Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-09-10
WHAT a PAIR OF ANDIRoNs

"Peter," said my uncle, knocking the ASH
es from his pipe, and laying it upon the cor
ner 8: the mantle-piece, and then fixing his
eyes upon the andiroas. Peter those and
irons cost ne one thousand dollars. .
tDear me!'' exclaimed auna.
20, father!'' cried the girls.
"Inpossibie!" said z.
True, every word of it true One thous-
sand dollars did 1 say y!-yes two thousand
full two thousand dollars
swell, well,'' said my aunt, folding up her
knitting for the night; 81 should Ike to
know what you are talking about"
My usrcIe bent forward, and planting his
hands 6rmly on his knees, and with a delib-
crate 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 old aAdirons.--
Your cousin Lefty said one day, Father,
dom. y1u think those old andirons are getting
shabby!" Shabby or not, / thot they would
hold up the wood as well as il 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 andi-
rons and were no better of than we were.
And said Lefty aud her sister Jane were just
getting old enough to see company. and ,h e
stingy old looking andirons might hurt their
market. knew that women. would have
their own way, and there was 30 use iIf OBJ
jecting, SO / got the androns. Fhe price Of
them was four dollars and half"
'Ah, that is something like it." cried ry
aunt, Il thought you said two thousand, Just
now!''
"Four dofTars and a half. Well. the FIRST
night after we got them, we all sat by the
warm fire. taking the matter over.
S.Letty called my attention to the hearth
the stones Of which were cracked and un-
even The hearth was entirely out Of keep
ing with the new andirons, and thought |
might as well have il replaced first as last.
The mex: day mason was sent Tor to ex-
amine il. He came in my absence, and
when Freturned home, your auat and your
cousins all beset me to have a marble slab.
'FAe mason had convinced them that the
hearth would not look decent without s>Anar-
bic slab, and they put their beads fogeth-
err"
"Lq, met" exclaiuaed my aunt, "there was
no putting our heads together about it. The
hearth was real worn out thing not fit for
a hog peD,'
"TheY put their heads together, Peter, as
T was saying, aud continued till got mar
BILE hearth, which cost me twenty dollars at
least Then Thought was done with ex-
penzes; was wrong. Pretty soon began
to t4ear sly hints thrown out about the brick-
work around the fire. place not correspond
ing with the hearth / stood out for
month or two against your aunt and the glFls,
but they at lengthgot the better of me, and
was forced to have marble instead of brick.
An old wooden ma ntle-p piece had become SO
out OF character that it was necessary TO
have marble one. The cost of this was
nearly one hundred dollars. And row that
tire spirit of improvement had gotta start
there was no stopping Piace. The new
marble put to shame the Old white-washed
walls, and they must be papered. The
wood W ork had to be painted OF course, and
to prepare it for paint sundry repairs were
necessary While this was going on your
aunt and the girls appeared quite satisfied
when it was done, they had no idea the old
parlor could be made To look so spruce. But
there was only short respite. The old
rag carpet began to raise great dust, and ]
i,o
"Now, my dear.'' said the old lady, with u
pleasant smile, accompanied with partial
rotation of the head.
"Now fatiier:,' exclaimed the girls.
--sTIi got the carpet. So the new
carpet was got. That again shamed the
old furniture, and it had to be turned out and
replaced with new articles. "Now Peter
count up, my lad-twenty dollars for the
hearth, and one hundred for the nantle-
piece, ard thirty fer repairs. What does
that make9''
"One hundred apd fifty, uncle
"Well, fifty fer paper and paint
s.Then fifty for carpet aud one hundred
for furniture %
-Four hundred dollars exactly"
Ny aunt and cousins Winked at each 9TH
er, and looked steadily in my uncle's face
as il to say, you have not made out your
case after all.
HNow," continued my uncle, $50 much for
this one room. No sooner was the room
finished, than complaints come from all
quarters about the dining room and entry,
Long before this | had surrendered ut dis
cretiuu, and handed in my Submission
The dinninp-room cost US two hundred dol
lars, and the entry two more. What Is that
Peter!"
Eight hundred, uncle"
:.Then there was the chambers, at least
four hundred more, 20 make them rhyme
with those down stairs"
s'Twelve hundred
1.-The outside OF the house hsd to be re-
paired and painted of course. And two bum
dred for that"
Fourteen hundred"
"Then piazza in front that cost two
hundred."'--
Here aunt began to yawn, Lefty to poke
the FIRE, and ] ane to twirl over the leaves
of book.
"a new carriage came next. That cost
two hundred dollars
"Then there was a lawE to be laid out
and neatly fenced; servast to be hired; par
ties to be given occasionally; bonnets and
dresses at double the former cost; and q
hundred other little expenses grew out oi
those very andirons. Yes, Peter, was en-
tireiy within bonds when ! said it was two
thous and dollars.'
The opposition was silent. My aunt i'm.
mediately arose and guessed It was bed time
| was left alone with my Uncle, who wal
not inclined to drop the subject. He was
! persevering mar, and never gave up wha