The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-08-12

derminster.'
But John could not do it. He woul
not be mean about parlor carpet.
Its only trife-thirty five cents
yard, that's ALL
But We are to get fve-and twg5za..
yards, ] Ohm; and that will make differ
ence of eight dollars and seventy fv,
cents
Well, and what is that when we thiDl
how long we are to use the carpet. L
is something which we shan't buy agair
for a good many years. No, uo-I NEAR
to have as good a carpet as any enc has
OF my means.
Emma urged-she spoke of the true
inde endence and the false and she al
luded to the time when she hoptd to have
money enough to purchase home OF
their own. o! John understood all that
He meant to save, but he would not be
mean. Eight or niue dollars was mere
trif1e when we consider that it is for a
carpet that must be in their parlor for
years. -
It SO happened that the dealer was an
old uncle of Emma, and she managed to
whisper to him her plans. He had two
carpets SO nearly of the same pattern
that they could not be distinguished
when apart, save that one was three
ply, aud the other two ply. John bought
and paid for the former-one dollar aud
twenty five cents yard but the other
one was sent home, and Emma put the
eight dollars and three quarters in her
bank.
John Hodge admired his carTct When
his wife had made it aud put it down.
He said, how much terit looked than
'one O. them cheap things would En-
ma might have felt some compunctions
had she not known that her husband was
governed wholly by what other people
had, rather than what he really needed
And then again he kncw no difference be
tween the various qualities of wo3len
fabrics. being only anxious to have his
friends think he had the best.
When the carpet was down it bee anne
necessary to get the sofa. Even Emma
felt that their parlor was rather bare
They had not seats enough for small
party; AID as they must have more seats
they light as we'll have good ones-lave
them on sofa.
Up to this time Emma had mana ged
to save quite respectable sum of mon
ey. Since the first of April she had
done the marketing. Until this John
had always bought and sent home the
provisions and in this department, as
in nearly all others, he never looked at
'traes.' Seldom did lie go into market
without repeating the old sentence
well I'll have it. It's ouly trihe =
He thought 1t very mean to ask butch
er to cut leg of lamb, when the whole
came to fifty cents; and he blushed scar
let at the very thought of refusing early
fruit because it was high 10 price. If
Brown got Strawberries, of course be
could get Strawberries. Add if his gro
Ger had laid by few quarts of fine fresh
raspberries on purpose for him, he would
as soon have picked his friends pockeS
as to have refused them because he could
not afford it.
But Emma had no such feelings. She
felt that she was trading with her hus-
bands m ncy, and she was determined
to show him that she was worthy of the
trust. On the previous January they
had reckoued up the grocer's bills, aud
found that the average for the. year had
been exactly FIVE dollars aud forty-six
cents week; SO this sum Emma claim
ed, and she had it handed to her each
Saturday evening. From this she man
aged to save considerable, aud yet John
found no fault with his living. He new
er Jared better. As he did none of the
he saw but little Of the early
hot house fruit, and so cared nothing
about it. And, in fact, he never had;
but the traders knew his easy, timorous
and they put upon him what
they pleased. Let the grocer say
'Ah, Hodge, you're just in time
Here are some splendid new strawber
ries--I kept 'em purpose for you
Brown wanted 'em, but L told him no,
I'd save 'em for you. I'll send 'cm right
,ver.'
Perhaps John would venture; 'How
high do they come p
'Oh, only twenty cents quart. But
ook at 'em-the first of the season.
And John was surely stuck for the
green, perhaps out of the !
easen-srnall measure-and just worth
Iothing at all to him.
But these things were not practiced
pon Emma. She bought what she
Tanted just as little as she wanted, and
ever what she didn't want. She exert
d herself in her cooking, and in their
roper season she purchased as much
ruit as was wholesome.
At length John and his wife went to
ook for sofa. There was quite an cx
ensive furniture store in the village, and
here they found all sizes and patterns
After looking for an hour, j ohm settled