Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-03-19
Mrs. Smiths Economy.

Mrs. smith was saving woman. She was
not mean-she was saving. Mrs. Smith bought
a new carpet-a pretty-fgured carpet-that
cost, we suppose, twelve shillings a yard, per-
haps fourteen. With all due care in buying an
exact quantity, there was remnant left of, we
should say, somewhere between a yard and a
yard and half. OF course it was not only
saved, but carefully laid away. Occasionally, y,
in the course of the next two or three years,
Smith saw the remnant Of carpet out for an
airing. A bright idea at length struck her to
make something out of it.
Among Smith 8 customers was q journey man
cabinet maker who loved to come in of an eve-
ming and enjoy a taste Of good old Scotch
whisky punch, and have a chat and a smoke
Now, the bright idea of Mrs. Smith was, that
she would get Bob, the cabinet maker, to make
her pair of footstools, ottomans, or something
else-little nondescript things that ladies have
in parlors, neither chair, bench nor stool-good
for nothing to sit on, and of no account for
anything else, except to stumble over. pair
OF these she would have made, and that would
save the remnant of the carpet
So she called him in and told him what she
wanted, and showed him the piece of carpet
saved so long, and now to be at length appro-
priated to profitable purpose.
"Yes, it will make very nice tops, and there
is plenty to make large-sized pair Will you
have them of mahogany, black walnut, or rose
wood ~
nice, and he might make them of anything he
pleased -''any remnant that he could pick up
about the shop"
Mrs. Smith asked-no, she told her husband
about the arrangement, and he said
Just as you like; don't care"
Time wore on. Robert drank and smoked
and worked. He worked slow but he worked
sure; for, by the by, he brought in the new
article of parlOr furniture-the contrivances
for saving carpet remnants Mr. Smith thought
them good-loOking, and sent them I'D stairs.
Mrs: Smith was delighted with them
They were beautiful-just the thing-ex-
acuy what she wanted-such a match to the
Parlor carpet-she was really proud of them -
And we may be allowed to say, proud also of
her economy of housekeeping sSome folks
would have wasted that carpet or let the moths
eat 1t, or les it lay around loose of no use.,'
By-and-by, business over in the shop, Smith
came up. Smith must 60 and see them; but
somehow he could not see quite so much beau
ty In them as his wife did, nor, in fact. they
did not look near as we'll as they did when he
first saw them, and as for the economy of the
thing, that he couldn't see bit of-but he
looked, and said nothing lie thought, sWelI.
they are woman's bauble, bought and paid
for, so let it go; but hope there are no more
little remnants of carpet round the house to be
saved. :" But he said, good -naturedly, in an
swer to the question
Yes, they look very well.'
ooh, they are perfect gems, Now I hope
you never will laugh at me again for being so
saving"
''No, he thought he shouldn't"
By-the-by, Mr.. Smith, how much did Bob
charge for the jeb?'
Eighteen dollars"
"Eigh-''
Her jaw fell before the other syllable would
come out, for she saw by Smith s face that he
was in earnest. 1t was no laughing matter
1t never has been since, but it has been a
standing Lesson of family economy, and will pro