Chapter I: Front Matter

THE WISHING CARPET

RUTH COMFORT MITCHELL

_By RUTH COMFORT MITCHELL_

THE WISHING CARPET
PLAY THE GAME
JANE JOURNEYS ON
NARRATIVES IN VERSE
CORDUROY
A WHITE STONE

_The_
WISHING CARPET

BY
RUTH COMFORT MITCHELL

AUTHOR OF “A WHITE STONE,” “CORDUROY,” ETC.

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK :: 1926 :: LONDON

COPYRIGHT--1926--BY
D. APPLETON & COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO
MY SISTERS
BARBARA AND JANE

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. _Glenwood Darrow, looking only at
the eyes, overlooks the chin, and
a rarely beautiful Persian rug is
overshadowed by golden oak_ 1

II. _Mrs. Darrow seeks further for gentility,
and her daughter has her
hair pulled and doesn’t mind it_ 16

III. _Miss Ada Tenafee is faithful to ancestor
worship, while the Darrows
weave a golden legend about
a golden lad_ 27

IV. _Granny Mander’s curse is potent:
the hawk comes down to feed in
the barnyard_ 37

V. _Dr. Darrow damns the first families
with his last breath, and little
Miss Nancy Carey meets the
young mountaineer_ 47

VI. _Mr. ’Gene Carey finds a right-hand
man for the Altonia, and Glen
joins the noble army of labor_ 60

VII. _Luke Manders agrees with her entirely,
and Southern Europe contributes
some of its culls to the
mill, notably one Black Orlo,
whose vitriolic utterances the doctor’s
daughter finds nourishing_ 72

VIII. _Miss Ada Tenafee rejoices to have
her young protégée receive two
callers in one afternoon, and Miss
Nancy sees Luke Manders again_ 87

IX. _Glen Darrow dines for the first time
in her life, and tells her hostesses
her opinion of Peter Parker of
Pasadena; later confides to her
sleepless pillow that she doesn’t
like being touched_ 101

X. _Glen trusts to time to correct her
peculiarities, and occupies herself
with transforming her house to
harmonize with her Wishing
Carpet_ 110

XI. _Glen sets the day for her twentieth
birthday, and grieves because her
suitor is too busy to help her
better conditions, while Mr. ’Gene
Carey is crushed by the perfidy of
Old Ben_ 125

XII. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker, President of
the Federated Women’s Clubs,
bitterly shares Black Orlo’s opinion
that her son does not amount
to much, in which young Peter
cordially concurs_ 139

XIII. _Mr. Peter Parker of Pasadena,
visiting his mill for the first time,
is given the right hand of fellowship
and the cold shoulder in the
space of an hour_ 149

XIV. _Peter soaks up impressions and
rather fancies himself as a comedian,
but neither Glen Darrow
nor Henry Clay Bean find him
funny_ 166

XV. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker receives that
lowest form of human expression,
an anonymous letter and pays the
doctor’s daughter a call_ 183

XVI. _Gloriana-Virginia proves that it was
really a Wishing Carpet after
all!_ 198

XVII. _Young Peter sees something he never
saw before, and Glen finds that
her theory about herself was
wrong_ 211

XVIII. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker has the doubtful
satisfaction of seeing her trifling
son in action for the first
time_ 220

XIX. _Glen Darrow, being her father’s
daughter, decides that promises
are made to be kept_ 234

XX. _Peter Parker of Pasadena is less of
a fool than has been popularly
supposed, and the golden legend
is discovered to be tarnished brass_ 245

XXI. _Once more, the Wishing Carpet justifies
itself, and Henry Clay Bean,
breaks the solemnity of a lifetime_ 255

_The_

WISHING CARPET