The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-09-12

| piness, and now darkened by shades of unpaid
January bills, which loaded my desk, making
the demand for the great staple, money far ex-
ceed the supply thereby, according to our best
political economists, enhancing It's value.
| Meantime my wife, still laboring under the
weight of the stockings, says, for the third
time, with increased fervor and q slight degree
Of asperity, as though demanding reply.
'tOh dear! dear wish were rich"
"Riches, my love, take to themselves wings
and fly away" replied, with the air of one
who had seen myriads of tender youna dollars
| put on their pin feathers, become fully fedg-
ed, and soar away to unknown regions like a
flock of wild geese, leaving not even the smell
of money behind a. IeFf.r.,a
ssWell if they do, they must go to roost
somewhere, and don't see why some of them
can't settle here ns well as elsewhere" said
my wife, as she commenced on = fresh stock
ing; and then added, with slight dash of ac-
cidity, ''there's no danger of our riches fyir G
awayp Cf-5 ..---
"No my dear. the wealth of loving hearts,
i of unstained consciousness, and contented dis
positions is permanent investment, and not
] at all prone to aerial flights. These are your
only true riches. With these, you are richer
than Croesus; without them, poor indeed"
'sThat's all very well, but that kind Of prop
erty don't constitute legal tender. You
|
| dispositions, however pure and contented-
They don't go kalf as far as promises, for I've
known you to make those last year. But
speaking of the grocer reminds me that
thought 1 saw the bottom of the -four barrel
this morning." --
1 Now knew in an instant that there wasn't
-four enough In that barrel to make homeo-
pathic biscuit, for had had hint of its con-
dition the day before, in the shape of an in
i g., Lok &c Q1,,r rrOrfh
| now ?'-ex xpressed in tone intended to indi-
cate that she had more interest in the matter
than she had in the number of statute miles
| between the earth and the moon.
It is pleasant little fiction of hers, that a
delicate hint, in relation to the consumptive
| state of that important ingredient in domestic
economy, falls more lightly upon the ear of
the moneyless than the plain and simple though
appalling settlement 'The flour barrel is
empty" and she will resort to all manner OF
expedients for bringing the case to my mind
rather than state it in plain English. In fact,
1 have sometimes thought of teaching her to
say it in Spanish; and thus remove little of
] its harshness, but as she had no aptness for
any tongue, except her own, 1 have abandoned
the idea.
The purchase of barrel of -four is an event
in our household economy mot to be treated
I lightly. 1t requires preparation. In the first
place, certain sum of money is to be provid-
ed to meet the emergency, whatever latitude
the grocer may allow in minor matters, when
you talk to him of -four you must produce the
quid pro quo, or there is no trade.
| The next point to be decided is the selec-
ton of the "brand" This leads to friendly
interchange of views between the heads of the
home department, which always results in my
being commissioned to purchase the highest
priced article in the market, and clution to
avoid all attempts at false economy by invest
ing in cheaper quality. In my younger days
1 once made purchase of barrel of second
quality Gas the grocer called it), to see if my
wife would know the difference; and believe
have had the biscuit that were made from il
thrown at me ever since.
You should see my wife at the opening Of
the new barrel, and its snowy treasures arc
disclosed to her gratifed gaze. Smiles dimplt
her rosey cheeks, and pleasure sparkles in hel
eyes. How tenderly she lifts each dipperfu
from its receptacle, examines it with the ey'
. of judge, and pronounces its quality witt
the air Of an expert And what glow o
1 housewifely satisfaction mantles her fair face
E when the first baking confirms her judgment
And then as, day by day, she descends deep
r er into its recesses, each dipperful, snow.
t though it be, leaves shade upon her brow
, until at last the -four and the smiles and dim
$ Piles disappear together.
: AS I sit reading of an evening, can hea
that wooden dipper humping at the slaves o
gently scraping the bottom of the barrel as
!, descends in search of the where withal for tn
: bread of the coming day, and know that m
: wife is intimating by these means the necessi
e ty of fresh supply as plainly as though sh
told me in SO many words, for she knows tina
can hear every thump. And by and-by sh
e comes in looking demure as kitten, bu
r the next day brings fresh barrel, fresh smile
t and dimples, and a renewed depletion Of tn
e already attenuated purse. The smile am
q dimples are always cheap at the price, even
t the -four is not.
As meditated on this momentoGs subject
t I could see by the knitting of her brow an
g the increased vigor with which she apple
y herself to her task, that my wife's fnancis
r aspiration was still working in her mind, an
: knowing by long experience that confne
l. thoughts like explosive gases, must have ven
and fearing that some more violent remar
u might be shot at me, Ike bullet from gur
}, I replied: a1
e "True, my dear, know that the grocer vi
l. only be satisfied with gold or its equivalen
IS which is much better calculated to appreciai
st than purity of intention and loftiness Of sou
and fortunately for him, it is much more pier
t, tiful in the market though scarce enough wit
o us. But for all that we have untold treasure
l. if we did but know il"
t. "They must be untold, for / never heard
n them before. IF you have such an abundanc
ii wish you'd spare me enough to buy tn,
black silk dress you promised me so long ago
b 1t is. not to be inferred from this remar
Q. that my wife is prone to extravaganza in h,
n tastes or habits. She is unusually centel
u With plain and modest attire. She has neY,
tf hidden herself in the recesses Of whalebor
IS pyramid, nor submitted to the modern specie
5 of female coopersge; for, as she playfully, II
3. marks, "Any body can see that am to
d without my being koopsd." (She weighs tu
2 hundred and one Poands ayoirdupois.) n
b unpaid mihiner's bills haunt her waking hou
10 (nor mine)g No needy dress makers rise =
W in judgment against her. Her bonnet is muc
ID too large for opr youngest daughter; age
it eight years, and really seems designed for u
d as well as 6fhansent, and from my .leng a
N duaintanes with ker, am satisfied that 81
to has something iR her head worth protectin
~ Mo