The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-11-03

? the wherewlthai for the bread or the
: coming day, and know that my wife i:
! intimating by these the necessity of ,
fresh supply as though she told me in 81
many words, for she knows that l hear
f every thump. And by and by 1shecone'
in looking as demure as kitten, and
mono but the initiated would ever dream
that she Lad an empty -four barrel OF
her mind. But the next day brings
fresh barrel, fresh smiles and dimples,
and renewed depletion of the already
attenuated purse. The smiles and dim
pies are always. cheap at the price, even
if the -four is not.
AS meditated on this momentous
subject, I could see by the knitting OF
her brow and the increased vigor with
which she piled her task, that my wife's
financial aspiration was still working in
her mind, and knowing by long expe-
rence that confirmed thoughts, like ex-
plosive gasses, must have vent, and fear
ing that some more violent remark
might be shot at me, like pellet FROM a
gun, replied: aae
True my dear, knew that the gro-
Ger will only be satisfied with gold or
it's equivalent, which he is much bet
ter calculated to appreciate than purity
of the intention and loftiness of soul,
and fortunately for him it is much
more plentiful in the market, though
scarce enough with us. But for all we
have untold treasures, if we did but
know it,
They must be untold, for never
heard of them before. If you have such
abundance, wish you would spare me
enough to buy that silk dress you prom
ised me SO long ago
| 1t is not to be inferred from this re-
mark that my wife is prone to extrava-
gauce in her tastes or habits. She is
usually content with plain and modest
attire. She has never hidden herself
in the recesses of a whalebone pyramid
nor submitted to the modern species of
female oooperagei for. as she plainly re-
marks, Anybody can see that I am a
tub without being hoped (She only
weighs two hundred and one pounds
avoirdupois) No unpaid milliner's bills
haunt her waking hours (nor mine) No
needy dress makers rise up in judgment
against her. Her bonnet is much to large
for our youngest daughter, aged eight
years, and really seems designed for use
as we'll as ornament, and from my long
acquaintance with her, am satisfied
that she has something in her head
worth Protecting, unlike those ladies
who patronize curtailed bonnets with
more ribbon than crown, and more cur
tain than comfort.
She fully agrees with me when lee
ture our voupg female friends on the
extravaganza of the age, although she
contends that the men are as much to
blame for it as the women. OF course
never assent to this position; aud that
leads to a friendly argument, from which,
in my own opinion 1 always gain the ad
vantage though I must confess that
am occasionally over borne By torrent of
words, especially when some friendly
neighbor espouses my wife's side Of the
question. In such cases I beat hasty
retreat, and watch my opportunity for a
new attack upon the position of the en-
emy under more favorable auspices.
My wife detests founces, (she is too
stout to wear them,) has no hankering
after 'moire antique and only knows of
'Hon,on' by having seen ii mention ed
in our daily paper. To be sure she
doesn't believe all the criticism upon the
fashions which SIZE sees in that paper,
and she even goes SO far as to say that
she has no idea that the editor himself
believes them l think she is hardly |
just to the editor-a very clever fellow
by the way, who never NEEDLES with
anything but politics, except Church |
matters, ladies' dresses aud fish-and |
who never gets into trouble as long as
he sticks to politics and fish. -7
But to return to the black silk dress |
Some years ago Il don't care to remem
Der how nany.) under the Influence of
an excess of affection aud delusion in |
regard to my financial prospects, had |
made rash promise to purchase such |
au article for her especial use and |
adornment; bat bad coupled the prom.
Use with the important proviso, some
time We had previously cauvassed |
the relative merits of calicoes. cashmeres
silks and satins, and had decided that |
one good silk dress was worth half O
dozen of any of the others, not only for
its present purposes, but as being more
available in it's latter stages fer the de-
coration of the young scions of our
house, and a sly Lint was thrown out
that as quare breadth out of the skirt
might be very useful in refacing any
coat Of mine that might stand in need
of that operation The sometime. be-
fore alluded to is not yet arrived. and
from present appearances, it is as far off
as when the promise was made. Still it
fingers in my wife's memory, aud she oc-
oasionally brings it to my mind among,
fear, many other unfulflled promises.