Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-01-22

'second-quality' things!" says Lou.
"Starve us, if you like; but don't, pray
don't poison US. That is too humiliat-
ing"
Our dinner that day consisted Of
corned beef and cabbage with the mer-
curry at 1927, potatoes favored with
rancid butter, the whole repastcrowned
by a plain rice-pudding, through the
whole of which the taste of the sec
ond-quality eggs is plainly diffused.
We struggle through one more meal up
on Aunt Cons plan, and then Lou takes
the reins back into her own hands.
eve 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 trifing fact that 1
have been obliged to throw away all the
stores of butter, eggs, coffee, tea, and
such things that she has laid in. Aunty's
economy is such very expensive ar
rangement.'
could not pretend to tell you half of
aunty's economical ideas. You should
see her account-book. Louis and mine
she looks upon as marvels of wastful-
ness, because we devote a whole line to
each item, thus: So
Buttons, dOZ.. 80
Thread, 2 spools "a Sc.................16
Muslin, yds % &c.. .39
Now, by dint of economy. the same
items in Cons book would read:
Butts, SOC. Thr., Ice. Mus, 39c=$l.O5.
Thus, you see, she occupies only one
third of the space that we do, and her
book consequently lasts three times as
long. To be sure, after month or two,
she hasn't an idea what Butts, !"
"Th.'' and sMus." originally stood
for, and, thanks to her way of crowd
ing her figures, she is continually MAX
ing mistakes in addition, so that her ac-
counts, never, by any accident, balance.
There, 90, is the wear and tear of eye
sight; but then, you see, her book lasts
three times as long as one of ours-a
clear gain of, say, ten cents year.
In summer she economies in ice, in
winter in coal, and in light at all sea-
sons. 1t is very amiable of her, as all her
economies go into our pockets-Lou's
and mine. am afraid, however, that
we are not as grateful as we might be
when we come down into the parlor to
meet visitor on bitter cold day, and
find that Aunt Con has stolen in slyly
and shut off the hot air, thereby reduc-
ing the rooms to the temperature of a
refrigerator, while all the rest of the
house is fearfully, gaspingly hot. Moth
ing will convince her that, whether all
the registers in the house are open or
shut, the amount of coal consumed is
the same, and that it costs no more to
maintain an equable temperature
throughout, than to keep one-half of
the house at -1Oo, and the other at 11Oo.
As a general thing, Lou and I let her
enjoy her economy in her way without
interference. If it pleases her to sicken
herself with tepid water while the re-
frigerator is full of ice, to freeze herself
while the furnace is full of coal, to put
out her eyes by the light of single
candle in her own room while the par
lor is flooded with soft steady radiance
from the double students lamp, that is
her business, not ours.
"I am going to town to-day, my
dears," says Aunt Con, as we look in
wonder to see her come down, ready
bonneted and shawled, to the breakfast
table.
It is a broiling day early in August.
The mercury already, at a. M, stands
at 8O0. What it will be at noon we can
only anticipate with sinkings of the
heart. Under the circumstances, Aunt
Cons announcement moves US to live
Hest expostulations, but all in vain. To
New York she must and to New York
she will 60, hot or cold, wet or dry.
"But why?" we ask; and Aunt Con
enlightens us.
"Don't you Know" she says, "that
tomorrow the railway company raises
its farep. To-day return ticket costs
$1.30; tomorrow and after, they will
cost $1.35-a clear gain of five cents,
you see.''
"Hardly worth burning your brains
out for,'' says Lou. ''But why must
you 90 at ALP What do you need that
you can not get here?''
"Of course you can get them all
here" says Aunt Con, &c but you have
to pay twice as much for them. need
hundred things hair-pins, tape,
buttons, paper-I could not tell you
half
''Send an order for them, if you must
get them from New York, - says Lou.
"And pay thirty cents for the ex-