Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-03-30
Our Family JAR.

Tom and never quarreled. Indeed,
it has come to be sort of byword witt
the family, when they wish to express an
extraordinary degree of connubial felici
ty, "As happy as Tom and Louise"
We of course experienced the usual a
mount of mistakes and failures, incident
to young married people, but at the end
of two months we found ourselves fairly
settled down. Our sole domestic was a
respectable matron of mature age, whose
larger half lit was worse also in this case)
had deserted her some years before, owing
to slight conjugal difficulty, in which,
as is not unusual in Irish broils, whisky
had been an important auxiliary. Moth
er had taken pity on the deserted wife,
and having trained her in all domestic
duties, now made her over to ME as help.
Notwithstanding the numerous failings
of her departed spouse, Mrs. Macnllly
still cherished his memory, and spoke OF
him with tenderness and regret.
s'Sure! Mrs Preston, she would say,
1t was partly me own fault. Pat was al
ways quick, loike, and should have borne
with his little faalings."
And when midi y limited that there
was necessary limit to human endurance
she would shake her head with sigh.
| / should ha' been more patient, sure,
mum. wasn't he Inc own husband, after
all |? used to come out of the kitchen,
after such interviews, feeling quite In
structed, and didn't altogether like to
here Toms laugh, when told him of our
domestic's S forgiving spirit.
'sHow blessings frightened, &c., he
would say. 'He's the dear departed
Macnally, now; he would have been that
old brute of a Pat, if he had stayed" But
in my secret heart thought Tom APP
preciated Mrs. Macnally, though he would
make fun of her to me. 1t was one Of
Toms failings in those days 30 make fun
of everything. One of them! He had
another. He would keep a dog.
Now / am not averse to pets in the abb
stract, and have an affection for cats,
but dog! They are my pet aversion
And Toms dog Rover was no exception.
It. was not, Glove, me, love my dog" in
this case, for Toms dog I did not love,
whatever might have been said of Tom.
Now when l say that Tom would keep
dog, do not mean that he persisted in
this course against my expressed wish to
the contrary In fact there had been a
sort of compromise made between us. If
l hated dogs he detested cats, and pet
cat was one of my few hobbies. So we
signed sort of hollow truce, and Rover
and Tabby became domesticatcd in our
household. They We're very good friends
themselves, which was mercy, as they
might other have caused rupture be-
tween their master and mistress, each
being bound to uphold and sustain his or
her respective appcndage. But for while
matters went on swimmingly. One
afternoon Tom came in to tea earlier than
usual -
LOU" said he, 81 have a present for
you from grandmother. had note
from her at the office this morning, as
king me to call over there, and went. She
had intended to give you something
when you were married, but couldn't
quite decide what it should be, and now
she wants me to see about getting it over
here. I'll drive around in the morning" /"
''But YOU haven't told me what it is,
Tom"
"Ah, my dear, so / hav'nt. You re-
member the large jar that stood in grand
motirer'sparlor, filed with rose leaves, l
believe Well that's the identical thing,
as Cappen Cutie used to say. How do
YOU like it, Miss Lou?"
sO,n said /, ssthe one grandmother tho't
SO much of because it came from Hol-
land, and has always been in the family
am delighted; it will look so nicely in
the parlor, Toni" :.
.'Glad you are pleased, my DEAR" said
Tom, lighting his cigar 81 used always
to be stumbling over the confounded
thing at grandmother's, but am more
careful now, am married man."
had few private doubts as to Toms
improvement in that respect, but they
did not prevent my pleasure, when the
next day he brought the jar home.
greatly admired the effect of the blue and
! white china, with its grotesque figures
against the dark marble of the mantle
and hearth, and Tom himself confessed ii
quite an addition to the room. And
when had filled the jar with rose leaves,
the room smelled like garden, and my
pleasure in the present was wholly unal-
/ loved. 1t was week Or two afterward.
THAT one afternoon Tom came In from the
office early to ride. "Hurry and get
ready, Lou, for we have no time to spare.
! AS there was no mortal reason for oul
going or returning at particular time,
could not see what the hurry was; but
like dutiful wife, / made no remarks
and put .on bonnet and shawl as quick
lily as possible. Tom did not come into
the house at all, but sat Oh the steps smok
ing until was ready.
i ''Did you shut the parlor door, Lous,
he asked, as joined him. Grover ane
Tabby are in the house, and might ge'
In there if the doors are left open"
/ "0h, shut them all,' answered con
fidently 'but Tabby could don no harm
at. any rate, and you ough'nt to leave 10
iyer in the hoite, Tom. ".s .sfzae-5 gS 3