The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-13

huenced in my selection of that refriger
ator by very agreeable and intelligen
salesman at Zinc & Co.'s. He had en-
tered so heartily into my views, he hac
been so patient while surveyed the en-
tire stock, and he laughed so apprecia
lively at my criticisms, that / felt as il
could not do less than take his advice
after all.
And he made it plain that the very lar
gest refrigerator one can get is always the
right one to buy. So / bought it, anC
though was certainly astounded at the
price, still the salesman's bland and cor
dial assurance that I had done a wisC
thing, "a really sensible thing in select
ing that refrigerator" was a great com
fort. But when the refrigerator utterlj
refused to 90 into our kitchen, l mus
confess | had doubts as to my wisdom
though | did not express them to Emily
"What shall We do?' asked she, de
spairingly.
The men who had forced it up the
stairs wiped their hot faces and grinned
81 tell you," said !, with sudden in
spiration, eve must get carpenter tC
take down the door castings. Then il
may pass"
"But, Charles" exclaimed my wife
''that won't do. 1t can not stay in tho
kitchen, because then there will be NJ
room for the kitchen table and chairs
no, nor the cook either" she added dole
fully.
"O-h" said L. "Well then, my
dear, we must get a mason and knocl
out these side walls at once"
But the result was that l had to g
back to my friend, the agreeable sales
man at Zinc & Co.'S, and ask him to ex
change our large refrigerator for tn,
smallest one to be found.
| did not think he was as genial thi
time. | supposed, after what | had seer
of him, that he would have sworn pro
found sympathy at the recital of my per
pexities. But he did not. | dom
think he heard all | said 10 him, and
found that / had been mistaken in m,
estimate of his character. He was nor
such an agreeable and intelligent man a.
| had imagined. However, | picked out
the second refrigerator, and then l was
obliged to buy several articles to make
up the difference in price. So | took s
sausage-chopper, an ice-cream freezer
and set of croquet.
A great part of our furniture could moi
be accommodated in our rooms, and was
therefore stored for us by Emily's mann
ma. So we had TO do without piano, Q
buffet or bureau. But then, as Emily
cheerfully observed, small rooms have
their advantages.
"For you couldn't poke the fire, raise
and lower the window-shades, or ring the
bell for Othlia without leaving your seat
at the breakfast-table, if you live in
large rooms" and certainly that was very
true.
And, by the way, | haven't told YOU
about Ottilia yet. Most people would
have called her our servant but Emily
said she was our assistant in house.
keeping" She spoke of herself in her
note answering our advertisement as "a
young person of culture and refinement
who had met with reverses and had had
a blight"
My own impression of her was that she
was well calculated to blight any one
who might be doomed to her daily com.
panionship. She had an unpleasant way
of becoming suddenly distracted while
in the performance of her daily duties,
and then rousing herself with a prodig-
ious start and succession of hollow
sighs. On one Of these occasions she in
formed Emily confdentially that "the
Vision of the Loved and Lost had glided
on the scene"
As a number of mishaps, including
much broken china, had resulted from
these inopportune appearances Of "the
Loved and Lost" we did not look amia-
bly, upon them. But when | advised
Emily to change her handmaid, she re,
fused on the ground of compassion.
"Why, Charles, she is such we'll edu,
Gated and refined young woman that she
could not endure the annoyances of ordi,
nary service" said my wife, earnestly
"She tells me every day that she is Sc
happy with us, and she looks up to me
as if was her mother"
Every affecting, certainly" was my
comment, considering that you are
twenty, and she will never see forty
again"
ooh, Charles! why, she is only thirty
she told me so and you know she say,
that she is bighted being" concluded
my wife, solemnly; $50 you ought not tt
be impatient with the poor thing"
Of course Ottilia remained, and / had
to reconcile myself to her woe-begonc
ways. But her cooking was our greatest
trial, and before many days Emily an
nounced to me her intention of Joining
the cooking class.
dts such an opportunity, my dearp
she told me one evening. professor
Stoopann is very accomplished man.
who has the most charming ideas about
cooking. He considers it fine art, and
he can make any one perfect cook in
ten lessons. We begin tomorrow"
"Don't you think it would be wise tc
teach Ottilia somethingF / observed
"and let her do the cooking, instead Of
doing it YOURSELF"
"No, indeed" said Emily, promptly
II must take the lessons and instruct
Ottilia by example rather than precept
Besides lin whisper) Pm afraid the
poor thing doesn't learn very easily; she
had 50 much trouble, you know"
So my wife became member of the
illustrious Stoopann's class, and grew
more enthusiastic over his teachings day
by-day.
'It's wonderful-perfectly wonderful
how much that man knowsp she ex
claimed, when the course was hall
through. "And he's such an economist
too! Why he has been teaching us thai
nothing need be wasted in household
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