The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-04-02
e Domestic Picture.

We live in the quietest possible way,
nv wife and l. we have nothing to
disturb US, having no children, and a
comfortable income securely invested. -
Banks may collapse, argosies may sink
at sea we have no calamity to dread
short Of the paying off of the national
debt.
don't say that we could not make an
noyances for ourselves. " have young
man, for instance, hired to superintend
horse and phaeton and to help in the
garden, who might be a source of per-
petual anxiety; Of our female servants
but, knowing them to be human, we
shut our eyes to their follies only when
the strawberries disappeared mysteriously
between night and morning, my wife
took an opportunity OF remarking on the
circumstance to the household corps, and
was unanimously referred TO the birds
for an account of the missing fruit. -
. That's all very well, she quietly said,
4" but YOU know birds don't wear shoes. "
On an average we must have gone round
the garden at Least once every day all the
season with one or more visitors, and on
each occasion my wife repeated this little
unconsciousness. | listened with a smile
Of appreciation, and our visitors were
amused-as they had every right to be-
Although the main stream of time
runs quickly enough with US, | must ac-
knowledge the feeders are apt To lag; the
years flow rapidly past, but the hours
and minutes daily little sometimes. -
On the Tuesday mornings we rouse our
selves with considerable alacrity, that
being the day always walk to a neighbor-
ing village 10 settle our weekly account
for butchers meat. eve have butcher
in our own village, but good reasons,
which | need not detail, prevent Us deal
ing with him.. If it is d fine day my wife
accompanies me, and we get home to
dinner with an appetite, and feeling
that we have earned it. On Saturdays
| always wind up two clocks and three
timepieces, and my wife squares her
household book. Ne give small dinner
party some halfdozeu times q year, and
otherwise are on good terms with the
people Of the neighborhood.
Our village Is most strictly exclusive
and genteel Il Is five miles from a rail
way station, and as pretty place as
ysu could see. The houses are old-fash-
toned, but good and commOdious, with
well-stocked, well-grown gardens, while
the rents are miraculously low; the conse-
quence of which is that the inhabitants
are ultra-genteel, mostly retired medical,
military, and naval men, with sons scat
tered over every land and sea, and with
daughters collected at home of all ages,
with very aristOcratic manners and high,
distinguished noses. There is one house
at the end of the village which has even
had the privilege of being occupied by a
succession of INDECENT noblemen-repeat-
eddy have given his lordship seat in my
phaeton-and we all enjoy the title and
work it diligently.
When dinner, the event of the day, Is
over, my wife takes an easy-chair on one
side of the fire, and | take an easy-chair
on the other; she furnishes herself with 4
volume of some kind, and | produce my
notebook and pelcil to note down any
thought that may suggest itself or any
thing striking that has occurred-only
nothing striking ever occurs. Her book
slips from her hand into her lap, my
pencil falls quietly on the carpet, the
world receoes-probab!y the fire seizes
the opportunity and recedes too-and the
next thing we are aware is the clatter of
the tea things as they are brought in
We don't always fall asleep, however.
One afternoon lately, my wife got inter
nally shut it with bang, causing sud
den dispersion of my ideas. -Lippincott's
Magazine.