“You are incorrigible,” observed Mrs. Brand. But now she spoke dreamily, her thoughts having gone elsewhere. “Well,” she said, “as you won’t come to us, there’ll be two places empty, and I’ll invite Mr. and Mrs. Forrest, our new neighbours. They are being very useful to Jem. I knew they ought to be asked, but if you had come there wouldn’t have been room.”
And she went off, leaving Lucy a thankful woman that she had a home of her own, where she needed no perfunctory welcome and filled no place which was wanted for other people.
(To be continued.)
[HOW TO CONTRIVE AND DECORATE A COFFER OR LINEN PRESS.]
It often happens that one gets an empty case which one feels ought to be turned to account, and yet the thing is to know what to do with it. Here is one suggestion—make it into a linen press. The case for preference should be long rather than square (see the proportions in sketch). You could get a new one made for about 3s. 6d. or 4s.
The panelling is glued and bradded on. The “stiles” (those parts around the panels) should be got out of half-inch white wood and should be planed. So should the portions of the case where the panels are, if you intend to decorate them in any way, but if you get a case made, order it to be planed. Some builder’s moulding forms the plinth at bottom of chest, and a narrower moulding should be nailed on to the edges of the lid if you want to get a finished-looking article, but of course all these adornments can be left out, though at a sacrifice to appearance. We can sit on a three-legged stool, but we prefer a chair. Four casters should be screwed to the bottom of the chest so that it can easily be moved about. These can be purchased at any ironmonger’s.
The mouldings, stiles, top and sides of chest would look well stained brown. Varnish stain can be purchased, but I found that permanganate of potash (Condy’s fluid) put on with a brush stains the wood a nice brown, and it sinks right into it. Buy the potash by the ounce and dissolve it in warm water, and to obtain a deep colour put on a second coat. As it rots the hairs of a brush, use only a cheap one. This when dry can be either varnished with dark oak varnish (buy this by the half-pint at some good oil-shop or decorator’s supply stores) or can have beeswax dissolved in warm turpentine rubbed on and polished by friction. This is the old housewives’ way of polishing, and those who have seen chairs and tables in some country cottage polished in this way will admit that nothing can exceed the brilliance of the polish thus obtainable, as it improves with time, every rubbing you give it increasing the brilliance. If you use varnish you will probably have to give it two coats, as the first one is likely to sink in. Use a flat brush for putting on the varnish and apply it evenly.
As I want to cater for all tastes and pockets, I will give another suggestion which will involve very little outlay, as you can deal with any suitable strong empty case you may have by you. Get some patent size at an oil-shop and melt it to boiling point by putting it in a gallipot and this in boiling water. This saves contaminating the saucepan and keeps the size from burning. Give the case a good coat, and when dry a second one. Now purchase some Japanese gilt leather paper at some good furniture warehouse or decorator’s. It is very tough material, and will require some good strong paste. That known as “cobbler’s paste” (which you can get at a leather-seller’s or of a friendly bootmaker) is the best. It is too thick as it is, but can be thinned with a little boiling water. Put plenty on, as the paper will soak up a good deal, and don’t attempt to stick it down on the wood until the paste has been on some twenty minutes or so.