The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-02-22
A PERFECT TREASURE.

9-----
l am not the man to have hobbies, far
from it, but everybody, suppose, likes
one thing more than smother, and what
! / like is plate; good seryicable gold and
silver, such as Is pleasant to see upon
ones table, whether by sunshine or
candle-ight, and which one likes ones
guests to see. 1t is whispered by ma
iiynant persons $50 at least certain
good-naturcd friends tell me,) that L
should not give SO many dinuer-parties,
if it were not to exhibit these costly ar
ticles. am not conscious OF such q
motive for my hospitality; but if it ex-
list, it need not surely be objected to-;
it is who have to pay for the weakness,
spd not nv friends, as happens in some
cases could name. if 1 possessed a
selection of the most hideous china IN
the whole world, and filled my drawing
rooms with unhappy persons after dlh-
ner, who were compelled to bow DOWN
before Bel and the Dragon (if may say
so without impiety,) as Colonel Iwan-
Say does, for instance, then grant yo't
there would be some ground of COM
plant; or il / invited people to AT
homes every Wednesday evening "a
most impcrtinent form of invitation, in
my opinion) in order that they should
have the pleasure of hearing me eonfute
Professor Picbald upon the question OF
the Theory of Development, as my good
friend DR.. Twiste is in the habit of do.
ing; or if had daughter with high
notes, and inveigled the unwary with
the bait of "a little music" like my
neichbor, the Hon. Mrs. Matcham, so
proud and stuck up, that she is as often
as not called Lucifer Matcham, who, L
dare say, thinks her invitations quite
as honor to the recipients. But there;
have no patience to speak OF such peo-
ple. These, forsooth, are the persons
these, with their tea and thin bread ana
butter, and three-penny-worth OF cream,
and with what they call "a light re-
freshment" to follow, weak lemonade
and cheap ices, to charge Inc with the
crime of Ostentation!
1t was not looking at my gold anu
silver plate, I suppose, which made my
mother-in-law bilious; she might have
stopped a long time, at some other
houses | could name, without getting
the quality, or even the quantity, OF
food that would produce an indlsposl-
ton of that kind. Mind, / don't blame
her; she gave way to an amiable weak
ness (it was truffles,) poor lady, and sne
suffered. for it more than enough.
Neither was it more ostentah on, l sup
pose, that caused me to provide her
with a @sick-nurse-Mrs. Maqueechy.
NY wife, of course, did everything she
could for her mother, but ours is large
household, and we see a good deal OF
company; so we thought it best to pro-
vide a person exclusively to wait upon
her. We had the highest written testl-
monials as to character, and her be-
havior was everything we could wish
Instead of Interfering and setting
the other domestics by the ears, as per-
sons of her class are accused OF doing,
she kept herself to herself, and when
anything was wanted, she would ietGh
it herself, rather than give anybody
trouble. / used to meet her walking
all over the house upon these errands,
and noticed, to her great credit, that
though she must have weighed nearly
twelve stone, she made no noise.
She so won upon me, indeed, for am
not at all a man to be familiar with my
interiors, and should certainly not take
Iapleasure in exhibiting my, plate to, a
maid -ofall-work or acrossing-sweepef,
as some people have been so good asst af-
firm. l say was so pleased with Mrs.
Maqueeehy's quiet and respectful man
ners, that, finding her upon one occa-
sion in the dining-room admiring my
two new shield-shaped salvers upon the
side hoard, took pains to explain to
her the design of the engraving, and es-
pecially the embossed cipher; with
which her intelligent mind was highly
pleased. In short, she was perfect
treasure, and if we had wanted house
keeper, or any confidential servant OF
that sort, I shouldcertainly have retain
ed Mrs. Maqueechy in that position, af-
ter her duties as q sick nurse were con
cludsd; and in that idea my wife en-
tirely concurred. Mrs. Naqueechy was
neither young nor good-looking, but q
more thoroughly respectable-looking
person. in her condition of life, it was
not easy to find. Although had every
confidence i'm Bowles-Bowles has had
the charge of my plate for these ten
years--yet there seemed somehow tn be
n double warranty for the safeguard of
nv property. while Mrs. Maqueechy
was under my roof. She was not a sus-
piciOus person, far from it; but she
once remarked to me, in meaning way,
that the charge of so much valuable
plate was n great responsibility, and
would be even q temptation to some
people; and l saw she kept her eye on
Bowles. As the event proved, alas.
Mrs. Maqueechy had only two good rea-
sons to do so. 80 o. u an = t-d !
Last Wednesday, we happened to have
rather large dinner-party; l had beeD
dining ont good deal at various clubs
lately, and Of course il was necessary
to invite my entertainer in return. lt
is not that | will ask anybody to come
and admire my plate, but certainly some
of the men were not intimate friends OF
mine, but only acquaintance. How
ever, suppose the fact OF persons be-
longing to such clubs as frequent is
sufficient guaranty for their social po-
sition. They were quite good enough,
in my opinion, to meet Mrs. Lucifer
Matcham at all events, and they met
her. The dinner had gone off uncom-
monty we'll. The shield-shaped salvers
had been very much admired, and so
had my new tureen. The ladies had re-
tired to the drawing-room, and | had
lust passed the vine-leaf claret-jug TO
Colonel Twankay ton which the old
fhnnks did not lsss the shghtest Iemnrk,
by the by, when hBowies sooped down
and whispered in my ear that q person
wished to see me in. the Hall, upon very
important business, o'li tsfinii
DAAsK him whit It s,nsaid IjIIrIt is
impossible that / can leave my guests
~ did ask him, sir, and he refases to
state" replied Bowles, conidentiaily.
at is my opinion he's Q begging letter
imposter; bnt he sayshs mnstsee sou in
person.r 2 K .-si,. .f $3.50
I was upon the point of saying, ''rell
him to leave .tbe house, when some
thing or other in Bowles's manner struck
me 80 decidedly that resolved not to
do so. Why should he say q man, about
whom he could know nothing. was .
begging letter impesteElI q Perhaps l
placed rather too much confidence IN
my butler, rs Mrs. Maqueeehy bad hint
ed that very morning. -Actuated oy
vague presentment of distrust and dan
= ~ !. Y.NMa 49,