Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-05-26
and ron Iike 10 have all the cooking

very rich, you know"
''Richi / should think so. Ham
Goldfish. By the way, Melissa, Jones
says they only buy meat three times
a week-have it cold every other
day. Jones' wife knows how to
economic. l suppose you haven't
the least idea of what becomes of the
joints after they leave the table?"
81 have no doubt of Bridget's per-
feet honesty, Julius"
@0h, no-of course not. But l do
think, Melissa, it is a wife's duty to
pay some sort of attention to her
husbands pocket" 2 ~
"Our bills are not disproportion-
ately large, Julius"
"They must be, my dear-they
must be. Positively, its enough to
frighten one, Just to run over these
items in the housekeeping accounts!
Sugar-raisins -oil-Oysters! Melis-
sa, do ! keep a restaurant? If not,
where do all these things go?"
Mrs. Ives was silent.
Observation-Disclosures tons
of coal! Upon my word!" ,ssnss
Still Mrs. Ives maintained complete
taciturnity.
"Melissa,n said her husband, yplae-
ing the bills rather emphstically on
the table, "we must turn over a new
leaf-we must, positively. Can't you
retrench?"
'How?"
ain thousand ways, my dear
Why, ms mother never spent half
the money you contrive to spend,
and there were twelve of as"
"Your mother lived on farm, Ju-
lius. The milk, butter, cheese and
vegetables were from her farm and
dairy-the meat and poultry were
within her own barn-yard and pas
ture. do not think it fair to insti-
tute comparison between her ex-
penses and mine" nesHe5
ssOh, that's the way you women
all talk" said Mr.. Ives, impatiently.
Gall l know is that there must be
screw loose somewhere. You must
economical"
"But, julius"
"My love, don't you see I'm just
lighting my cigar? Inever can smoke
when my mind is in any way dis
turbed. Suppose we dismiss the sub
ject. / am quite sure that | have
stated my wishes on the subject with
sufficient distinctness."
Mrs. Ives bit her coral lip and
sewed away vigorously at her work.
But if her thoughts could have de-
scended in a shower-bath of words
on Mr.. Julius Ives devoted head,
how they would have startled him
from his complacent mood.
eyes, I'll economize,n thought
Mrs. Melissa, vindictiyely dragging
the thread through the seams. '1'll
give him enough of retrenchment.
Why will a man relInquish his dig
nifty so far as to interfere in matters
he cannot possibly understand. l
wonder if he thinks nine people can
live on pint of milk and two bak-
ed potatoes day. / wonder if be
knows that make all the puddings
and pies, and give out the tea and
coffee, and superintend everything
myself. lie might know it if he
would take the trouble tolinqnire in-
stead of indulging in such sweeping
denunciations. wonder if he ever
suspects that trim my own bonnets
and my own dresses, and make the
little ones clothes to save unneces-
slry outlay. It's almost enough to
make woman wish she had never
got married" " vi
But then Melissa thought of the
rosy little ones fast asleep upstairs,
and concluded on the whole, there
were some sun beams in her lot.
= ~
"Hallo, Elmer! Why, surely this
isn't your"
"Well, don't know who else it
can be-" coolly remarked the hand
some, bronzed- Looking gentleman
who had lounged into Mr. Ives Of
fee, "and l've brought Harry La
marque with me-you remember him,
don't your" q
eRemember him-I should think
so. And we haven't met before since
our college days. Well, 1 declare,
this is a curious coincidencel You'll
both of you promise to come and
dine with me to-day at five, wont
you? Come-I'm sure you haven't
any other engagement, and Twill in
troduce you to my wife," 4
"I'll cOme," said Elmer, promptly,
"and I'll engage to bring Lamarque
with me-" q 4
"But you're not going?"
al must-I've no end of business
to transact; but we'll have q regular
chst at dinner, old boy"
Melissa had hardly dispatched her
little band of chubby-faced children
to school that morning when the Of
fee boy came knocking at the door
with q note:
"From Mr.. Ives, ma'am-there
amt no answer"
The note ran as follows:
81 shall bring two old college mates
Elmer and Lamarque-to dinner. Let It
be on the table punctually at five.
JULIUS
Mrs. Ives folded up the note and
deposited it in her desk, with COM
ical smile lowering around her
mouth. H2f = fa q
Economy is the order of the day,
she thought.
1t was bleak day, with a raw
wind, and sky overcast with leaden
clouds; and Mr.. Ives nose was de-
cidedly tinged with blue as heush.
cred his two shivering guest into the
drawing.room.
"Walk, in gentlemen-walk in
and warm yourselves" he said, with
hospitable fervor, rubbing his hands.
But contrary to all bis expecta.
lions, contrary to the usual domestic
arrangements prevailing in that
household, the polished CRATE pre-
sented no glowing surface of fame
the air was damp and chilly as
that of mausolem.
Julius bit his lip and repressed the