Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-03-22
WHAT A PAIR OF ANDIRoNs COST.


Peter said my uncle, knocking tn
ashes from his pipe, and laying it o.
the corner of the mantle-piece, and thel
fixing his eyes on the andirons, Peter
those andirons cost me one thousand
dollars
sDear meP exclaimed aunt.
%, fatherP cried the girls.
'Impossiblel' said 1.
True-yes, every word true. One
thousand did 1 say?-yes two thousand
full two thousand dollars
We'll, well, said my aunt, folding uI
her knitting for the night, 4 should like
to know what you are about
My uncle bent forward, and planting
his hands firmly on his parting knees,
and with deliberate air, which showed
that he had no doubt of being able to
prove his assertion, he began:
We'll, you see, good many years
ago, we had pair of common old and
irons. Your cousin Lefty said one day,
Father, don't you think those old and
irons are getting too shabby? Shabby
or not, l thought they would hold up
the wood as nicely as if they were gold.
So 1 paid no attention to Lefty. Twas
afraid she was growing proud. Soon
after that, Peter continued my uncle,
turning to me, your aunt took it up
There it goes interrupted my aunt;
you can't get along without dragging
me in
Your aunt took it up, Peter, and she
said that our neighbors could afford
brass andirons, and were TO better off
than we were. And she said Lefty and
her sister Jane were just getting old
enough to see company, and the stingy
looking old audirons might hurt their
market. l knew that women would
have their own way, and there was no
use in obiecting; and so 1 got the and
irons. The price of them was four dol
lars and half
'Ah, that is more like it, cried my
aunt. 4 thought you said two thou
sand, just now!'
-Four dollars and half. Well, the
first night after we got them, we all sat
by the warm fire, talking over the mat
ter. Lefty called my attention to the
hearth, the stones of which were cracked
and uneven. The hearth was entirely
out of keeping with the new andirons,
and 1 thought 1 might as well have it
replaced first as last. The next day a
mason was sent for to examine it. He
came in my. absence, and when l re-
turned home, your aunt and your cous-
ins all beset me at once to have a mar
bic slab. The mason had convinced
them that the hearth would not look de-
cent without a marble slab; and they
put their heads together -
la mep exclaimed my aunt, there
was no putting our heads together
about it. The hearth was a real worn
thing; not fit for pig-pen.
They put their heads together, Peter,
as l was saying, and continued till l got
a marble hearth, which cost me twenty
dollars at least. Then 1 thought was
done with expenses; but l thought
wrong. Pretty soon l began to hear
sly hints thrown out about the brick |
work round the fireplace not correspond
ing with the hearth. l stood out for a
month or two against your aunt and the
girls; but they at length got the better
ef me, and / was forced to have mar
bic instead of brick. And then the old |
wooden mantle-piece had become so out
of character, that it was necessary to
have marble one. The cost of this
was nearly one hundred dollars. And
now that the spirit of Improvement had
got start, there was no stopping
place. The new marble put to shame
the old whitewashed walls, and they
must be papered- The woodwork had
TO be painted of course, and to prepare
it for paint, sundry repairs were neces-
ssry. While this was going on, your
aunt and the girls appeared to be quite
and when it was done, they
had no idea that the old parlor could be
made to look so spruce. But there was
onlya short respite. The old rag car
pet began to raise great dust, and 1
found out there would be no peace
Now, my dear said the old lady,
with pleasant smile, accompanied with
= partial rotation of the head.
Nov, fatherP exclaimed the girls.
It'll / got carpet. So the new car
pet was got. That again shamed the
I'D furniture, and it had to be turned out
md replaced. with new articles. Now,
Peter, count up, my lad-twenty dol /
ars for the hearth, and one hundred for
he mantle, and thirty for repairs.-li
What does that makef
sOne hunderd and fifty, uncle Il
We'll, fifty for paper and paint
Two hundred
Then fifty for carpet, and one hun