Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-04-28
Gts stmp Gelkr:
From the n. Y. Commercial Advertiser.
MY wIFE's COUSIN.

MY WHES VOoSAN'
Some 'tinesago, I called on a cousin OF my
vifewho resided 10 the'city Of Philadelphia
mad not seen him for long time, but'havE
mo understood that he was in afiueut cir
oninseSucss, + was but 1ittte prepared tor
ne aco6ditioSS' n Il 10 d which I found -hiIn.:-
T51rsnob Information derived 'frotnF,a PhiIa-
detphia directory, I went to one OF those
,lleys with which that city abounds, and and
found his name on a sign board, associated
with That Of another man, over a DARK and
dinov shop The sign purposted that they
were 1oeksmiths and bellhaugers; also that
locks we're repaired and ke5sftted. With
out ceremony walked into the gloomy re-
cess where there vas blacksmith's forge
and where among several muscular looking
men up to theirarmpits in work, was ''my
wife's cousin" He received me most cor,
diallv and for moment intermitted fling
huge brass key on which he was engaged.
and the shake Of my own dexter by one OF
his broad brawpy hands, I can liken to moth:
ino nearer than the shock Of ayoupg earsh-
quake. ,,, ,,
..Take a seat, take seat" he observed,
,t.,d inst as soon as I finish this key, we'll
make tracks for home. .-
Of course replied that Twas IN 90 hurry
and at once became interested In the iae''e
manner in which he was metamorphos'ng
rouob eas,ing. into a polished key. As 5000
it was, completed. he washed the worst OF
the dir, from his hands, hung up his WORE
aoron, land then putting on his coat and fae'
remarked ia cheerful tene': ''oene's now
Cousin Aleck. let's go and see whether vile
has got any tea for. US: Il ~.
After we we're il, the street, our conVersa'
tion inseusibly ran on business, and took
occasion to say to him that i had oeen- Oh
the opinion that he~had retired from MS
trade on handsome competency "Don
say a wore" about retirement" ne replieo'
nit nearly makes me sick to think of it
people talk of retiring from business while
thew are healthy aud-able to work; Why,
tell YOU, Aleck, they don't know what IT IT
means. didn't know what it meant until
I tried it, but noo retirement and misery
sound, to my ears, like words of about the
same meaning. :.
Perceiving that he had struck subject
on which he could easily be commu muntcatlVe'
Hooked iuquiriugly, when herejoined, ':Per'
hans YOU never heard the particulars of my
retiripg?" -. .,
On my replying that had not he pro-
ceeded. oYou see, Aleck, it is about three
wears ago, that having as you would say, a
competency, made up my mind to stop
work, and move into the country. SO sold
out nv share of the business to my partner,
spent year or more in looking at two or
three score of country places, aud at last
found one that wife and myself were consid-
erablv pleased with. Fine double house,
four acres beautifully shaded, vegetable gar
den not to be beat, and soil of superior
quality. The place is still in my possession
but before would go and live on it again.
I'd give it away; yes, Aleck, I'd see it sunk
into the middle of the Dead Sea. But l am
getting little ahead of my story. For two
or three months, matters aud things went ou
verv we'll, because l had something to at
tend to in making fewhttle improvements
about the house, and in furnishing numbel
of the doors with locks of my own lnVen'
tion; but as the whole premises were in ez'
cellent repair when I bought them' l soon
came to point where there was nothing &c
look after but the cultivation of the garden
was not long though in making the dis
covery that 1 had no genius or taste either
for digging around roots, or pulling up weeds,
and so as wife didn't wish the garden to run
to waste, I employed regular English gar
dener to carry the thing handsomely through
oWell, I don't mind the expense he put
me to in the way of guano, new tangled gar
dening tools and patent watering apparatus
for had fully expected to spend money
aad thanks to our previous economy, we hao
the money to spend; but Aleck, it was re-
ally amusing to sec what the fruit and veg
etables raised from our garden stood US ID
Making use of the little arithmetic was
master of, recolect that ciphered up the
cost Of some of the table fxius, and the re-
suit twas-cucumbers, seventeen cents piece
green peas, dollar and three quarters for 6
half peck currants, fifty cents a quart
raspberries, thirty cents pint; beets, four
teen cents each, and everything else in pro
portion. All this I cared nothing about