Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-03-11


his pipe, and laying it on the corner of the mantle
piece, and then fixing his eyes on the andirons
peter, those andirons cost me one thousand dol
lars.
Dear mel exclaimed aunt
20, father!, cried the girls.
'ImpossibleI said l.
'True--yes, every word true. One thousans
dollars
WELL WE'LL said my aunt, folding up her knit
ting for the night, Il 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:
well you see good many years ago, we had
pair of common andirons. Your cousin Lefty
said one day Father, don't you think those old
andirans are getting too shabby!' Shabby or not,
l thought they would hold up the wood as nicely
as if they were gold. So / paid no attention to
Lefty. was 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 androns, and
were no better than He were. And she said Let
ty and her sister Jane were just gettiug old enough
to see company, and the stingy looking old and
irons might hurt their market. l knew that wo-
men would have their own way, and there was
no use in objecting; and SO got the andirons.-
The price of them was four dollars and half
'Ah that is more like it, cried my aunt. 4
thought you said two thousand, just now!'
-Four dollars and half. Well, the first night
after We got them, we all sat by the warm fire,
talking over the matter. Lefty called my atten-
ton to the hearth, the stones of which were crack
ed and uneven. The harth was entirely out of
keeping with the new andirons, and thought
might as we'll have it replaced first as last. The
next day mason was sent for to examine it. He
came in my absence, and when returned home,
your aunt and your cousins all beset me at once
to have marble slab. The mason had convinced
them that the hearth would not look decent with
out marble slab; and they put their heads to-
gether-'
La met exclaimed my aunt, there was no
putting our heads together about it. The hearth
was a real worn out thing: not fit for pig PEN
They put their heads together, Peter, as l was
saying, and continued till got marble hearth,
which cost me twenty dollars at least. Then /
thought that l was done with expenses; but
thought wrong. Pretty soon began to hear sly
hints thrown out about the brick work round the
fireplace not corresponding with the harth. l
stood out for month or two against your aunt
and the grls but they at length got the better of
me, and was forced to have marble instead of
brick. And then the old wooden mantle piece
had become so out of character, that it was ne
cessary TO have marble one. The cost of this
was nearly one hundred dollars. And now that
the spirit of improvement bad got start, there
was no stopping place. Tne new merble put to
shame the old white-washed walls, and they must
be papered The woodwork had to be painted of
course, and to prepare it for paint, sundry repairs
were necessary. While this was going on, aunt
and the girls appeared to be quite satisfied; and
when it was done, they had no idea that the par
lor rould be made to look so spruce. But there
was only short respite. The old rag carpet be-
gan to raise great dust, and | found out there
would be no peace
Now, my dear said the old lady, with pleas
ant smile, accompanied with partial rotation Of
the hand.
Now, father!' exclaimed the girls.
'Ti get carpet. So the new carpet was
got. That again shamed the old furniture, and it
had to be turned out and replaced with new srti-
cles. Now, Peter, count up my lad-twenty dol
lars for the hearth and one hundred for the man
tle and thirty for repairs. What does that make!'
EOne hundred and fifty, uncle
well, fifty for paper and paint
two hundred
Then fifty for a carpet. and one hundred for
furniture
Three hundred and fifty.
There's that clock, too, and the blinds-ffty
more
-Four hundred dollars, exactly
Ny aunt and cousins winked at each other, and
looked steadily in my uncle's face, as il to say,
you have not made out your case after all.
'Now" continued my uncle, so much for this
one room. No sooner was the room finished,
than complaints came from all quarters about the
dining room and entry. Long before this, had
surrendered al discretion, and handed in my sub
mission, The dining-room cost me two hundred
dollars, and the entry two more. What is that,
Peter!
Eight hundred, nucle'
'Then there was the chambers, at least four hun
dred more, to make them rhyme with tose down
stairs.'
Twelve hundred
The outside of the house had to be repaired
and painted, of course. Add two hundred for
that ..--.
Fourteen hundred
Then piazza in front; that cost two hundred
Here aunt began to yawn, Lefty to poke the
fire, and Jane to twirl over the leaves Of
book -..-Hl
"A new carriage came next. That cost tive
hundred dollars