Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-10-19
MRS SYuINGTON'S BARGAIN

james Whitcomb Riiey
MRS .SYHING TONS BARGAIN.
All women, we are told, have their weak
nesses, and Mrs Stanhope Symington was
a china mania. as are most people to some
degree in this aesthetic nineteenth century
Of the world. She would prowl in second
hand stores, penetrate into the cavernous
recesses Of tenement houses. drive long
distances into the country 10 old home
steads where she had heard vague rumors
concerning "haring blue ''od green
glaze butterfly yellow" and genuine
old India wares She would remorseless
y turn the choicest pieces Of modern bric-
II brac from her tables 10 make way for
spoutless tea-pOts cracked bowls, and nose
less Jugs. She crowded her drawing room
with brackets, shelves, and cabinets for
the accommodation Of ancient plates, which
she called plaques and pitchers which
she rechristened vases.
Mr. Symington a meek little man with
limp yellow white hair, fiat nose and col
orless ewes, like dim glass marbles, began
to find it no slight task 10 make his way
through his own house without breakage
or misfortune
Il wish there was not such thing as old
china in the world, he lamented, upon one
particular occasion, after he had knocked a
handleless cup from a tripod draped in oil
I'VE velvet.
"Stanhope reproved his wife, not with
out severity, would you retard the prog
res, Of modern civilization This cup.
fragile as it may seem, represents an era
in decorative history
We'll, it won't represent it much long
er, observed Mr. Symngton, As he gath
cred up the fragments, with something
very ike vindictiveness in his faded eyes.
But, Stanhope,' cried his wife, what
are you going to do with those pieces -
Throw EN- into the ash barrel, Of
course, said Mr.. Stanhope, spirtlessly.
But Mrs. Symington rescued them from
his grasp, with shrek Of apprehension.
Are you mad, my dear p she ejaculat-
-d Il can mend them with little ce-
ment and great deal Of time and even
then | wouldn't take $50 for this exquisite
cup And | have been thinking, Stan
hope
We'll, my dear, said the luckless icon
oclast, looking doefully at his finger, which
had been cut with one Of the pieces Of bro
ken crockery, what have you been think
ing r.
That should like to 20 up into Maine
next week, said the lady insinuatingly
Into Maine In midwinter - echoed
her amazed spouse opening the dim eyes
very wide indeed
TO see Aunt Grizzel. explained Mrs.
Symington-"m Aunt Grizzel Grumpton,
YOU know, at Wild River"
"Humph ~ remarked Mr.. Symington.
handaging his finger with his pocket hand
kerchief Il didn't know that you cared
50 very particularly about your Aunt Griz
eel ."
Ny dear, said Mrs. Symington; merg
ing her speech into a mysterious whisper,
I've lust remembered-all Of sudden,
as it were-that she has a set Of very old
haring blue china. She must have. 1t be-
lUnged to her mother before her and how
I've forgotten 1t all these years I'm sure
cant imagine Even now | shouldn't have
recalled it to my memory, | suppose, if |
hadn't CHANGED TO see at Mrs. Hepburn 5
afternoon tea yesterday, the darlingest lit
tie eg she'll cups. with bridges and pago-
dAs and willow trees all over EN-, exactly
such as Aunt Grizzy's mother used to have.
And then it came TO me like flash of light
ning-Aunt Grizzels china ~
Probably it is all broken by this time,
gloomily suggested her husband.
Nonsense 20 said Mrs. Symington, brisk
Is. Aunt Grizzy never broke anything
in her life 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 those odd little three cornered cup
boards of hers. A treasure, Stanhope, a
perfect treasure Money wouldn't buy
/ haF pIA
its 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, resignedly. He knew that
Mrs. Symiugton generally did as she
pleased, and he saw no especial advantage
in debating the question.
Thanks, dear so kind of you y utter
ed Mrs. SymingtOn. And of course
can't go to the polar regions entirely un-
protected, 50 I'll order one of those com
Portable seal dolmans that everybody is
wearing now, and new plush hat with a
| cluster of ostrich tips. One must 90 dress
ed like other people and if you can give
me twenty five or thirty dollars, | dare
say Aunt Grizzy will let me have the set
for that tshe don't know the value of old
china, poor thing , and the journey won't
be more than thirty dollars both ways, if
20 by sea, including a stateroom.
1t appears to me, said Mr.. Symington
discouragingly, that this is a good deal OF
a wild goose chase, going dancing up u
the northern boundaries Of Maine at thi,
time of year for an old set of trumpery
china which probably didn't cost ten dollar
to start with
"Oh, Stanhope, it did ~ cried the lady
Indignantly. 1T was real India ware, i'm
ported, without paying a dollar of duty
by an old sea-captain in the India trade
expressly for my grandmother Grumpton
And, besides, you are SO dreadfully grovel
ling and prosaic in your ideas As if th'
original cost Of thing of this nature sig
nifed It's the aesthetic value that ",
look at, don't you see =
An said Mr.. SymingtOn. well, i
you must 90 you must 90, | suppose and
of course, | shall have to give you checl
for what money you are likely to want
And Mr.. Symington sighed deeply an,
went up stairs to get piece of court-plas
ter for his cut finger
Mrs. SymingtOn went to Wild River, il
the northern boundaries of Maine, wher,
the pine forests were matched with snow
aud the icicles tinkled in the woods of
moonlight night like so many castanet
gone mad. She made the greater part O
the voyage by sea, and was consequently
very seasick, for the water was rough ant
the gales tempestuous.
II will come back by land she said t,
herself, as she sat in the little hotel at Port
land and viewed her green aud yellow com
plexion with shudder. Money wouldn
induce me TO risk my life again in that nor
rid steamer where one is butfeted and see
sawed about on waves that are as high a
house. The palace car fare will be some
thing of an extra expense and | shall los
my return ticket by steamer but I'm sur
Mr.. SymingtOn won't grudge it to me whe
he hears how I've been pitched and tum
bled about ON the ocean in peril of my life
And she put ON her black brocaded silk
her new plumed hat, and the seal doluan
and took the northward bound train, re
solved TO present an imposing appearance
to Aunt Grizzy Grumpton when she shoul
reach Wild River station.
IL was very coda dull, bitter, leade
cold-with the ground frozen like rock
the streams bound in ice, the sky gray an
bitter, with AN ineffable gloom. Aun
Grizzel Grumpton lived in a little one-stc
ried house on the top of an uncompromi.
ing hill, where a solitary cedar tree wa
twisted around like a corkscrew with tn
force of the east wind, and the few lea
sheep huddled behind the rocks in shiveI