FEBRUARY, 1924
THE UNITED AMERICAN
A Bit of Newspaper Verse
HE TOOK up one of the magazines
S
and glanced through it casually, but
somehow it did not appeal to the old
lady, and so she laid it down again.
There was a volume of poems, richly
bound in vellum, on the table by her
side, and for a little while the story of
its gallant knights and lovely maidens
bewitched her. But soon the weight of
the book began to tire her feeble hands.
After that, quite as a last resort, she
took up the evening paper and glanced
through it, just to while away the time.
She had never taken much concern in
politics, the latest Parisian fashion did
not interest her in the least, but present­
ly three little verses, wedged in between
a lurid account of a murder and a patent
medicine advertisement, caught her eye.
The poem was Eugene Field’s “Little
Boy Blue,” and at the very first lines of
it the old lady became all attention:
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch it stands,
And the little tin soldier is covered with
rust,
And his musket molds in his hands.
Very slowly, as she read on, the tears
came into her eyes and dimmed the
spectacles so that she could scarcely see
¡the lines of the second verse:.
i“Now don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
then, toddling off to his trundle bed,
He dreamed of his pretty toys.
¡And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our little boy.
Oh, the years are many—
Yes, they were many! It was more
,han half a century ago now. The paper
hopped from the old ladys hand and
rustled to the floor. There was no use
n trying to read any more, for her
Noughts had flown away now to a time
vhen she had had just such a Little Boy
Hue as that. Since then she had had
ots of other children. Even now, as she
at there in the twilight, she could hear
he shouts of her grandchildren at play
lot far away, but little Geordie had
ieen her first-born, and somehow the
filers were different, and nobody knew
ust how but herself. She had daughters
o console her in her widowhood, and
rhen her married daughter had died her
hildren had been left. But with little
Jeordie it was different. They only knew
if him by the little headstone in the
¡raveyard; but to her—-why, after read-
ng that little poem, it seemed as though
,t were only yesterday that he was tod-
¡""I'liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
dling along beside her, rosy, and bright,
and full of fun. And he used to say just
those things—she remembered.
“Why, mother,” said her daughter, as
she came in, “you’ve been crying! What’s
the matter?”
“It was nothing, dear,” answered the
old lady, as. she wiped her eyes, “I was
reading, you know, and it upset me a
little. It was only a bit of newspaper
verse.”
ARE YOUR WALLS RESTFUL?
The walls of a bedroom, are most
restful when perfectly plain, although a
narrow stripe or even a small figured,
all-over pattern printed in. delicate tints
upon a white, ivory, or pale gray back­
ground may sometimes be permissible.
“Spotty” figures which insist, on being
counted, up, down, and diagonally—and
particularly those of intricate design in
which it is easy to perceive grotesque
19
faces or animal forms—should be rigor­
ously avoided.
In the principal rooms of the house the
greatest effect of restfulness, as well as
spaciousness, is produced by using the
same wall color throughout, preferably
choosing either ivory or a soft, neutral
tone of gray or tan. The rhythmic spac­
ing of paneled walls confers an atmos­
phere of dignity and calm upon a room,
whether the paneling is of choice wood,
carefully toned and waxed, or is inex­
pensively produced by outlining the pan­
els on a tinted or painted wall with nar­
row wood melding finished to match.
It is of course quite possible for a
patterned wallpaper to be restful, if
rightly chosen and hung. There are
available many delightful reproductions
of small patterned Colonial wallpapers,
as well as many quiet tapestry effects of
modern design. A gray or tan figured
paper may be used in the hall, and plain
gray .or tan in the adjoining rooms,
without destroying the restful feeling
produced by an unbroken vista of uni­
formly decorated walls.—Housekeeping.
Permanent Means
of Identification
'p O IDENTIFY yourself with the business life of your
adopted country and to become known as one who is
establishing himself, maintain a bank account at the United
States National Bank.
You’ll find us willing and glad to assist you with your
financial problems and to give you
the best of our service.
“One of the Northwest’s
Great Banks
20«? UNITED STATES
NATIONAL BANK
The Store That Undersells
Because It Sells for Cash
All Mail Orders Promptly and Carefully Filled
Agents for the Butterick Patterns and Publications
CLASSIFIED
Professions—Business
ATTORNEYS
NELS JACOBSON
806 N. W. Bank Bldg. Main 4416
DAVID E. LOFGREN
1030 Ch. of Com. Bldg. Brd’wy 0462
llllllllllllllllllilllllllltllllllllllHIIIIIIIII'llllltllllllllllllllllllfllliltllllllllllllllllllllllllllli
Place Your Orders With The United American Advertisers—and Tell Them Why
3®