Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-06-05

either peasant or peer, either laborer
or q drone. Birth, forsooth! The only
persons who boast of it in this country
are generally those who have the least
claim even to an honest parentage; and the
nois;est pretender to blood / ever met with
was the grandson of fellow who was hung
fifty years ago for forgery.
"Well, you're really getting quite lou in
your notions, Harry-where, in the world,
did you pick up such vulgar opinions!-
You, a gentleman and lawyer, to marry
such girl She's pretty enough grant
amiabe no doubt--can sing and draw pas
SADLY, and makes, hear, batch of bread,
or does dirty house-work as we'll as a com
mon kitchen girl. But perhsps that is what
you want her fort"
"You sheer aside, yes! 1t is because
Lucy Warden is good house-keeper, that
| intend to marry her. Not that | would
have bride only because she could, as you
say, make batch of bread. Education,
arnisbility, a refined mind, and lady-like
manners are equally necessary. But a
knowledge, and a practical one too, of
housekeeping is no slight requisite in a
good wife. know such knowledge is
scarce among our city ladies'. but that is
the very reason why prize it so highly.
Believe me, refinement is not incompatible
with this knowledge"
"Pshaw, Harry; but granting your posi-
ton, what is the use of such knowledge9'
sit is Of daily use. Servants vii! always
impose on a mistress who knows nothing
of her duties as the domestic head of the
house. You are an importer; but how long.
off
every thing to the care of clerks, who
would naturally take advantage of your
carelessness to fleece you? A mistress of
house ough to oversee her establishment
in person. This she cannot do unless-to
use mercantile phrase-she understands
her business. If she does not do this, moth
ing will be well done. The whole evil,
believe me, arises from the desire Of our
women to ape the extravaganza Of the En-
glish female nobility, whose immense wealth
allows them TO employ substitutes to over
sec their domestic establishments. But
even had we incomes of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars we could not carry out
the plan, owing to the total absence of good
servants of this character in our country;
and in this opinion l am borne out by
Combe, Hamilton, two of the most obsery-
ant and just of English travellers"
"Well, Harry, you were born for a bar
rister, or you could not run on so glibely.
But it's shame that a gentleman VINO
might command the choice of the market,
and marry the richest neiress in Walnut
street, should throw himself away upon
girl without a sixpence. Now There's
Charlotte Thornbury and her sister who
are CO. heiresses, why can't you take the
one and the otherl"
Merely because love another. You
smile; but despite the sheer am believer
in love. OF Charlotte l have nothing to
say, except that she is beautiful. You know
how often we have discussed the matter
l only hope she will make you good wife,"
"AilonS! the ladies are awaiting US. You
and | will never, on this question, agree"
The foregoing conversation has given
our readers pretty accurate idea of the
two young men to whose acquaintance we
have introduced them. Henry Bowen was
a young lawyer, with small annual income,
but of-what is called--an unimpeachable
family. This, with his acknowledged tai
ents, would have procured for him the hand
of many mere heiress, but he had wisely
turned away from them all, and sought a
companion for life in one, without name or
fortune, but who, in every requisite for
good wife, was immeasurably their SUI
perior.
Charles Lowry, on the contrary, was
dashing young merchant, VINO by dint of
attention in the counting-house, could afford
to be luxurious in his style of living. He
had imbibed many of the false notions of
fashionable society, and among others the
idea that a rich wife was indispensable.
His sole object was to secure an heiress,
as much for the eclat of the thing as
for her fortune, although this latter was
no slight temptation TO the young mer-
chant. And he had finally Succeeded
Amid most OF rivals, he had won the prize.
Need we say that Charlotte Thornbury,
the beautiful, the gay, but the careless heir
ess. was the guerdon!
The two friends were married the same
week. The one took his wife TO small,
but neat and convenient house in one of
our less fashionable streets-while tie
other entered at once into splendid man
sion in Walnut street, whose furniture and
decorations were the theme of general envy
and admiration. The one bride kept but
a single servant, the other had several Yet
the mansion of Mrs. Lowry, though al
ways magnificent, was never tidy, while
the quiet home of Mrs. Bowen was pat
tern of neatness and simple elegance
The young merchant never went home
without finding that his wife had been out
all day either shopping, or making calls,
and was in consequence tired and silent. or