Show 1 r r THE FICTION CORNER i iu 1 u THE RUG RUGBy is By VIRGINIA SULLIVAN TOMLINSON ti I. I I Il IlI KNEW the Farraday family before before before be be- I fore it happened I knew them first when I was nine and Ellen Farraday was eight and in my class at school There were two other Farraday children Skippy the baby who r was five and Dora seventeen just t entering business school Dora was wasi i engaged to marry Danny Wright who ran the station service-station in town l Mr Farraday was branch manager of our loc local l bank Such a nice quiet man people said If only I that w wife e of his were not such a fool I didn't think Mrs Farraday was wasa a fool I liked her The sprawling old od Farraday house with wih its its sag- sag t. t 1 nn d King ging porch U PUl was W a ways r ui 11 nee of repair the shabby room living-room would be cluttered and dishes unwashed unwashed unwashed un un- un- un washed but Mrs Farraday was never too busy to plan games for rainy afternoons or picnics in summer summer summer sum sum- mer in their rickety old car She was little and quick and dark with rather kittenish ways always thinking up something new and exciting ex citing like citing like the dress she designed for Dora that won the prize in the Easter parade There was nothing I loved more than going over to the Farraday house whenever I had the chance Saturday mornings they always had pancakes Sundays they had sausages sausages sausages sau sau- sages and Boston baked beans and applesauce in a blue glass dish And they had laughter A great deal of laughter laughter except except when Aunt Abbey came to call Aunt Abbey was Mr Farraday's aunt a a very v rv ri rich rinh h v very rv unpleasant nt old d. d lady ady who ho lived d ip an in an imposing hg granite house at the end of town It was no secret that she disapproved bitterly of the entire Farraday fam fam- il ily Why she visited them nobody knew unless it was because of all her relatives they refused to be impressed impressed impressed im im- im- im pressed by her money or upset by her caustic tongue They merely accepted her all but Mrs Farraday Farraday Farraday Farra Farra- day who seemed to like having Aunt Abbey around Curiously enough it was of Mrs rs Farraday herself that Aunt Abbey most bitterly bitterly bitterly bit bit- terly disapproved My nephews nephew's wife isn't fooling me shed she'd say Always pretending pretend pretend- ing to be so gay What's she got to tobe tobe tobe be happy about Id I'd like to know If my nephew had married a sensible woman hed he'd have amounted to something by now I declare my mother said it gives me the creeps the way that old lady looks at Mrs Farraday I believe she hates really her She hates them all my father said because they've got what she never had The have contentment All Aunt Abbey has nas is money and when she's gone they'll have that too Only they Because when Aunt Abbey died the year Ellen Farra Farraday day was nine sh she left them no money at all Her entire estate went to charity with one exception She left Mrs Farraday a rug It was an Oriental rug exceptionally large and lovely golden in color satiny to the touch starred with dusty pink flowers Its uIt's a shame people said when those children need money so But of course they can sell the rug Its It's valuable and Orientals are aredo in do vogue Then a dealer offered Mrs Farraday for her rug The town rejoiced for the Farra Farra- days This meant college for the children and money to fix up the old house But to the amazement of everyone ev one Mrs rs Farraday stubbornly stubborn stubborn- ly refused to sell seU She had always admired that rug she said Shed She'd been as surprised as anyone when I Aunt Abbey had left it to her She had always thought Aunt Abbey disliked disliked dis dis- liked her all those unkind remarks she used to make But now she was grateful for the rug and meant to keep it Since the narrow living room at the was too small for the rug Mr r. r Farraday was persuaded to sell the home and rent a house with larger rooms Their old stuff looked pretty shabby against the rug so with the money from the sale of the home they bought new furniture And after awhile because of the friends they acquired in the new surroundings the bought a new new car too I saw less of Ellen now except at school Gradually my visits to the Elks' Elks picnic that year Everyone took Skippy's little body out of the water that night My y mother sat with Mrs Farraday when they brought him home Dora Farraday didn't come home at all She sent a telegram It arrived just as they were bringing Skippy's body into t the e house Dora had left Skip Skippy y alone by the lake to elope to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York with her new beau Ellen continued at school she he had always been very quiet And after awhile Mrs Farraday went about the town again holding her head very high smiling her fixed fixed fixed- gay smile Only Mr r. r Farraday seemed changed He aged visibly that year Nobody was surprised when the cold he caught just before Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas turned into pneumonia The doctors said that he just hadn't the will to live Dora came home when her father died Mrs rs Farraday sent her the money Doras Dora's husband had left her herand herand herand and Dora had been working in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York clerking in a store People thought that perhaps shed she'd stay home now since her mother needed r 1 1 1 Irr a 1 Il Ii i J s r I I Z 1 1 h Y b r v c L I 11 jw L. L had ceased partly because because because be be- cause my mother disapproved of Dora Farraday's new friends Dora had always been a sweet docile little thing ambitious to get along Now she had given up business school She had even broken off her engagement to Danny Wright Dora had a new beau now one shed she'd met through her crowd Nobody liked him but he was rich and he gave Dora a good time He had a weak handsome face and a loud scoffing laugh Id I'd see them together as I walked home from school dashing around town in his rakish car or going into Vans Van's Place for drinks People felt sorry for Danny Wright Hed He'd been so crazy about Dora and always so glad to have Skippy and Ellen around ORA's P DORAs DORA's ORAs ORA's new beau didn't like chil- chil dren He objected to Skippy trailing trailing trailing trail trail- ing her about Skippy was six now very spoiled and rather a nuisance but it seemed hardly fair to blame Dora entirely for what happened at atthe atthe atthe the Elks' Elks picnic that year Everyone said though that it was Doras Dora's fault Shed She'd taken Skippy to the picnic picnic picnic pic pic- pic- pic nic hadn't she She should not have gone off with that beau of hers leaving the child alone by the lake My father was one of the men who x Shed She'd taken Skippy to the picnic hadn't she She should not have hav gone off with that beau of hers leaving the child alone by the lake her but nobody really expected she would Danny Wright was married now to one of Doras Dora's former classmates classmates classmates class class- mates a al plain little girl with adoring adoring adoring ador ador- ing eyes They came to Mr Farraday's Farraday's Farraday's Farra Farra- days day's funeral sitting closely to together together together to- to gether in the church The week after the funeral Dora went back to her job in New York and the day after she left Mrs Farraday came cameto cameto cameto to see my father about selling her rug to pay her bills My father did his best but this was a depression year year and and nobody had money now for Oriental rugs The five thousand dollars he finally got from a dealer barely paid for Mr Farraday's funeral and for Mrs Farraday's debts Mrs rs Farraday Farraday Farraday Farra Farra- day got a job at the hotel Her salary included room and board so that Ellen could live with her It was storming hard the day they moved down there We left them alone and drove home through the snow-covered snow town passing the old Farraday house on the way Nobody Nobody Nobody No No- body lived in it now Tears crowded behind my lids as we drove slowly by They were happy in that house my father said A great pity they ever moved out of it If Aunt Abbey knew what she was doing when she made that will then she must be bo laughing now in her grave My mother spoke suddenly it she exclaimed She Shedid Shedid Shedid did know what she was doing And Im I'm surprised that I never thought of it before What do you mean My father stared at her Her voice had sounded sound sound- ed strange She knew exactly what she was doing my mother said And wherever she is she probably is laughing Aunt Abbey knew that Mrs Farraday would never be able to resist living up to that rug i |