The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-04-29
for tile firesiile Chair.
THE LITERARY WIFE.
BY T. S. ARTHUR.

BY T. s. ARTHUR.
Some shrewd, iobservant or cynical lady
writer---it must have been lady /" writer-
has said, that the way to a mans heart is
through his stomach. This was not the the.
ory of Mrs. Arabella Jones, the young, beau
tiful, accomplished, intellectual wife of An
drew Jones, Esq, a, lawyer gilmore than
common natural abilities, who gave large
! promise of future eminence.
/ 1t SO happened that the mother of Mr.
Jones was woman thoroughly versed in the
art and mystery Of housekeeping and Mr.
Jones could not recolleet the time when any
failure OF home-comforts had given him the
slightest annoyance. From childhood up to
manhood he had only to go to his drawers,
when he wanted a garment, and there it was,
lnlts place, and in the incest order. Such a
thing as badly-cooked food was unknown in
his fathers house; and yet, the style of liv-
ing was plain-not luxurious. Tho natural
result of all this was, that Mr.. Andrew ones
was spoiled as we hear it sometimes said.
He had become so used to these home COM
iorts-to having everything nice and orderly
that to miss them was serious annoyance.
II Let us see how 1t was with him in his own
home-after he had set up for himself, with
the accomplished, intellectual Arabella, who
wrote the sweetest poetry, and played divine
ly--as a partner.
A pleasant house was taken, in pleasant
neighborhood, and furnished to the extent of
their moderate ability. a.s 4, Esf5f,l5lts -
How do you like it all?'' inquired the
young husband, after he had exhibited his
new housekeeping arrangements to his moth
er, who came to pay her first visit. 7t
lrs. Jones was a plain spoken, sincere
woman, and she answered just as she thought.
our house is too large, in the first place.
A Smaller one would have given ample room,
and you could have furnished it to far better
advantage. A little farm, we'll tiled: you
kpow.p s5i9 10 jfa8 'iiid $40 = 'FFl
&" 1t is no larger than people in our position
occupy her son replied. h;.5
1t is not the position you are to look at,
Andrew, but the means apd the comfort a
small house is kept with far less toll and ex-
pense than a large one; and shows moder-
ate supply of furniture to the best advantage.
In your ease it has taken three -fourths of all
the money you had to spend to put your
large parlors into company dress Above, and
beyond,you have scarcely ahything that taste
calls for, or comfort demands. Your china
closet is very meager; your beds of the poor
est quality; your kitchen utensils few, and
indifferent at that, and your servants sleep
ing-room without even bedstead l don't
like that at all, Andrew A bad straw mat
tress, laid upon the, fioor is not the kind of a
bed Christian housek eeper should ,rovide
for his tired domestic p ere = y Z
= The young mans face coIored at the plain
speech from his mother Not that he was
offended with her-for he loved and reyered
her5too much for that-but because her dis
approval Of his Housekeeping arrangeme ents
was more a disapproval of his young wife
than of himself; for he had left the matter
of furnishing almost entirely in her hands. !
Is, Prndently Mrs. Jones, senior, avoided any
open expression of her views to Mrs Jones,
junior; to her son, she knew she could speak
plainly without. giving offence; but she pre-
ferred closer observation of her daughter
in-law, before venturing to disapprove, in her
presence, of. anything she saw in their home
arrangements. etsh y - sss9 s u
/ To her mother-in-la law, Arabella exhibited
the sunniest side of her character. She play
ed for her many Of the sweet melodies which
had been loved in younger days; read to her
choice passages from favorite poets; and
charmed her with tasteful criticisms on art,
I literature and music---winnng ,herway into
the kind old lady's heart, and almost obliter-
ating from her mind the unpleasant innpres-
sions which her housekeeping ARRANGEMENTS
had made She did not wonder that her son
had been fascinated by her brilliant accom-
plishments. Below all this beautiful extefi-
OF, the eyes of Mrs. Jones-who was a wo-
man of singular penetration caught glimpsl
es, now and then,gofsa soul abounding in
right impulses, defective home education,