Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1900 — Called It Furniture Medicine. [ARTICLE]

Called It Furniture Medicine.

"The secret of uever wanting new things Is to keep the old ones well mended,” sakl a wise housekeeper, as she exhibited the shdf where she kept what she called "furniture medicine.” There were 1 tins of different colors of paints and enamel, brushes of several sizes, a bottle of liquid gilt, some good glue, aud remnants of all the different kinds pf wall paper. A handsome sixleaved Japanese screen had been badly mutilated by a careless housemaid, so that two of its panels were unsightly. She patched the gashes carefully with court plaster, aud with a box of water colons and the liquid gilt so concealed the patches that it was ns good.as nevv.i A somewhat top-heavy but sturdy little boy made a seat of the handsome porcelain umbrella jar, when down came both boy and Jar, the latter in a dozen, pieces. It was not therefor discarded, but piecing It with the greatest care with csffltent, a brush was dipped lu liquid gilt and covered all the cracks, which, from their zig-zag directions, 1 really added to Its Oriental appearance. —Short Skits.