The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-10-31
MY wIFE's BARGAINS.

My wife has great notion Of making
bargains. She occasionally. spends q
whole day in shopping, when, to accom-
modate her, we have no dinner at home,
Idining down town, and the children be-
ing put of with cold bit.
The other day, when 1 returned to
supper, after one of these excursions,
almost the first words Mrs. Jones said,
were:
"Such luck as I've had to-day. Do
hurry and eat supper, that l may show
you my bargains"
Accordingly the purchases were pro-
duced, when the meal had been dis
patched, and the children put to bed.
This last procedure was not effe ected,
however, without some difficulty, for the
little ones had heard their mother talk
ing so much of their new spring dresses,
that their curiosity was all alive, and
they were eager to sit up; but the laws
of the Medes and Persians were not
more inflexible than Mrs. Jones; and
ceeded to crying, she whipped them all
round, and then mad them carried strug-
Cling to bed.
"Here's some wonderfully cheap
chinlz," she said, producing a bit OF cali
co; "lts worth ten cents, every cent of
it, and Pve known the day when could
not have bought it for less than a quar-
| ter of dollar-what do you think paid
for thatW
was incapable of swering, my busi-
ness not lying in that line, and l con-
| fessed as much.
son! you men never know anything"
she SAID. "Well, paid eight cents Tor
it, only think ofit, and isn't it pretty ?"
lAn Iyn phn al hn
fore her, smoothing it carefully down
with her hand.
Next she exhibited some cashmere for
the boys jackets, and drilling for their
pantaloons, all purchased marvelously
cheap; and finally took up piece Of de-
laine as she calledi it.
a There, now there's bargain" she
said, proudly, unrolling the fabric. II
never, in my life, saw anything as cheap
as this. Seventy-tiYe cents Is what it
cost to import this article, SO the store
keeper said, yet got it for-what do
you think?-now just guess Tor once,
Jones'"
"A dollar yard, suppose" I an
sy cred, .'for that's iair profit"
Mrs. jones laughed outright. At last
she spoke.
"NO, 1 bought that for thirty-seven
J
SO cheap, l took enough lor myself as
well as for the children"
"Bul thought" L interposed meekly,
''that you had already bought your own
dresses"
$50 had," she replied, "but this was
so cheap, you know; and then delaine
dress is always useful"
81 don't think there's much saved
then," said l bluntly. "By next Spring
your dress will be out OF fashion. SO that
it will be compete loss. l suppose it
takes as mucn stun for you as for both
the girls.H
"Exactly"
She spoke shortly; but went on.
.'rhen you might as well have bought
delaine at 70 cents yard. Are you
sure this is good? 1t looks rotteu."
''Do You think l don't know bad de-
laine~ she said, and she jerked the
goods out of my hand, as if l was un-
worthy to look upon it. ''But it's no
use talking TO you, or showing you my
bargains; you always make fun OF the ID,
or find fault"
Isaw that the patience OF Mrs. Jones
was giving way, and on reflection con-
cluded that had been too severe for
her, 50 / said no more. But thought of
the miserable dinner had been forced
to partake Of, down town, at a cheap
eaLing-house, and of the children who
had gone crying TO bed.
The next morning Mrs. Jones had a
fever, caused by oVer-eXertion the day
before. She had walked too far, the
doctor said, and neglected to eat any
thing; delicate woman, he added,
ought never 10 do either, much less both
together.
Mrs. Jones was i'll for fortnight, and
the DOCTORS bill was $40, SO that great
bargains did not amount to much, es-
specially as seamstress had to be
hired. while my wife was still sick, to
take her part i'll making up the children's
clothes.
Nor was this all. The boasted delaine
proved, as | had feared, rotten. The
first dress that gave way was one of the
children's, for which the little creature
received severe admonition, and sub
sequently whipping, when sine ven
tuTed to lay the accident on the flimsy
character of the stuff itself. But few
days after Mrs. Jones tore her own
dress, while engaged IN smoothing it
down in front, 50 miserable was the
material.
The colors of the cheap calico proved
bad, and tue drilling turned out to be
half cotton. OF all her purchases, the
cashmere was the only article in which
she was not cheated, and The reason was
| L suppose, that it was remnant.
| BEFORE summer came new dresses had
| to be purchased lOr both the girls, aud q
new pair OF pantaloons apiece Tor the
boys, the other ones not being fit tol
| Sunday wear.
l calculated, when all was over, that
| had lost about $50 by that one days
shopping. Mrs. Jones will not, Eo Sever,
admit this; her sickness, she says,
would have happened anyhow.
| So that my Wlle is incorrigible, fear
ON the subject of bargains.
To CLEAN GILT FRAMES.-Wheu the
| gilt frames of pictures or rlooking-glasses