Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-08-19

to let .he velvet cloak 60, and purchase
a substantial cloth oLe, trimmed with
fur, we will say, SO that it shall be
handsome enough for visiting, suitable
for church, not too frail to stand Il
sprinkle of rain, and requiring to go
with it nothing more elaborate than Il
well made cashmere dress and a taste
ful bonnet of felt, or some material as
enduring p
Aunt Abby paused, and, following
her suggestion, we all emulatcd the
cow and 'considered.' Mrs. Lorton's
wrinkled forehead relaxed, and after Il
few moments she broke into merry
laugh.
why did you not read me that lect-
ure week ago ? believe that is the
way in which have been 'ecnnomiZ-
ing' the whole of this past year.
81 have no doubt of it. 1t is the way
in which every one begins, fancy.
Aunt Abby amused us for the next
! half-hour with merry stories of the
things she had bought to match Other
things in her early days of economic
ing, and Belle and thought guiltily of
some elaborate gauze overdresses, broad
sashes, and expensive artificial flowers
which we had recently purchased with
a view to arranging some cheap even
ing toilets over two old silk sklrts.l
Il believe have been doing the same
thing with the Children sighed Mrs.
Lorton.
Il believe you have,' smiled her
friend, 'for only last Sunday l heard
Jenny tell her sister, very gravely, that
mamma was going to lengthen her blue
silk by putting on new tlounce.'
That was my PLAN
Yes, and then the blue silk would
demand plush jacket, and that would
call for bonnet with ostrich plumes,
or some other bit OF frail magnilicence.
What shall put on the girls p
Two pretty tailor made suits
And waste the silk frocks because
they are tritle short p
DECIDEDLY, or else they will waste
great deal of money, and the children
be left without any suitable servlceable
garments for half the occasions on
which they wish to go out ,
Aunt Abby was growing very elo-
quent with her theme.
Il Think she said, that great
many of the worries, the wrin kles, and
gray hairs that vex the days and de-
stroy the beauty of our American ma
irons grow out of this very want of
harmony and arrangement in our do
mestic affairs. Wealth has been be-
slowed so lavishly upon American peo-
pie in the past we have enjoyed so
much luxury, and gratilied our tastes
and Iongugs so habitually, that as a
nation we know very little of domestic
economy. To use rather vulgar say
ing, if we economic anywhere we are
apt to save at the spgot and let out at
the bung.' We are wasteful in our
kitchens, extravagant in cur ward
robes, and careless of our furniture.
Our attempts at saying when the ne
cessity comes suddenly upon us are
apt to be violent and spasmodic, and
productive of very small results
Aunt Abby smiled suddenly. Il re-
member one instance" she went on, i'll
explanation of her amused expression,
when l proclaimed to my father,
whose household was the scene OF my
early experiments in domestic econo-
my, that for the last three months |
had not spent but fifty cents day for
food, and with household Of six
well, and what have you now in the
house in the way of provision p he in
quired. mildly. What had [ z? in
vestigated my closets, and found well
an empty flour barrel, an empty sugar
barrel, a butter firkin with scarcely
pound of butter in it. no rice, no soap,
no starch, no potatoes, no coffee, no
tea. In fact, had simply gone on ex-
hausting our supplies until everything
had to be bought at once. My fifty
cents per day had simply paid for milk,
meat, vegetables, and such things as
must be purchased day by day. shall
never forget the mild glance of inquiry
wherewith my patient parent went o.
yer my accounts, which read. January,
February, March, $15 per mouth A
pril, S65.' Our income was very
small one, and for some time I had to
endure the impatience of tradesmen
who kept asking when would please
settle that little bill p
Another of my mistaken fancies,'
Aunt Abby proceeded, 'was in regard
to laundry work. What is so pretty a.
bout house as white curtains, fine
| toilet tables with white muslin drapery,
and so on 2 And the muslin costs so
little Alas, yes But wher the bill
of one dollar for each window comes in
from some Celestial, and Ah Wang, or
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