Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-10-06

III
increased vigor with which she applied her
task, that my wife's financial aspiration was
still working in her mind, and knowing by
long experience, that confirmed thoughts, like
explosive gases, must have vent, and fearing
| that some more violent remark might be shot
| at me, like pellet from gun, replied:
| "True, my dear, know that the grocer will
be satisfied with gold, or its equivalent, which
he Is much better calculated to appreciate than
purity OF intention and loftiness of soul, and
fortunately for him 10 much more plentiful in
| the market, though scarce enough with u.s.
But for all that 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, I
wish you would spare me enough to buy that
black silk dress you promised me 80 long ago {"
II is to be inferred from this remark that my
wife Is prone to extrayagance In her tastes or
| habits. She IL usually content with plain and
| modest attire. She has never hidden herself in
the recesses of awhalebone pyramid, nor SUBJ
| mltted to the modern species of female cooper
| age; for, as she plainly remarks "anybody can
| see that sm tub without my being hooped -
| (She only weighs POI pounds svoirdupois) No
unpaid milliner's bills haunt her walking hours
lnor mins.l No needy dress makers rises up
| in judgment against her. Her bonnet is much
too large for our youngest daughter, aged 8
years, and really seemed designed to use as
we'll as ornament, and from my long acouain-
tance with her, / am satisfied that she has
| something in her head worth protecting ,unlik Q
those ladies who patronize curtailed bonnets
with more ribbon than crown, and more cur
tain than comfort.
She fully agrees with me when lecture our
young female friends on the extravaganc of
| the age, although she contends that the men are
as much to blame as the women. Of course
never assent to this position; and that leads to
friendly argument, from which, in my own
| opinion, always gain the advantage-though
L must confess that am occasionally overbo
by torrent Of words, especially when some
| friendly nsighbor espouses my wise's side of the
question. In such cases beat a hasty retreat
| and watch my opportunity for a new attack
upon the position Of the enemy under moro
favorable auspices.
My wife detests founces, (she is too stout to
| wear them,) has no hankering after .smoire an
tique," and only knows Of "HonitOn" by hav-
ing seen it mentioned in our daily paper To be
| sure she doesn't believe all the criticism upon
the fashions which she sees in that paper, and
she even goes 80 far as to say that she has no
idea that the editor himself believed them.
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, and fsh-and VINO
never gets into troubles as long as he sticks to
politics and fish. .0.s-t .
But to return to the black silk dress Some
ii y
under the influence Of an excess of affection
and deiuson in regard to my financial pros
poets, had made rash promise to pure ase
such an article for her especial use and adorn-
ment; but had coupled the promise with the
important proviso, sometime" We had pre-
viously canyassed the relative merits of cali
Goes, cashmeres, silks and satins, and had de-
cided that one good silk dress was worth half
dozen Of any of the othsrs, not only for its
present purpose but as being more avail liable in
its later stages for the decoration of the young
scions Of our house, and a sly hint was thrown
out that square "breadth" out of the skirt
might be very useful in refacing any coat of
mine that might stand in need Of that opera
ton. The sometime" before alluded to has
not yet arrived, and from present appearances
it is rs far off as when the promise was made
Still, 1t fingers in my wifs's memory, and she
occasionally brings Ii to my mind among
fear, many other unfulflled promises.
"In regard to the dress, you may depend
upon having it ''sometimey' but the treasures
OF which L " rs speaking are not exlctly avail
able for that purpose at present." l replied;
"but can easily convince you that we are
possessed Of them. Are there not seven rosy
| checked cherubs (at least you call them 20
when they are not in mischief) now sleeping
In happy Inconsistencies Of money and its at
tendant evils, each one Of them worth its weight
IN gold! I've heard you say so many time
Now at a moderate estimate they will average
fifty pounds piece. Even California gold is
worth two hundred dollars q pound. So we
have three hundred and fifty pounds Of cherubs
at two hundred dollars a pound, which, ac-
cording to simple multiplication, makes sew
snty thousand dollars worth of those little
heavenly bodies alone"
"Nonsense, Persy"
"Oh but il isn't nonsense. There it Is fp-
ured according to your own estimate, and
very pretty little sum ii makes to begin the
world with. Now, my dear, what is my love?'
This was poser. My wife looked up in a
haze OF blank astonishment as her mind sped
the idea, and trembled for fear she might
say nothing" and thus overturn the whole
groundwork Of my theory. But as soon as
she had swallowed the idea and mentally di-
gested it, she replied:
why don't you ask me what the air is
worth for 1 could dispense with one as well
as the other.'
congratulated myself that she had drawn no
worse comparison between my love and the
air, and continued
worth ?''
81 shan't answer any such foolish question,
lot; you go on with your calculations you'll
make us out millionaires"
That's what intend to do: and think
am safe in putting down the love at hundred
thousand. Then, there is my honor, which ia
worth at least as much as my love-"
I've no doubt of it," interrupted my wife.
For you wouldn't value the one without
the other. So there you have the sum total of
three items alone-cherubs, seventy thousand;
love, hundred thousand, and honor az much
more-msking the snug sum of more than a
quarter Of million of dollars, to say nothing
Of other items that might be mentioned, and
which would perhaps double the amount, be-
sides cash on hand amounting to one dollar
and seventeen cents" -
paused for my dear wife to appreciate the
iuii force OF my reasoning, (she is little slow
AZ ngures,l and when she had time to turn the
whole subject in her mind, asked: 80
what have you to say to that7"
All have to say to that, replied my wife,
rs, l woui dn't advise You to set up a carriage
on the strsng rh Of your property. And if
Inougns We we. worth quarter Of that sum
1 wouldn't mend such q looking stocking as
tins Saying which she held up the stocking
OF our eldest girl, minus the heel and thirds
OF the toe, with a large rent near r the tor of
the leg "And then look at that, and that. and
that, she continued, as she successiysly pre-
sented for inspection the various article. which
oonstituted the juvenile wardrobe; and I must
confess that, seen through that medium. NV