Read Online Because of Stephen by Grace Livingston Hill - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Grace Livingston Hill
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time. While she had been playing and singing the night before, there had been revealed to her ways in which she might point the way to her Saviour , and she longed to begin.
There was much to be done in teaching the strange servant new ways, and in keeping clean the things they used every day; but Margaret was one of those whose hands are never idle, and she had put her whole soul into the making over of her brother's home; so she accomplished much in her own way while the young men worked at masonry and the stone fireplace grew into comely proportions.
By the time it was finished she had rooted out from the boxes and barrels most of the things she would need in the immediate arrangement of this living room, and had cut and sewed cushions and fixings ready to put into place when the time came, so that the work of refurnishing went rapidly forward. Indeed, the two helpers became fully as eager to see the room finished as was the young architect.
Margaret had bought a number of things before she left the East that she thought she would be likely to need in arranging her own room, which she wanted to make as pretty as possible to keep her from getting homesick. All this plan she now abandoned, and set herself to put these pretty things into the adornment of the great, bare living-room which she meant should be the scene of her labors.
Among other things there were bright ma terials for cushions, and there were rolls of paper enough to hang the walls of a reasonably large room. A careful calculation and much measurement soon made it evident that this paper would cover the most of the walls of this room, which was the size of an ordinary whole house without any partitions. She puzzled a while to kn ow whether she should risk send ing for more, but finally a bright idea occurred to her as she looked at the large bundle of green burlap that was lying in the box with the paper. This she had intended for draperies, or floor covering, if necessary, or maybe covering for a chest or a cushion. Now all was plain before her.
The paper had an ivory ground on which seemed to be growing great palms as if a myriad of hothouses had let forth their glories of greenery. There was enough of this paper to cover the two sides and front of the room. That was delightful. It would look as if the room opened on three sides into a palm grove. On the back end, in the centre of which was the great stone fireplace, she would put the plain moss-green burlap, fastened along its breadths with brass tacks. Two or three good coats of whitewash would give the ceiling a creamy tint, and she could cut out a few of the palms from the paper to apply in a dainty design in the centre and corners.
The two young men looked bewildered when she tried to explain, and she finally desisted, and issued her directions.
They covered the back of the room first; and, when the mossy breadths were smoothly on over the rough boards, fastened at intervals with the gle aming tacks, the old stone fire place stood o ut finely against the dark back ground.
"Now, if you have any guns and things, that is the place to put them," said Margare t, point ing to the wall about the fireplace, and Philip proudly brought out a couple of guns, and crossed them on the wall to the right, while Stephen fastened a pair of buffalo-horns over the door to the left that led into the new kitchen. This side of the room was at once denominated the dining room, and Margaret unwrapped a handsome four-panel screen of unusual size, wrought in black and gold, and stood it across that corner.
They turned with avidity to follow her next directions, having more faith in the result than they had before. And another day or two saw the walls papered and the ceiling smiling white with its green traceries here and there.
It did not take long after that to unpack rugs and furniture. Margaret had brought many things from the old home, rare mahogany furniture and Oriental rugs, that a wiser per son might have advised
There was much to be done in teaching the strange servant new ways, and in keeping clean the things they used every day; but Margaret was one of those whose hands are never idle, and she had put her whole soul into the making over of her brother's home; so she accomplished much in her own way while the young men worked at masonry and the stone fireplace grew into comely proportions.
By the time it was finished she had rooted out from the boxes and barrels most of the things she would need in the immediate arrangement of this living room, and had cut and sewed cushions and fixings ready to put into place when the time came, so that the work of refurnishing went rapidly forward. Indeed, the two helpers became fully as eager to see the room finished as was the young architect.
Margaret had bought a number of things before she left the East that she thought she would be likely to need in arranging her own room, which she wanted to make as pretty as possible to keep her from getting homesick. All this plan she now abandoned, and set herself to put these pretty things into the adornment of the great, bare living-room which she meant should be the scene of her labors.
Among other things there were bright ma terials for cushions, and there were rolls of paper enough to hang the walls of a reasonably large room. A careful calculation and much measurement soon made it evident that this paper would cover the most of the walls of this room, which was the size of an ordinary whole house without any partitions. She puzzled a while to kn ow whether she should risk send ing for more, but finally a bright idea occurred to her as she looked at the large bundle of green burlap that was lying in the box with the paper. This she had intended for draperies, or floor covering, if necessary, or maybe covering for a chest or a cushion. Now all was plain before her.
The paper had an ivory ground on which seemed to be growing great palms as if a myriad of hothouses had let forth their glories of greenery. There was enough of this paper to cover the two sides and front of the room. That was delightful. It would look as if the room opened on three sides into a palm grove. On the back end, in the centre of which was the great stone fireplace, she would put the plain moss-green burlap, fastened along its breadths with brass tacks. Two or three good coats of whitewash would give the ceiling a creamy tint, and she could cut out a few of the palms from the paper to apply in a dainty design in the centre and corners.
The two young men looked bewildered when she tried to explain, and she finally desisted, and issued her directions.
They covered the back of the room first; and, when the mossy breadths were smoothly on over the rough boards, fastened at intervals with the gle aming tacks, the old stone fire place stood o ut finely against the dark back ground.
"Now, if you have any guns and things, that is the place to put them," said Margare t, point ing to the wall about the fireplace, and Philip proudly brought out a couple of guns, and crossed them on the wall to the right, while Stephen fastened a pair of buffalo-horns over the door to the left that led into the new kitchen. This side of the room was at once denominated the dining room, and Margaret unwrapped a handsome four-panel screen of unusual size, wrought in black and gold, and stood it across that corner.
They turned with avidity to follow her next directions, having more faith in the result than they had before. And another day or two saw the walls papered and the ceiling smiling white with its green traceries here and there.
It did not take long after that to unpack rugs and furniture. Margaret had brought many things from the old home, rare mahogany furniture and Oriental rugs, that a wiser per son might have advised
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