River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-04-06
MRS. SYMINGTON's BARGAIN.

All women we are told have thei
weakness, and Mrs. Stanhope Sym
ington was a china maniac, as are mos
people TO some degree in this aesthetic
nineteenth century of the world. Blu
Mrs. Symington excelled IN the matter
She would prowl in secondhand stores
penetrate into the cavernous recesses Oh
tenement-houses, drive long distances
into the country to old hOmesteads
where she had heard vague rumors con
corning "haring blue,' "old green
glaze" butterfly yellow and genuine
old India wares" She would remorse-
lessly turn the choicest pieces of mod
ern bric-a-b rac from her tables to make
way for spoutless tea-pOts, cracked
bowls and noseless jugs. She crowded
her drawiug-room with brackets shelves
and cabinets for the accommodation OF
ancient plates, which she called
plaques" and pitchers, which she re-
christened "vases."
Mr.. Symington, d meek little man
with limp yellow-white hair, fiat nose
and colOrless eyes like dim glass mar
bles, began to find it no slight task to
make his way through his own house
without breakage or misfortune.
81 wish there was not sucn a thing as
old china in the world" he lamented
upon one particular occasion, after he
had knocked a handless cup from a
tripod draped in olive velvet.
"Stanhope," reproved his wife not
without severity, would you retard the
progress of modern civilization? This
cup, fagile as it may seem, represents
an area in decorative history"
"Well, it won't represent 1t much
longer" observed Mr.. Symington, as
he gathered up the fragments with
something very like vindictiveness in
his faded eyes.
"But, Stanhope," cried his wife,
what are you going to do with those
pieces?"
"Throw them into the ash barrel, of
course" said Mr.. Stanhope, spiritlessly.
Bat Mrs. Symington rescued them
from his grasp with a shrek of appre-
hension.
care you mad, my dear ?" she ejacu-
lated. II can mend them with little
cement and a great deal of time; and
even then would not take twenty dol
lars for this exquisite cup. And L
have been thinking, Stanhope-"
"Well, my DEAR" said the luckless
iconoclast, looking dolefully at his
finger which has been cut with one of
the pieces of broken crockery, what
have you been thinking?
''That l should like to 60 up into
Maine next week." said the lady in
sinuatingly.
'Into Name? In midwinter ?"
echoed her amazed spouse, opening
the dim eyes very wide indeed.
"To see Aunt Grizzel," explained
Mrs. Symington-"my Aunt Grizzel
Grumpton, you know, at Wild River.
"Humpn !" remarked Mr.. Syming-
ton, bandaging his finger with his
pocket handkerchief. 81 didn't know
that you cared so very particularly
about your Aunt Grizzel."
envy DEAR" said Mrs. Symington,
merging her speech into q mysterious
whisper, give just remembered, all OF
a sudden as it were, that she has sci
of very old faring blue china. She
must have. 1t belonged to her mother
before her; and how I've forgotten it al
these years Pm sure | can't imagine
Even now | shouldn't have recalled il
to my memory, | suppose, If l hadn,t
CHANGED TO see, at Mrs. Hepburn's
afterno tea yesterday, the darlinglst
little egg-shell cups, with bridges anC
pagodas and willow trees all over EN-
exactly such as Aunt Grizxels mother
used to have. Then it came to me
like flash of ligntning-Aunt GrizzeP'
chinal'
Probably it's all broken by thi:
time" gloomily suggested her hus
band.
eNonsense!" said Mrs. Symington
briskly. "Aunt Grizzly never broke
anything in her life. She is careful
ness itself; and up there in Maine, you
know, they don't have clumsy waittres
ses to fling things about. No, no, yor
may depend that she has it all safe anC
sound in one of those odd little three
cornered cupboards of hers. A treas
ure, Stanhope, a perfect treasure. Mon
ey wouldn't buy such a set as that; s
hundred years old, if it's day. So, i
you won't mind, my dear, I'll just run
up TO Maine, and see about it,
"Do as you please Arabella," sale
Mr.. Symington, resignedly. He knew
that Mrs. Symington generally did al
she pleased, and he saw no especial ad
vantage in debating the question.
Thanks, dear; SO kind of you :
uttered Mrs. Symington. And o
course can't go to the polar region
entirely unprotected, so I'll order on
of those comfortable seal dolmans tina
everybody is wearing now, and a neI
plush hat with cluster of ostrich tips
One must go dressed like other people
and if you can give me twenty-five o
thirty dollars dare say Aunt Grizz
will let me have the set for that (sh
don't know the value CT old chins
poor thing y and the journey won't b
more than thirty dollars both ways
if go by sea, including state
ROOM"
st appears to me-" said Mr.. Syn
ington, discouragingly, that this is
good deal of wild goose chase, goin
dancing up to the northern bOundarie
of Maine at this time of year for a
old set of trumpery china which prot
ably didn't cost ten dollars 10 stan
with"
"Oh. Stanhope, it did p cried the Ia
DIV, Indignantly. "It was real Indi
ware, imported, without paying do
lar of duty, by an old sea captain i
the India trade, expressly for m
grandmother GrumptOn. And beside
you are so groveling and prcsaic in you
ideas. As if the original cost of a thin
of this nature signifies It's tn
aesthetic value that We look at, don
you see?'
"Ah - said Mr.. Symington. "Wel
if you must go, you must go, SUI
pose; and of course l shall have to Civ
Won a check for what money you al
likely to need"
And Mr.. Symington sighed deepl
and went up stairs to get a piece
court-plaster for his cut finger.
Mrs. Symington went to Wild Rive
in the northern boundaries of Main,
where the pine forests were thatche
with snow, and the icicles tinkled
the woods of moonlight night like 5
many eastanets gone mad. She mad