing since' abandoned the 'fallacious hope , lat she should create homes for' people who • , ere hever for three months, in the .same , lace, and who' looked for their sources of' appiriess everywhere but in their own reastsix •. She could bring' the : beauty' of ' iurope within their doors, she; could make of loir houses stately museums,-'but she could ot create a soul where ho souls dwelt. _ The fame of the house spread abroad, and Sig was told on. all. Bides that she had reated a''masterpiece of "period" decoraion.' ; Three years later, the daughter havig'married in the meantime, the millionaire ies arid leaves the palace to his widow, who ives- there with a homely old cousin—Lydia shares her' taste for . making, reserves and embroidering,' and doing little oiisewifely. tasks, and the-two women, shut ut from'these joys, by the magnificence'of he house and a gorgeous retinue of Servants, rd miserable till ■ a happy idea >sends, the ?idow Mrs. Flynn to .beg a favour from he artist decorator. ; " Why' I- want you," she', said, " to do me he'liind; of house -1 lived in when I was irst married, in the early kind if- house 1' lovo- better than anything in ho world, because I was so happj; with; Hard-, tin; and. Lydia she wants that kind, too, besause- she' was happy with 1 John.' I can t go ibout.much,.because of my rheumatism;-and .. wouldn't know where' to look; among, this lewrfangled furniture, for the -old things, ior the wall-papers, ; but 1 knew you. could—" ; She paused' to" take; breath., Before . Evejai's bewildered-vision floated the image of lerself.: deliberately resurrecting 1 -symbols of ;hat very', tiadir of ugliness and bad'taste 111 iorisehold' furnishings', -the period of the "early seventies, with its .marble-toppod -black-wal-fut 'bureaus' and tables of appalling•'heaviicss,; its' brnssels''carpets, its: > darkwall- ■ japers.: itshand-painted:" plaques,^and'its blush' litmbrequihs. VFor a moment the'posibility of digging'for-such-a'-corpse seemed too Fantastic to be entertained;; then the whimsicality of it made sudden, appeal—an appeal itrengthehed :by . the eager look m the Dyes of s!re. Flagg. ' i,- • That- look—born of something .deeper, than i . knowledge ,of art. • and seeing '• far into, the warm' Heart.' of things—decided Evelyn's hesitation. .- Shades of the three; French might.gaze- appalled; but.'shd would patiently re-create 'an ugly little', home, that a gdod woman had loved; She' began to feel .stirring j

within hfir;a' real 'enthusiasm' over: the pro- ._ jeot,' as/if' it- called; for- '.more genuine-.talent .T. than any she. had yet exercised—the'gift of 0 resurrecting.'.happy-.memories and .summon- 'M ing the ; light: of, old enchaJ^tments,' none', the 4! less ihagic':l»canM..belong'ing ;to the Middle 19 West in the,early severities. :. r l'-Mrs'. ; l'TaggV saw. the- acquiescence in;. her .(( face, and put/out jan' impulsive "'hand.-'' V :;i':" r Tou' will;do'it;- won't yoii P I- didn't know 51 anyone'else'who could; but you sort of .feel • houses,. Miss v.-: .Vanoourt,' like they were ;JV alivC—r" ' - V :V ; : ;Evclyn : :blushed:'W'itli pleasure. . -It was:-the. sincerest-compliment ever. -ha'd paid (' to'her. ' ■; : ; ?- "They are alive, or should be," she Answered. v. 'VNow tell ..me, first, :if-ydu'vei S found, your liouse." ' ' , x M Ybs'ni—in. ! 'the New Jersey, hills. ' Lydia ~ and I- picked it'out when .she, was.- stayin" 1 ; ivith mn after '.thefuneral; 'and I was :able ,j to'buy it on th'o spot. ' It's a, frairib, * white, with.''Ereen''shutters', s 'an'd'-a.nicb' front yard; ; and,a oack-garden,for vegetables; aiid r .there arc some old cherry trees and .good well - water, though I'm ;having a batlitiA- put in 1 ; ;2 and "all'conveniences.; We're, not ;'goihg;,to; V keep a girl, Lydia and I both being good S cooks and likin'' to do it—if ;iou;. never f tasted her pluhi jam, you don't 1 know what plum jam: - rest - we,>leayo;,to- you," . .she ended breathlessly, " after.l tell you .what j my first houso was like." . ': - v ■ :.; '.: i '; How : she must -have suffered,.-. Evelyn, i thought, all these years in. an environment -i which .cut. her .off. from the homely'.duties l , -dear to -her! ;.Tho .corps'.of;servants in tho i ■ " palace ""must .have .seemed te-her like & .♦ "hostiletarmy stinding between herjand. her. A •native heath. . ' s ;;^i•;'< " You'll have to tell mo in detail about that /iirst'• hou'pe, beginning with- .the front haU.': ' - ■ ; ' 'Twasn't mu6h like the palace,"' she' said - .witii "a..sad little smile. ' " I've 'told Gladys- < I'm going to sell it, and-she'don't care, for ( she always, hated-the outside of it; but I've -1 not told her my plans, and; shan't till -I'm inmy.riew liomej for. fear-she might'interfere; 1 Aftenvard 1 guess she won't care—if it's kept .) quiet." . ' -. - ( "I'll not say a word, not even; to my ' assistants, in the office," 15velyn assured her, 1 her pencil in poise above.'a fresh, white J .'tablet; ' Begin with the hall. lell mo 1 everything, even to the patterns of the tidies ' and tho colours of .the bureau-mats." 1 I ■ : iMr's..Flagg's face grew radiant-'as'-she en r -te'red upon her recital, which confirmed'to the utmost Evelyn's conception of lier task. Her mind wandered occasionally as she asked herself'. whether it was. still . 'possible ' to; .buy brussels carpets: .with immense, roses.; in'-the pattern,' and rugs with'deer Newfound-' "lKnd 1 .dogs'woven, on them; and knitted ." tidies,'' : and'hassocks- covered with:'carpet, . :and with a shitting .black button-'in the' middle ; and' where she could find. toileWjottle's of milky 'glass;- hand-piinted'; and a silver castor ' with :■ a r ih^' : in V the ' top,'; aiid . splacher s .worked- in-.-outline' stitch;, and;a, parlour ; set" of haireloth-covorcd cnairs,' ' .... '; -.; ■'' Mrs; x Flagg' grew , more and . '.more -, circum'stantial, until' even knew that;- geraniums .grew' iri. the Muth 'window 'qf the, din-ing-room,'-'and;that:a seySn-tojed.' 'bat'ihsid- -Ills' headquarters on tho. rag-carpet rug in tho ' kitchen.;.• : '; '■ -.--.v ' V " AVe called him' John-cat, because, he' had. suclrgood masculine sense.' He was a splen- . did mouser, and Hardwin thought a sight of him; He was a:tabby, and had just twenty-, eight, toes I" . ~ . ■ ■' . ■ I Turning he'r. 'other, cornmissibns over to; her . assistants;'. Evelyn gave : herself up to :.her ; searching for ugliness with all the ardor, she -usually threw into the promulgation of 'the,.aesthetic 'gospel. ;..The,fiat' ; werit forth . for 'wall-papers, hangings, and furniture of a "period" unrecorded.in.books .on. decoration.-. . She- searched the stores of forgotten .villages ; she visited ; houses.-whioh still, retained the' wall-papers of that ' time ; she , advertised for black walnut bedroom , sets. Gradually the entire collection, oven to the monstrous satin pincushions,; was trought to-' gether, in the white, aiid green house.; ; ,yAVlieri the ciirtains were hung, and the : giltframed engravings, put up—" Lincoln, and , . His. Family," " The Stream, of Life," .'JMaud". sMuller aiid.the Judge"; when the crocheted mat was placed under Mrs. Flagg's family Bible on the marble-tap sidetable,,, Evelyn, looked about'with a-triumph she had.rarely felt, in'.her most loudly, praised works. . ; - " And it really, ugly, after all," she ' told' hersblf , in; wonder.lt 'ought .to be perfectly hidoOus, ,but it isn't.. It's homey. I.' wonder if I've left, anything out; Oh', yes— I must advertise for. a seven-toed; kitten I" .. The kitten was on the ,rag-carpet' rug in : the .kitchen' a week later, . when Evelyn. »' brought Mrs. Flagg-and Lydia.'down-for the. double' .ceremony, of,, the-.first inspection and tlie "houseTW-arining;'- It was not: until .then that she !realised the- full.-significance of ' her. labours of the past .three months, and saw how sweet their early married life must : have been ,to,..these two, plain women who ' went-from room'to room, their .hands clasped : together, their,eyes bright with excitement-^-. : perhaps with tears. 1 :Then they sat down to an early' : " tea,", i that'.Evelyn. might; return to Neiy -York before nightVclosed. /.Lydia had opened a jar , of her plum jam, and Mrs. Flagg had made i a. batch of, so'da-biscuit. and a delicious ome- -■ let. - i'hero was; " store cake," but Mrs.. : Flagg would remedy that if Miss Vancourt 5 j vjonid; come again. '■ . : . I