Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-02-16
Aisfell
Mrs. symingtOn's Bargain.

All women. we are told, have their weak
nesses, and Mrs. Sianhope Symngton was a
china maniac are most people to some
degCee IN this RsthetIe nineteenth century
OF the world. But Mrs. Symington eXcell-
ed in the matter. She would prowl in Sc
cond hand stores, penetrate into the cayer-
nous recrsses OF tenement houses, drive
long distances INTO the country TO old home
s,eads where she had heard vague rumors
concerning 'fiaring blue. ''old green glaze. /"
butterfly yellow" and genuine old India
wares" She would remorselcs>ly turn tbs
choicest pieces OF modern hric-a-brac from
her tables 10 make way for spouiless teapots,
cracked bowls and noseles- jugs. She
crowded her drawing room with brackets,
shelves and cabinets for the accommodation
OF ancient plates. " hich she called plaques. ''
and pitchers, which she rechristenrd vases" 4"
Mr.. S,mingtnn, a meek, lIttle man with
limp yellow " hiie hair. Hat nose and col
orless ewes like dim glas. marbles began to
find It no slight task to make HI, way
through his own house without breakage or
misfortune.
Il wish there wa. not such thing old
china in the world he lamentrd upon one
particular occasion. after he had Knocked a
handleless cup from tripod draped IN olive
velvet.
.'Stanhope," reproved hls wife, not with
out severity, would you retard the progress
Of modern civilzation2 This cup fragile
II may seem, represents Al era IA decOra-
tive history.
We'll. il won't represent it much long
er." observed Mr.. Symington. as he gather
ed up the fragments, with something very
like ,indictiveness in his faded eyes.
but, Stanhope," cried has wife, "wha,
are YOU going TO do with these pieces ?"
Throw EN- into the ash-bArrel. Of
course" said Mr.. Stanhope, spiritles,ly.
But Mrs. Symington rescued them from
his grasp, with shrek of apprehension.
Are you mad, dear ?" she ejsculated. Il
can mend them with little cement and q
great deal Of time and even then | wouldn't
take twenty dollars for this exquisite cup.
And have been thinking Sianhope-"
We'll ms dear, said the luckless icono-
clast looking dolefully at his finger, which
had been cut with one of the pieces Of
broken crockery, what have you been
thinking ?"
That should like to 90 up into Maine
next week" said the lady msinuatingly.
Into Name? In midwlnter?" echoed
her amazed spouse, opening the dim eyes
very wide indeed.
TO see Aunt Grizzel," explained Mrs.
Symington-"my aunt GriEzel Grumpton,
YOU know, at Wild River"
"Humph :" remarked Mr. Symington.
sandaglng his finger with his pocket hand
kerchief. Il didn't know that you cared SO
very particularly about your aunt GrizzeL"
My dear said Mrs. Symington, merg-
ing her speech into mysterious whisper
I've just remembered-all of sudden, as
it were-that she has set Of rery old far
ing blue china. She must have. 1t belong
ed to her mother before her; and how I've
forgotten il all these years I'm sure can't
imagine. Even now | shouldn't have recall
ed ii TO my memory, | suppose, if hadn't
CHANGED to see, at Mrs. Hepburn's afternoon
tea yesterday, the darlingest little egg-shell
cups, with bridges and pagodas and willow
trees all over EN-, exactly such as Aunt
Grizzel's mother used to have. And then it
came to me like a fash of lghtning-Aunt
Grizzers china"
probably it's all broken by this time"
gloomily suggested her husband.
Nonsense !" said Mrs. Symington. brisk
". Aunt Grzzy never broke anything in her
life She is carefulness itself; and up there
in Maine, you know, they don't have clumsy
mattresses to fing things about. No. no
you may depend that she has it all safe and
sound in one of those odd little three-cor-
nered cupboards Of hers. A treasure, Stan
hope, perfect treasure. Money wouldn't
buy such a set as that hundred years old,
if it's day. So, if you don't mind, my
dear, I'll just run up to Maine, and see
about it,"
"Do as you please, Arsbella," said Mr..
Symington, resignedly. He knew that Mrs.
Symington generally did as she pleased, and
he saw no especial advantage in debating
the question.
Thanks, dear so kind of you" uttered
Mrs. Symington. "And Of course | can't
60 to the polar regions entirely unprotected,
so I'll order one of those comfortable seal
dolmans that everybody is wearing now, and
a new plush hat with a cluster of ostrich tips.
One must 20 dressed like other people !;
and if YOU can give me twenty-five or thir-
ty dollars, dare say Aunt Grizzy will let
me have the set for that (she don't know the
value of old china poor thing , and the
journey won't be more than thirty dollars
both ways, if 60 by sea, including a state
room"
at appears to me-" said Mr.. Symington,
discouragingly, "that this is good deal of
wild-goose chase, going dancing up to the
northern boundaries of Maine at this time
of year for an old set of trumpery china
which probably didn't cost ten dollars to
start with"
"Oh, Stanhope, it did" cried the lady
Indignantly. at was real India ware, i'm
ported, without paying dollar of duty, by
an old ses-captain in the India trade, eI-
pressly for my grandmother Grumpton.
And besides, you are so dreadfully grovel-
ling and prosaic in your ideas. As if the
original cost of thing Of this nature signi-
6ed! It's the aesthetic value that we look
at, don't you see?"
"Ah," said Mr.. Symington, swell. il
you must 10. you must 90, suppose and
Of course shall have to give you check
for what money you are likely to want"
And Mr.. Symington sighed deeply, and