Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-09-28
DAVENPORT. SEPTEMBER 70. 1857
Ny Wife's Economy

Mrs. Jones 10 . jewel Of . woman
The dear creature lately came homo from
. shopping excursioD, in the moot ex.
travsgsnt Ppisits.
81 have made such . bargain to-day =
said she, 81 have bought such . besuti
full dress for nine dollars only So
said to myself, even II get Madame
Flourish to mako up, it will be econom-
ics."
Now Madame Flourish was . French
"mo diste," who lately came from Paris,
and had really great taste, but WAS mos,
extravsgant III aer charges; and never
heard her n.me without studder. A
few months before, she made up bro
csde for Mrs. Jones, which every body
said fitted beautifully. cit looks a. il
you were born in it," enthusiastically
declared friend, "and bad grown with
yon;' but my pleasure 10 conte mplstiDg
this masterpieces, | mnst confess, was
somewhat diminished when the bill
came in, u the tune OF ten dollars for
max ng and trimming it. However, CIT
wssn't so astonishing after all" 40 my
wife reasoned, THAT q dress which was
worth thirty dollars should cost ten dol.
lars TO make it up" and with this rellec
ton ! consoled myself. So when hoard
the proposal to take this other dress to
madame, | argued that, il che charged
in the same prog ortion, her bill would
be three dollars, which struck me as not
excessive, and accordingly ! made no
objection to the suggestion, but lighting
cigar, sat thinking Of Mary AIMS
many virtues, and especially her knack
for economy.
In about fortnight the dress came
home. 1t was pretty, blue affair, with
palms set in stripes, and Mrs. Jones
really looked like summer cloud in it,
as she floated about the room, display
ing 1t IN every aspect, expatisting upon
its merits. The sleeves, which were
short, were neatly trimmed with . sort
OF narrow lace, and the cape, for it was
cut low on the sholdeIs, and dear Atm
always wears capes over such dresses
was embellished with Q wider lace OF
similar pattern thought to myself it
was the cheapest dress for twelve dol
lars, making and eli, that l had ever
seen; and ~ | smoked my cigar, said
mentally, "Ah! Jones, what a psppy
dog you are to have a wife with such q
knack for economy ="
Two days after the bill came in. Nv
wife opened it first, and | saw her draw
very long face as she ran her eye over
It. However she rallied Immediately,
and handed the missive over to me.
glanced over it.
"Whew !" said !. Eight dollars for
mrk'ng dress that cost only nine =
Surely, Mary Ann, there must be some
mistake here 7"
ooh, no, my DEAR she said briskly.-
MY brocade, you know, cost ten dollors
to make and trim; and this is two dollars
cheaper"
But this dress cost only nine dollars
said l..
The cost Of the dress, my DEAR she
replied, smiling ben evolently at my ig-
norance, has very little to DO with the
cost OF making and trimming it,
SU'rhe dick ems it hasn't > l began.
'uush = sand my wife, plsyiully put.
ting her hand over her mouth, 'Smithy,
dear, you musn't swear" And taking
the bill, she commenced going over it,
item by item.
'llere,' she sail, SIS the charge max
ing the dress, that is for fitting and sew.
ing it together, two dollars. Now am
sure she Continued, appeslingly, shafts
reasonable; for 1t takes Just as long, you
know, to fit and sew together d cheap
dress as costly one It's the time
that has to be,paid for. Don't you see,
dearl'
was forced to nod assent to the fair
logician, though it was with an internal
groan.
Then here's the Innings, buttons, and
ether small items, one dollar, which is
low, very low. Consider how these mat
tiers count up. Besides, it tskes time to
60 about among the buttons to the
Dress
| could not gainssy this either, but |
said to myself that there were five dol
lars yet unaccounted for, and that it
would puzzle q Philadelphia lawyer to
reconci 10 this sum to any rational beings
notion Of economy.
there's five dollars left,' resume ed
Mrs Jones, which is for the Vslenoien-
noe
The what = exclaimed.
'The Nalcncicnnes, which the cape and
sleeves are trimmed
'Oh that common looking lace = said
Common looking!' cria6 Mary Ann,
her eyes sparkling Then she laughed
comically.
That shows what you men know
about leces. Why, Smithy, dear, IFS
real Nslencicnnes, aud very cheap; and
what's moro, can use it on something
else, after the dress is worn OUT
but why put real Valeocicnnes. as you
call 1t, on 30 cheap dress p l ssked
in tone Of vexstion.
''lts that very Valencicnncs that gives
the dress such . stylish look" said nv
vile EVERYBODY knows it's cheap ma.
terial and its only the trimming that
redeems it. All that ! require 10 . Val.
encienncs collar to match it, and shall
be complete
could not epcak for amazement: |
was dumb, not merely at this strange
notion OF an econ omicsl dress, but at
the utter Inconsistencies my wife had
that there was anything extravagant
about it. She availed herself OF nv 81.
lence to expstiate on the beauty OF Va
lenciennes laccs in general, and on that
which trimmed her dress 10 particular
and warming with her subject, made it
finally to appear that We were under in.
iinite obligations to Madame Flourish
for tho opportunity Of paying this bill
and buying . COLLAR to match her Valen-
ciennee. Mrs. Jones vas 90 esrnsst and
sincere, that thought it wobli be pity
to break her charming delusiou. ire-
solved, therefore, to smoke second rate
cigars for the next six months, and in
dulge the dear creature 10 her wishes
and she looks go lovely, and SCENE 90
happy in her new dress and collar, that,
to confess the truth, don't regret what
| have done.
Nevertheless. ss An abetract rroposi-
ton, | still hold to the secret opinion.
that paying eight dollars for making and
trimming . dress that cost only Dine.
Decent exactly show knsck for eoono.
my.
SMITH JONES.
VESSELS FOR RusslA.-Mr. Webb.
| tho far,oc, sb,o.k,;l l.. IS NJ vi