The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-05-28

i
way in which have been 'economizing' :
the whole of this past year"
sI have no doubt of it. It is the way
in which every one begins, fancy"
Aunt Abby amused us for the next
half hour with merry stories of the ]
hings she had bought to m4tch other
hings in her early days of economizing
and Belle and thought guiltily of some
elaborate gauze overdresses, broad
sashes and expensive artificial flowers
which we had recently purchased with
view to arranging some cheap evening
toilets over two old silk skirts.
81 believe have been doing the same
thing with the children" sighed Mrs.
Lorton.
81 believe you have" smiled her
friend, .'for only last Sunday heard
Jenny tell her sister, very gravely, that
mamma was going to lengthen her blue
silk by putting on now flounce." !"
"That was my plan" =,
Eyes, and then the blue silk would |
demand plush jacket, and that would |
| call for a bonnet with ostrich plumes. |
| or some other bit of frail magnificence."
.What shall put on the girlsP''
"Two pretty tailor-made suits Z"
"And waste the silk frocks because
they are tribe shortp"
DECIDEDLY, or else they will waste
great deal of money, and the children
be left without any suitable, serviceable
garments for half the occasions on which
they wish to 60 out"
Aunt Abby was growing very elo-
quent with her theme.
al think" she said, .sthat a great
many of the worries, the wrinkles and
the gray hairs that vex the days and de-
stroy the beauty of our American
matrons grow out of this very want OF
harmony and arrangements in our
; domestic affairs. Wealth has been be-
slowed SO lavishly upon our American
people in the past: we have enjoyed SO
much luxury, and gratified our tastes and
| longings so habitually, that as a Nation
7 we know very little of domestic econ
: omy. To use rather vulgar saying, If
we economize anywhere we are apt
J to .save at the spigot and let out
at the bung.n We are wasteful in
< our Kitchens, extravagant in our ward
. robes and careless of our furniture.
[ Our attempts at saving when the neces-
Z sity comes suddenly upon us are apt to
be violent and spasmodic, and product
i've of very small results. )"
Aunt Abby smiled suddenly. II re-
D member one instance" she went on, IN
T explanation of her amused expression,
!; "when proclaimed to my father, whose
Q household was the scene of my early ex
a periments in domestic economy, that fol
n the three last months 1 had not spen
but fifty cents a day for food, and with
o YOU now in the house in the way of pro
| ha rad Ilu
Z had Ip l investigated my closets, AM
: found-well, an empty flour barrel, al
1t empty sugar barrel, a butter firkin wit
II scarcely a pound of butter in it, no rice
no soap, no starch, no potatoes, n
y coffee, no tea. In fact, 1 had simpl
s. gone on exhausting our supplies unit
" every thing had to be bought at once
at My fifty cents per day had simply pal
1t for milk, meat, vegetables, and sue
things as must be purchased day by day
lg / shall never forget the glance OF inqur
to wherewith my patient parent went owe
Q, my accounts, which read, January
$. February, March, fifteen dollars pc
iy month; April, sixty-five dollars Or
MT income was very small one, and IL
oy sometime had to endure the impatient
of tradesmen who kept asking when
Sc would please, settle that little billP"
4c- "Another of my mistaken fancies,
n Aunt Abby proceeded, twas in regal
nc to laundry work. What is so pret
,st about a house as white curtains, fiji
OF toilet tables with muslin drapery, and
le onp And the muslin 'costs so little
! Alas, yes! But when the bill of onedo
is- lar for each window comes in from son
Celestial, and All Wang, or Chu Wa
Iat or Lang Flu shakes his long queue al
les mus habee him moonee,' then one
er- gins to realize what luxuries these pu
~ ~ white hangings are.
sa, NC sAnother point where economy
~ apt to press sorely is in the ente ertai
ment of ones friends. One does
-, =, long to give them something's a little bt
~ ~ ter than the ordinary fare, some 0
ou dainty dish to do them honor and
- show what an accomplished housekeer
." and cook presides over the table! i
when that dainty dish must be shared
lso all at the table. those terrible bills "
p;ws show it if the luxury is often indulg
80 in.
ng "But one must entertain on
eli ,sis friends"
oIndeed one must But then, if
o,.u reflect that it is affection for ourselv
AK and not the reputation of our cuisi
mr. mr., that brings them, we shall feel
solicitude about producing any culin;
triumphs for their delectation."
,ow "But, Aunt Abby" sighed Mrs. L
ons ton, would not life be very DIRE;
ard with only brown stuff dresses. bare W
iol- dows and diet of reast beef and G
bod tage puddingsp"
: be mo, think not. Luxuries cease
,e a be pleasures when they bring care {
this worry as to how they are to be paid
ress with them. Besides, there can b
be great deal of variety in the stuff dress
re- all drapery does not require semi
per- nual refreshing in the laundry; beef
der cottage pudding are but two of
the healthy, nourishing and inexpen'
ON varieties of food our markets prov
my ''But must finish my sermon.
lars getting too long, and only that my
oilet dience is too polite to yawn, they VIC
nds, certainly do SO. / will simply sum
an as old-fashioned ministers used to
,udy at the conclusion of 'eighthly.' If
the want to economize, think well whe
life, the thing you propose to do will moi
iuch addition to the original expendit
loak bring with it train of expensive
800 | Ra,,, lIx,,< tbat rntb,ni