The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-03-22

UOu gave the WISH Oi our young cdfS
And we are satisfied"
john G. IFhittier, in YOUTHS Companion.
e
MRS. SYSTIyGTON'S BARGAIN.
BY LUCK RANDALL COMFORT.
All women, who are told, hav
their weakness, and Mrs. Stanhop
Symington was china maniac, a
are most people to some degree il
this aesthetic nineteenth century G
the world. But Mrs. Symingtol
excelled in the matter. She woult
prowl in secondhand stores, pene
trate into the cavernous recesses o
tenement homes, drive long distan
ces into the country of old home
steads where she had heard vague
rumors concerning "faring blue,
"old green glaze" butterfly yellow,
and genuine old India wares.
She would remorselessly turn tn,
choicest pieces ofmodern bric-a-brat
from her tables to make way fol
lspoutless tea-pots, cracked bowls
and noseless jugs. She crowded hel
drawing-room with bracelets, shelves
and cabinets for the accommodation
of ancient plates, which she called
plaques" and pitchers, which she
rechristened "vases."
Mr.. Symington, meek littlemar
with limp yellow-white hair, flat
nose and colorless eyes ike dim
glass marbles, began to find it nc
slight task to make his way through
his own house without breakage or
misfortune.
81 wish there was no such thing
as old china in the world" be la.
mented, upon one particular occa
sion, after he had knocked hand
less cup from 4 tripod draped in ol-
i've velvet.
"Stanhope," reproved his wife, moi
without severity, would you retard
the progress of civilization |? This
cup, fragile as it may seem. rspre-
Isents an era in decorative history
"Well, it won't represent it much
longer" observed Mr.. Symington
as he gathered up the fragments,
with something very like vindictive-
ness in his faded eyes.
"But, Stanhope,' cried his wife,
what are you going to do with those
pieces ?"
"Throw 'em into the ash barrel, OF
course" said Mr.. Stanhope, spirit
lessly.
But Mrs. Symington rescued them
from his grasp, with a shrek of ap-
prehension.
"Are you mad, my dear ?" she
calculated. II can mend them with
a little cement, and a great deal of
time ; and even then l wouldn't
take twenty dollars for this exqui.
site cup. And have been thinking,
Stanhope-"
"Well. my DEAR" said the luck
less iconoclast, looking dolefully at
his finger, which had 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,
insinuatingly.
"Into Maine ? In midwinter ?''
echoed her amazed spouse, opening
the dim eyes wide indeed.
ITO see Aunt Grizzell," explained
Mrs. Symington-"my aunt Grizzle
Grumpton, you know, at Wild Riy-
er."
"Humph p remarked Mr.. SYM
ington, bandaging his finger with
his pocket-handkerchief. Il didn't
know that you cared so very par
ticularly about your Aunt Grizzel." 7"
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Symington,
merging her speech into mysteri-
Gus weisper, i've Just remembered
all ofa sudden, as it were-that
she has set of very old flaring
blue china. She must have it. 1t
belonged to her mother before her !;
and how I've forgotten it all these
years I'm sure / can't imagine.
Even now / shouldn't have recalled
it to my memory, / suppose, if /
hadn't chanced to see, at Mrs. Hep
burns afternoon tea yesterday, the
darlingest little egg-shell cups, with
bridges and pagodas and willow-trees
all over 'em, exactly such as Aunt
Grizzy's mother used to have. And
then it came to me like a fash of
lightning-Aunt Grizzel's china "
Probably it's all broken by this
time," gloomily suggested her hus-
band.
Nonsense l"said Mrs. Symington,
briskly. aunt Grizzy never broke
in her life. She is care
fulness itself; and up there in
Maine, you know, they don't have
clumsy mattresses to fling things
about. No, no; you may depend
that she has it all safe and sound
in one of these odd little three-cor-
nered cupboards of hers. A treas
ure, Stanhope, perfect treasure.
Money wouldn't buy such set as
that a hundred years old, if It's a
day. So. if you don't mind, my
dear, I'll just run up to Maine and
see about it."
"Do as you please, Arabella," said
Mr.. Symington, resisnedly. He
knew that Mrs. Symin. ton general
ly did as she pleased, and he saw no
especial advantage in debating the
question.
Thanks, dear SO Kind of you p
uttered Mrs Symington. aAnd of
course / can't go to the polar regions
entirely unprotected, SO I'd order
one 70 those comfortable seal dol
mans that everybody is wearing
now, and . new plush hat with q
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