The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-11-25
cHAPTER m.

! " udO ouC USNCbo HdNO y Vo OSSAi
exclaimed Alfred johnson, as he and his wife
entered the house of his cousin, few days
after the important changes had been made,
We have been fixing UP little," answer.
ed Mrs.J ohnson, as she cast a look Of satis-
faction at the improved appearance of her
rooms s. - vs.rs sqaG
}s" New 6carpetsai New chairs New sofa
New clock !" added Mrs. Alfred Johnson, as
| she surveyed the glorious bargains.
:" g. We were thinking of having them in the
| spring, but we concluded to have them before
Thanksgiving" id Mrs. Joseph.
Do you see that carpet, Alf?'' continued
Mr.. Joseph, as he pointed to the ".three- ply'
on the ,parlor. +.= .s.
az see it. Joe.'' aaa a5.ss
+ "W hat do you suppose gave for that car
AZ don't know. You always buy cheap
Iasuppose you gave dollar a yard.''
Not quite. replied Joseph, chuckling,
Though it would have been dog cheap at
that price, ..le.s z4ess7s sstarsvs.s --s.7
s" What did you give, Joe Pr
Sixty-two, said Joseph. trying to con-
ceal the feeling of exultation which was riot;
ing in his bosom.
a. $ e"sSixty-two Why. I paid dollar and a
quarter for one no -handsomer than that" ad-
ded Mrs Alfred as she stopped down and
gave the GLORIOUS bargain'' a more critical
examination. !" Why you have darned it p,
she exclaimed, as she observed two or three
of these suspicious appearances in the new
fabric 57-. -s#-'f
at is slightly damaged, but no one would
notice it, unless they got down on their hands
and knees, and examined it with micro
scope,'' added Joseph, rather disgusted at the
keenness of Mrs. Alfred
It is worth double the price we gave for
it" added Mrs. s.Joseph. "Now what do you
think we paid for those chairs Pr she contin-
ued, willing to withdraw the attention of the
visitors from the now disgraced carpet. =,
@I have no idea.'' replied Alfred Black
walnut, stuffed seat paid four dollars and
a half for some in about the same stvle''
~ We. did not give that for those" said
Mrs. Joseph, with a royal smile, which dis
played her appreciation of her own. and her,
husbands superiority in. the art of buying. -4
sWell, what did You give ?''
"What do You think p asked Joseph
who, like all cheap buyers, was fond of teas
ing the inquisitve before the astonishing price
should be named. ~
N "DolIar apiece,'' laughed Alfred
"Oh, come, Ali, you know you can't buy
such chairs for any such money! replied Jo-
seph, with deprecatory smile.s
"I thought would get it low enough this
time. Perhaps you gave three dollars"
Two and half,' said Mrs. Joseph, tri-
umphantly, when she had held in,'., as long
as she could, and without thinking how mean
it was to steal her husbands thunder, and rob
him of TIE pleasure of making the stunning
revelation.
That's cheap replied Alfred, pounding
| the cushion of one with his fist, aud then
pressing down upon the back while it was
poised upon one leg.
"Oh, they are good chairs. The dealer
was going West, and he wanted to close them
out. These were the last he had, which is
the reason why we got them SO cheap.''
Lucky for him, perhaps that he has gone
West: said Alfred, before you get ready to
take him up for swindling you.''
Mrs. johnson did not like this remark, and
she trotted out the marble clock. which stood
| in all its glory upon the mantle-piece. Mr..
and Mrs. Alfred guessed on tn, clock one
of them politely guessed that it cost twenty
dollars, and both were duly and properly as
| tonished when informed that it had beenpu
chased for the astoundingly low price of eight
dollars and seventy-fve cents.
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred staid an hour and then
rose to go. They actually reached the out
side door before ] Joseph thought of his great
bargain in coal. z}s
What did You pay for your coal, Alf@
shouted he, rushing into the entry.
Seven dollars" replied Alfred, foreseeing
that another stunning Development in cheap
buying was in store forlhim. ae s.a
Paid toe. much. What do you think 1
gave?" @ 9tsss.5e 3
"Six ?'' aat4 8g 9ef
"Fiven
You are a lucky fellow" added Alfred,
as he took his wife upon his arm, and walked
towards home. m
But Alfred did not think so. 1t was only
little polite hypocrisy that induced him 10
make use of this remark, for he was one of
that class who are willing to pay a fair price
/ for a good article. He had no occasion to re-
furnish his house, for he had not relied upon
i great bargains when he purchased his furni-
ture. and though he had been keeping house
year longer than Joseph, it was still in ex-
4 cellent condition. sqzss3 ~ AFT sar
We may add that, in five years, he had ac-
tually spe-t twenty per cent. less for house
keeping expenses than Joseph, though the
latter always obtained what he regarded as
great bargains. Alfred and his wife laughed
at the great bargains when they got home,
and pronounced rather er-censorious judgment
upon the three ply" the new chairs aud
the marble clock.
------ sss7 vi - aszszA
l5ss CHAPTER III.
- Two days after this triumphant exhibition
of glorious bargains, Uncle Simon arrived
from Philadelphia. His coming created a tre-
mendous sensation in both families, and each
vied with the other rendering honors to the
distinguished and powerful visitor. He spent