Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-05-21
EVENING STAR,
WHAT A PAIR or AHDIRoys COST

1aAh VI ANUIkoSS COST.
"Peter," said my uncle, knocking the
ashes from his pipe, and laying it on the
corner OF the shelf, and then fixing his
eyes on the sndirons. Peter, those and.
irons cost me one thousand dollars :"
Dear me-" exclaimed nv aunt.
''Oh father !" cried the girls.
"1mpossible !" said l.
did say !-yes, two thousand-full two
thousand dollars ~
"W ell, WELL" said nv aunt, folding
up her knitting for the night, should like
t. know what you are talking about"
MY uncle bent forward, and planting
his hands firmly on his parted knees, and
with deliberate air, which showed no
doubt of his being able to prove his as.
sertion, he began,
""eli, you see, q great many years
ago, we had pair of common old and.
irons: Your cousin Lefty says one day,
Father, don't you think these old and
irons are getting too shabby ~ Shabby
or not, l thought they would hold the
wood up as nicely as if they were made
of gold. Soon after that, Peter" con.
tinued my uncle, "your aunt took it
up"
There it goes" interrupted nv aunt
"you can't get along without dragging
me in"
'Your aunt took it up, Peter. and she
said, "Our neighbors could afford brass
andirons, and they were no 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 andirons might hurt their mar.
ket. knew that women will have their
own way, and there is no use in object.
| ing, and so got the andirons."
"The price of them was four dollars
and . half"
"Ah, that's more like it," cried nv
aunt; 81 thought you said S2.OOO?"
| "My dear, wish you would not in
terrupt me. -Four and a half. Well. the
nrst night after we had got them, as we
all sat by the warm fire talking over the
matter, 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 andirops.
and thought might as well have il re.
placed first as last. The next day a ma
son was sent for to examine it. He came
In my absence, and wnen I returned
home, your aunt and cousins all beset me
at once TO have marble slab, and they
pat their heads together"
| "La me-" exclaimed nv aunt. "there
was no putting heads together about it.
The hearth was real worn out thing.
not tit for pig pen."
They put their heads together, Peter,
as was saying, and continued till got
a marble hearth, which cost me twenty
dollars-yes, twenty dollars at least
Then [ thought l was done with ex-
penses, but was wrong. Soon began
| to hear sly hints thrown out about the
brick work around the fireplace CORES.
ponding with the hearth. stood out a
moment or two against your aunt and
the girls; but they at length got the
b tier of me, and l was forced to have
marble instead of brick. And then the
old wooden nantel-piece was so out of
character that it was necessary to lave
q marble one. The cost of ali this Was
was nearly one hundred And now that
the spirit of improvement had got a
start, there was no stopping. The new
marble mantel put to shame the old
white-waShed walls, and they must be
painted, of course, and to prepare them
for paint, sundry repairs were necessary.
When this was going on, your aunt and
the girls appeared to be quite satisfied,
and when it was done, they had no idea
that the old parlor could be made to look
so spruce. But this was only short
respite. The old rag carpet began to
raise dust, and found there would be
no peace
"Now, my dear !" said the old lady
with q pleasing smile, accompanied with
partial rotation of the head
"Now, father :" exclaimed the girls
Till got new carpet. That, again,
shamed the old furniture, aud it had to
be turned out and replaced with new.
Now, Peter, count my lad-twenty dol
lars for the hearth, and one hundred and
thirty for the mantel-piece and repairs.
What does that make 2"
lone hundred and fifty, uncle"
We'll, fifty for paper and paintl"-
1.-TWO hundred.
Then fifty for q carpet, and one hun
dred at least for furniture"
"Ahem! There's that clock, too, and
the blind-fifty more
My aunt and cousins winked at each
other.
"Now," confined my uncle, so much
for this one room. No sooner was the
room finished than the complaint came
from all quarters about the dining-room
and entry. Long before this l had sur
rendered at discretion, and handed in
my submission. The dining-room cost
two hundred more. What does that
count, Peter -
Eight hundred, uncle"
"Then the chambers-at least four
hundred to make them chime with the
down stairs"
Twelve hundred"
"The outside of the house had to be