The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-22
A GREAT MISTAKE.

When pretty little Nellie May married
Frank Chester, she really believed that
she was entering upon life of uncloud-
ed happiness-an unlimited extension,
in fact, of her golden corrtship days,
wherein discords would be altogether
impossible.
Loving her husband sincerely, the lit
tie wife was far too loyal to admit even
to herself the greatness of her disap-
poiutment, vet the melancholy truth was
plain. A cloud had darkened the do
mestic horizon-a cloud of such size and
blackuess that it had we'll nigh shaded
the honeymoon, and had threatened dire
storms and tempests ever since. And
this cloud, to drop metaphor, was moth
ing less than Frank Chester's mother
to hiul, the embodiment of wisdom, the
fountaiu-i.ead of knowledge; to his
wife, a constantly quoted, and therefore
disagreeable, paragon, who threatened
to develop into the destroyer of her hap
piness.
Whatever Nellie did-whether she
arranged her house or meditated some
new decoration of walls or rooms,
whether she superintended his favorite
dish or made his after dinner coffee
with her own hands-the result was al
ways the same. "Ah, that isn't the
way my mother used to do" or, 81
only wish mother was here she could
show you better way" was Franks in
variable comment, until Nellie begun to
fear that she should learn to hate her
mother-in-law, and to look forward with
dismay to the visit which Mrs. Chester
senior talked of paying them. but which
had been fortunately delayed thus far.
At the end of this first month of house
keeping Frank expressed himself in no
measured terms when poor Nellie timid-
ly announced that she had not money
enough to pay all the bills.
"Not money enough2 Why, Nellie,
you must have been very extravagant or
very wastful, or both. Why, my mother
always kept house on just half of the
allowance 1 make you; and she had five
children at home, while here we have
only ourselves Really, my dear, you
must look after things little better
than this, or you will ruin me. All that
money spent on two people, and the
bills only half paid %
"But, Frank" urged Nellie, trying
hard to be cool, and forcing back the
tears. that would spring to her eyes
"but, Frank, you know your mother
has only one servant-you have often said
so-and we have three. OF course that
makes difference. And then you have
had a great many dinner parties, and
you have no idea how many extra things
a dinner involves"
Nonsense, Nellie you need not lay
the blame on our having dined half
dozen people during the month, for l
don't believe that makes an atom of
difference in the long run. No, the
fault is in your inexperience. You must
look after those servants of yours more
closely. 1 only wish you had mother
here for couple of months /; she would
find the leaks, l know, and stop them
never had the advantage of such thorough
training as mother has given her daugh-
ters. Why, she has made Jane as capa-
BILE as herself"
"And 1 am very glad haven't had
such training as you speak OF" said
Nellie, hotly. my own dear mother
was always prudent, and taught her chill
dren to be the same but she used to
to say that when people had ample
means, economy was too often another
name for stinglness, and l believe she
was right.
"Mother was not stingy," said Frank,
with an angry flush.
81 don't see how she lived on such
paltry sum and supported so large a
family without giving her whole mind to
petty savings, which could have left her
no time for better and brighter things.
She must have given up reading and
music and all that, and to what end ?
just to add few more dollars to your
already large income. Now l think that
is the worst kind of stinginess, since it
defrauds the mind and soul to no pur-
pose whatever"
"And I think it is wife's duty TO
please her husband" Frank exclaimed.