Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-18
E co NO M Y.

and are sewing: 1T is the generalimpresSl0n
ECONOMY" To be sure, aunty herself always
declares that she was baptized Constantia, but
the other theory ia too appropriate to be easily
amInesit. We resign ourselves to the situa-
ton, but we sigh, for We know what is coming.
q" HIM" says Aunt Con at last. and what
Gid this stun cost yard Id like to KNOW
" dollar. says Lon meekly.
Aunt con lifts up her hands and eyes. We
knew she would, but that doesn't make us Ike
"a dollar yaId,n she cries. "Did 1 ever!
And how many dollars have you wasted on
the mere groundwork OF your dresses?"
"Ifyou mean how many yards are there IN
each dress. aunty, believe there are twenty
says Lou, nile taTtly, IL must be confessed:
dollar, a. one g s5e2ee i've oud
have amply su:1ced. even II you must nave
your twenty yards. Fifteen dollars sheer
waste, for you can get plenty OIL grenadines LOT
twenty-five cents q yard
ITO be sure you can" says Lou; "but we can
rot afford 10 get that kind
Not afford it?' says Aunt Con, looking puz-
zled
"Certa!nIy not" says Lou, firmly. "Only
rich people can AFFORD TO wesr cheap things
have seen the grenadines Of wbtch yOu speak.
They are half cotton, and Will fray and turn
rusty IN 10 1iTae, while costing lust as much
for making 81 trimming. These viii last uS
ryears. We cab make them over, and vary
the tTImmirgs. use them 1or best dresses in
summer and for eTeuing dresses In wihter, II
we want to- %. there Is no end TO Them
No enc irGrsd! You'll make an end fast
enough" say 5 Aunt Con. "And the mailing
pray what d,G nat 6oSt?'
- We On!y had them cut ard fitted" SAYS
Lou. "That cost Two dollars for each. We
can sew. but we can not cut and flt We
should only have wasted the stuff and ruined
our dresses :: we had attempted it,"
Him" says Aunt Con. ~ make my own
Clothes
so any oae would guess who sees them.
They are tight where they ought to be loose.
ard loose Where they ought TO be tight They
bag ard Wrinkle ard screw and hang In fes-
to0ns, wear out long before their time, ami
looG shabby from the Hrst-but she saves two
dollarSD
AZ suppose every one has her own idea of
eco ofuy, aud right 10 practice the virtue as
she chooses" says Lou, meakly.
mo doub+, no doubt says Aunt Con; but
We know that In her heart there Is no DOUBT,
but dlsSenl total ard eutiTe.
'By the-way. girls, she confines. 81 got q
bargain this morning. Carter Is selling OF
quantity q thread for TWO cents spool l
Bought dozen spools, and you had better go
down tleie at once ana do the same'
Tbauk you, auEty,' says Lou, but, as /
told YOU, C cart AFFORD cheap things"
What nCust1se?" cries Aunt Con, sweeping
Lou ron iieai 10 foot win one expressive
glance, taking in her pretty gray cambria
dress and wh,tc RULED apron ner dainty boots,
and the bit of biae ibbon-Irst the shade OF
her cs-wil,,.h CLEANS amid her bronze
brown BAR. aEd reflects It's hue at her slender
throat TNeD she Iurhs AID without another
word, leaves Us to our reflections and COM
mentS
"Isnt she cxssgeratlng?' say, when she Is
fairly Off but Lou only laughs.
she mean, = Tor cur good she says. 'Ir
our ideas dihsr, suppose The fault Is not IN
US. bur in temperament ard circumstances"
Fortunaiell II IS Aunt Con = ho lives with Us,
not We VIII: Aunt Coz. Things are never 50
had but Tia hey might be worse, / suppose,
and ACut Cons grumOlingS at our eXtrava-
gance are not - hafd 20 bear as submission to
her wonderful S. stem Of economy would be.
Lou and a LUt Tich, but we have comforj;a
be little Incomes sc have been orphans from
child God. but our guardians axe of an accom-
zf mr.
fefred hGecei!deLce TO snare Of either Of their
luxurious alb dcs. tLey threw no obstacles in
our way, provided we could ind u suitable
sheep-doG, 50 we toos pretty tiny cottage in
quiet country town, invited Aunt Con Tracy,
our fatfsrs second cousin, TO take up her abode
with Us, ard set up for ourselves. So far, |
think that nonC OF US has seriously regretted 1t.
Now ard then Aunt Cons conscience sinttes
her, and she besIirs herself to interfere with
her woI deTful economical recipes-to repress
our vain lnngiDgs for dainty frutts,-fresh
meats. and vegetables, and to content ourselves
with such fare as strict regard for economy
would, in her opinion, dictate. Such rebellion
is promptly suppressed by Lou, who is at the
head OF everything in our little household.
Only decided suppression Will avail with Aunt
Con. Lou represents 10 her In vain that our
bill for fresh fruits ana tempting dishes does
not equal what tie doctors bin would be If we
adopted Aunt Cous suggestions, and starved
ourselves III wfhter or overEeated our blood In
summer from false ideas of economy. Never
win either Of US forget the time when we were
Ceiuded enough to put tie reins Of housekeep-
ing Ito AuhtC Cons hands for a season, worked
up thereto. against our better judgment, by
her eXpust ulationS and entreatie5.
"N hat ais his butJer?'' says Lou, at our first
meal under TIE new regime. 'tWhat can Brown
mean by sending us such? 1t fairly burns my
throat. Was there 10 better In market, Aunt
Con?"
This butter cost fifteen cents pound. That
which you are Ia tae habit or using costs TWEEN
V-hve," say Aunt Con, severely, with an air of
concluSlyehess which ought TO shut Lou up, but
doesn't.
No more of that, an thou lowest me-
aunty," SHE says, making wry face :" Bad
hutter Is one OF The things that can't and won't
stand"
Aunt Co.'s reply is inbred In the bud by my
exclamation as taste 10y egg
"What is tie natter" asks Lou, as hastily
pour whole goblet orice-water down my throat
after the single spoonful Of egg which have
swallowed.
'.Horrib.e' l gasp. "Bad7 Well, not ex-
actly, but stale TO tine last degree. Brown must
be beside hi. self He never sent us such eggs
before"
.They are second-quallty eggs" says Aunt
Con; "tbey cost TWO cents less on the dozen
than those you have been buying, and are quite
as good TO NY taste she adds, as she sees the
expression with which Lou and receive this
assertion.
:" For Heaven $ sake, aunty, no more second
quality things.' says Lou. "Starve us, II you
like; but don't, pray don't poison Us. That is
TOO humiliatiGg."
our dinner that day consisted of corned beef
and cabbage with The mercury at 92o), potatoes
Favored With raEcid bu' ter, the whole repast
crowned by plain rice-pudding, through the
whole OF which the taste or the Second quality
eggs is plainly diffused. We struggled through
one more meal upon Aunt Cons plan, and then
Lou takes the reins back into her own hands
We can't afford IT, Madge-we really can't
she says, when We are alone. "a week or two
OF Aunt Cons system would ruin US in doctors
bills, not to speak OF the triliing fact that
have been obliged 10 throw away all the stores
OF butter eggS, coffee, tea, and such things
that She has lad IN Auntys economy Is such
very expensive arrangement"
/ could not pretend TO tell you the half OF
aunty'5 economical ideas. You should see her
account book. LOUIS aud mine she looks upon
as maIvels or wastefulDess, because we devote
q whole lie 10 each item, thus:
Buttons, 00Z. Observation-Disclosures. 50
Thread, spools, Sc is
Muslin, ydS, l3c ....................S 80
Now, by dlnt of economy, the same items In
Aunt Cons book would read
Butts, SOC Thr., 16c. Mus, 39c. -s105.
Thus you see; sac occupies only one-third of
the space thatwe do, and her book consequent
" lasts three tunes as long To be sure, after
month or two, she hasn't an idea what
"BUts.," "Thr.," and mis-" originally stood
for, and, thanks 10 her way OF crowding her
figures, she is continually making mistakes in
addition, so teat her accounts never, by any
accident, BALANCE. There, TOO, is the wear and
faar 800 dos. t,,,k