Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-10-22
Ole 5torp Gellsr.
siivsr is always the Cheapest.
ny ELLEN ASHTON


ga silver tea-service," replied Mrs
Aston ..Silver, in the end, is always
the cheapest"
Now MIR. and Mrs. Aston were rich,
and il was no more to them, therefore, to
give silver tea service, than it would
have been for most of us. for myself par
ticularly, to give plain china teapot.
'1'm not so sure" was Mr.. Alston's
answer, "that silver tea-service would
be the best. Ellen is not rich, neither is
her intended husband"
"The more reason we should give the
fea-service. They'll not get it for years.
If we don't give it to them. And. as
said before. silver is always the cheapest.
You can't break it, and it never wears
out
'It's very far from being the cheapest
Such a tea-service as you would buy.
would cost, for instance, five or SIX humid
red dollars. Now the interest on six hun
dred. dollars would be thirty-six dollars
every year. Thirty-six dollars every year
would buya new china service every year.
But even china service would last FIVE
OF six years. So, If the six hundred dol
lars were invested for the benefit of Ellen,
she would be able to buy new china tea
service every five or six years, and have
thir.y-six dollars, yearly, to spend for
something else, for the four or five other
years"
That's the way of you men. "said Mrs.
Aston. "You're always talking of in
vestments and interest. But / know as a
woman, that niece would rather have the
silver tea-service than the money, and so
shall give it to her."
CAS- you please. my dear. You know
| leave all such things to you. The most
/ do is to advise"
So the tea-service was given to the
bride, and when Mr.. Aston saw the I'M
concealed pleasure with which his niece
received it. he began to think that his
wife hal been right. after all.
And she was right as far as the present
was concerned. Ellen was ten times hap
pier in regarding her pretty silver tea
service. and in beholding the secret envy
of her female acquaintance. than if the
six hundred dollars which it cost had been
invested for her in the safest securities.
But the present is not everything in life.
Temporary qualification is often bought
at the expense Of future suffering. 1t was
so in Ellen's case.
The young couple had not been long at
housekeeping before they discovered that
there was want of harmony between
their silver tea-service and the china plates
and tea-cups which were used with it,
The latter were but ordinary china-ware;
mot at all the thing for silver tea-pots. %
as Ellen said; and so fine French porcelain
was substituted. When this had been
done, the glass. which had been only
pressed glass. was soon found to be also
out Of place, and so cut glass was purchas.
ed. Then the table-clothes were observed
= TO be too coarse. Elegant linen, silver,
fine china and cut glass ought always GO
together" remarked Ellen; and her hns
band, who, though not rich, loved pretty
things as well as his wife, consented to
let her purchase some exquisite damask ia
bic clothes. After this, it was not Ions
before the chairs were seen to be too chear
anarticle, and then the carpet, till final
ly nothing was left in the dining-room
which had been there originally. excep
the silver tea-service.
"How is it, Ellen" said one of th,
brides friends, one day, 'that your din
ing room is so much more elegant thar
the rest of your house? always like to
come hear to tea; everything about you
table is SO refined and choice"
Ellen had begun, before, to feel this
want Of harmony between her dining room
and her parlor; but from this hour she wa.
positively unhappy till she had begun tc
refurnish her parlor. Her husband. who
was not without sense and foresight, trem
bled at these demands on his purse, fol-
heknew he could not afford to take sc
much money ont of his business; bu
Ellen's unhsppiness. in the end overcam,
him; and besides, be trusted to make i
up in some other way. 1--WE can save i
ont Of the household expenses, / KNOW
said Ellen; and he allowed himself to b,
persuaded.
But they never did save it. Their par
Tor grew to be as. tasteful as their dining
room, and by the same process; for frs
new carpet was bought, then new furni
ture. and finally curtains were put up.-
Ne room was complete without drapery,
Ellen said. ''and Henkel had such lovely
siiklrep so wonderfully cheap" Mirrors
followed. Then elegant vases and clocl
for the mautlepiece. And so it went on
for when the parlor had been reited. tn,
bedrooms were discovered to be unwor
thy of the rest of the house, and their i'm
2provemsnt began. All this taxed tn
young husbands means to the utmost, il
spite of Ellen's thrift in selling the oil,
articles and buying the new, as she per
suaded herself she did Eat bargain" L
"I'm afraid our niece is living too fast,
said Mr.. Aston one evening to his wife
''Her husband wears a troubled look
Thsy'ye now ben married three years, We
his credit is worse to-day than before h
came to see Ellen; and that ought neve
to be with married man who has risin,
family to support. They threw out hi
note at,the bank tins morning in spit
Of all could say"
ELLEN is too fond. I'm afraid, OF fin,
fusniture," replied Mrs. Aston. Ssh
ought to know that onsshould wait 4
be rich, before indulging in silk curtain
end velvet carpets
Before another year the husband ha
f.;lod md tlsa ehor;ff& ~epoo 20 all ~