Families -- Fiction; Girls -- Conduct of life -- Fiction; Young women -- Conduct of life -- Fiction
"Switch on the lights over in that corner," Mr. Gilfeather ordered,
"and let's see how she looks." Joe stopped wiping his glasses long
enough to turn to a row of buttons. "That's good. Put 'em all on." Joe
put 'em all on. "That's better. Now," turning to wave his hand upward
over the bar, "light her up."
At his command there appeared on the wall over the bar, a large
painting of a lady clad chiefly in a leopard skin and luxuriant golden
hair and a charming smile. The lady was made visible by electric
lights, screened and carefully disposed, and seemed to diffuse her
presence impartially over the room. Unfortunately, there was nobody to
admire but Mr. Gilfeather and Joe, the barkeeper, and there is some
doubt about Joe's admiration; but she did not seem to mind and she
continued to smile. As they looked, the outer door opened silently and
closed again. Mr. Gilfeather and Joe, warned by the sudden draught,
turned.
"Hello, Ev," said Mr. Gilfeather. "What do you think of it?" He waved
his hand inclusively. "Just got 'em."
Everett inspected the palms and ferns solemnly. "Very pretty. Very
good. It seems to be good, strong paper and well varnished. I don't
see any imitation rubber plants. Where are your rubber plants?"
"Eh?" asked Mr. Gilfeather, puzzled. "Don't you like it? They could
have furnished rubber plants, I s'pose. Think I ought to have 'em?"
"Nothing of the kind is complete without rubber plants," Everett
replied seriously.
Mr. Gilfeather looked at him doubtfully. "Don't you like 'em, Ev?" he
asked. It was almost a challenge. Mr. Gilfeather was nettled and
inclined to be hostile. If Everett was making fun of him--well, he had
better look out.
"It's hardly up to your standard, Tom," he answered. He indicated the
lady in the leopard skin--and in her own--who still smiled sweetly
down at them. "After I have gone to the trouble of selecting paintings
for you, it--er--would be natural to expect that you would consult me
before adding a lot of cheap paper flowers to your decorations. I
should have been happy to advise you."
"Nothing cheap about 'em," growled Mr. Gilfeather. "Had to have
something in here."
"What's the matter with real palms and ferns?"
"What would they cost, I should like to know? And how would I keep 'em
looking decent? Look at them bay trees out there."
"Those bay trees do look a little dejected," Everett agreed, smiling.
"I should employ a good gardener to care for them and for your real
palms and ferns. Our gardener, I am sure, could--"
"I don't s'pose your gardener'd do it for me now, would he?"
Everett smiled again. "Hardly. But he's not the only one in town. It
might cost more, Tom, but it would pay, believe me. Your bar, now, is
the real thing and in good taste. You ought to have things in
keeping."
Mr. Gilfeather emitted a growl and looked almost as dejected as his
bay trees. Everett laughed and moved toward a door beside the bar.
"Anybody up there yet, Tom?" he asked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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