Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-11-24
THE COST OF A PAIR OF ANDIRoNs.

ewes on the andirons-' Peter, those andrOns
cost me one thousand dollarsp
Dear me /" cried the girls.
Impossible = said I.
True, every word trne. One thousand,
did | say? Yes-two thousand-fuIl two
thousand dollars
We'll, WE'LL said my aunt, folding up her
knitting for the night, should like TO know
what yon are talking about
My uncle bent forward and planted his
hands firmly on his parted knees, and with a
deliberate air, which showed no doubt of his
being able to prove his assertion, he began
We'll, you see cool many years ago, we
had pair Of common cid andirons. Your
cousin Lefty says one day, Father don't yo"
think those old andirOns are getting too snap,
by" Shabby or not, | thought they "ou,u
hold The wood up as nice as II they were li'"'G
of gold. So paid no attention 10 Levy. /
was afraid she was growing proud. Soon al
fer that Peter continued my uncle, your
aunt took it up
There il goes interrupted my aunt; you
can't oct along without dragging me IN
Ynur aunt took it up, Peter, and said our
psiybborS conId afford brass androns, and
were no better off than we were. And said
Lefty and her sister Jane were just getting old
enough 10 see company, and The stingv old
andjrons might hurt their market | knew
that women will have their own way, and
there was no use in Directing, and so got
the andirons. The price OF them was ten dol
lars and a half
An, that's more like it, cried my aunt;
thought you said two thousand dollars
My dear, | wish you will not interrupt me.
Ten ana half Well, the first night after
we ha got them, as we all sat by the warm
fire talking over the matter, Lefty called my
attention 10 the hearth, the stones of which
were cracked and uneven. The hearth was
entirely out of keeping with the new andronS,
and thought might as well have it replaced
first as last. The next day mason was sent
for to examine it, He came in my absence.
when | returned home, your aunt and cousins
all beSet me 10 have marble slab. The ma
son had convinced them the hearth would not
look decent without a marble slab, and they
put their heads together
La, mer exclaimed my aunt, there was
no putting any heads together about it. The
hearth was Il real old worn out thing, not fiji
for pgpen.'
They put their heads together, Peter, az |
was saving, and continued till got marble
hearth, which cost me twenty dollars. Yes,
twenty dollars at least Then thought was
lone with expenses, but | thought wrong
Pretty soon began to hear sly hints thrown
out, about the brick work around the fire
place not corresponding with the hearth.
STOOD ont for month or Two against your
aunt AMI the girs. but they al length got the
better of me, and | was forced 10 have marble
instead O: brick. And the old wooden mantle
piece was 80 out of character that 1t WAS ne
cpsSary to have a marble one. The cost of all
this was nearly hun ired dollars. And now
that the spirit Of improvement hal got start,
there was no stopping place. The new man
tie piece put TO shame The old white washed
walls, an they must be painted, OF course,
and to prepare them for paint, sundry repairs
were necessary. " lille this was going On.
your aunt and the girls appeared to he quite
satisfied; and when it was done, they had nc
idea the old parlor could be made 10 look sc
spruce. But this was only Il short respite
The old :ag carpet began TO raise dust, ant
| found there would be no peace
| Now, my dear said the Old lady, with 4
| pleasing smile, accompanied with partial To
laion of the head
| Now father exclaimed the girls -
Till got new carpet. That again sham
ed the old furniture, ana It hal to be turned
out and replaced with n w Now Peter. coun
up, nv Iad-lwen,y dollars for the hearth
ami one hundred for the mantle piece, ant
thirty for repairs What does that make"
'One hundred and fifty, uncle
We'll, fifty for paper and paint
1.-TWO hundred"
Then fifty for a carpet, and one hundred
at least, for furnture'
Three hundred AMI fflv.'
'Ahem! There's that clock, too, and TIT
blinds-ffty more
-Four hundred exactly
Ny aunt and cousins winked a: each other
Now continued my uncle, so much 70
this one room. No sooner was the room fin
iSheI than the complaints came from all quar-
terS about the dining room and entry. Lon!
before this had surrendered at discretion, an
handed in my submission The dining room
cost two hundred more What does that count
Peter"
Six hundred, uncle
Then the chamhers-at least four hundred
TO make them rhyme with the down stairs
Ten hundred
The outside of the house ha TO be repare
and painted, OF course. Add two hundred 70
that
Twelve hundred
Then there must be piazza in tront-tha
cost two hundred
Fourteen hundred
Here aunty began to yawn, Lefty 10 pok
the fire, and Jane 20 turn over the leaves Of
book.
A new carriage came next, Peter, thu
cost two hundred dollar
Sixteen hundred
Then there was Il lawn to be laid out an
neatly fencel-a servant to be hired-partle
10 be given OCCASIONAL y-bonnets and dresSe
at double the former cost, and hundred otht
little expenses in keeping with the new Of
, der of things. And all this grew out of thos
very andirons Yes, Peter, was entreI
within bounds when said two thousand Go
e lars
II The opposition was silenced. My aunt in
medlately rose and guessed it was bed time
l. was left alone with my uncle, who was NJ
inclined to drop the subject. He was pc
severlng man, and never gave up what he Ill
q dertook till he had done the work thorough
So he brought out his books and account
and set about making an exact estimate OF Il
n expenses. He kept me up till after midnig
before he got through. His conclusion ";
q that the pair of aHdirons cost him twenty-fo
hundred and fifty dollars-StandGrd.