Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-11-07

out OF place, as Mrs Hall could not help
confcssing 10 herself, though she was not
disposed 10 speak Of H. Tho plain but neat
kiddcrminster carpet looked decidedly
cheap In comparison with IT, However
Mrs. Hall resolately shut her eyes TO this
unpleasant fact. and continued enthusiast
tically to expatiate in praises Of the new
sofa She could not be contcutcd until Mrs.
Savary had called and expressed her opin-
/ ION Of 10. This happened before long.
/ MY DEAR SAID That lady, taking a criti-
I cal survey OF the apartment "yOur sofa is
a handsome one acknowledge, but will
/ you pardon my suggesting one thingr'
Certainly, Mrs. Savary."
"Then allow me to suggest that dark
Brussels carpet is necessary 10 have il
show 10 good advantage. Now this Kidder-
Minister, dare say, is a tolorably good one,
but n couldn't have cost more than dollar
"a yard
I "Only eighty-scven cents" said Mrs.
Hall, little confused.
$50 supposed. Wen, you see, carpet
at cighty-scvcn cents "a yard doesn't CORE
spond very well with fifty dollar sofa. To
tell the plain truth, the old fashioned sofa
/ looked more appropriate"
] Mrs. Hall almost wished that she had
never bought the new sofa; but, having
done so, she was determined, II possible,
20 have every thing 10 correspond. She was
too wise 60 say any thing about il at present,
but waited until "A week before the next
quarter-day.
Then she began 10 indulge in brief hints,
which at length became more decided. At
first, George would not hear OF a new car
pct He was determined not 10 omit his
usual quarterly deposit this time; but at
/ length bis wiic's opportunities succeeded,
aided by a lurking conviction on his own
I part that there was real incOugruity be-
tween the sofa aud the PLAIN carpet The
new purchase cost fly dollars and a triile
more. which made George look little
sober; but he could not deny, as his wife
said, that the room looked "a good deal
. improved.
And was tins aili by no means.
by the time the carpet was put down, it
WAS discovered that the chairs, which were
only cauo- seated, looked quite inferior to
the good company which had recently been
introduced When the next quartcr-day
. arrived, IL was found absolutely essential
20 purchase some black stuffed chairs. Aft
CrWlrds came new mirror, and piano
/ was hired, for even Mrs Hall did not vent
IRE To suggest so large an outlay rs the
purchase would require SO the piano was
brought, and souc fifty dollars year were
paid FOR its use, though, by the way, it was
never used, since Mrs. Hall had no ear for
music; and therefore il served only for
/ ornament.
by the time the year was up, George
/ found that two hundred aud twenty-five
dollars had been spent for furniture, and
not one cent had been deposited IN the saw
ings bank. More than that, as their style
of living had increased with their new fur
niture, which had uncOnsciOusly elevated
their IDEAS, George found himself some
hundred and fifty dollars in debt. At this
time, or just before, The great commercial
revulsion had swept over the land, and
Georges employers had not been spared.
They had not failed, but their resources
he'd been greatly crippled. They called
him aside on the last day OF the year and
told him that though they should be glad to
retain him in their employ, they should be
obliged 20 cut down his income for the year
10 come 10 six hundred dollars. He went
home much depressed, rs well he might be-
His expenses increased, his income dimin-
ished, and debt 10 pay, which would swal-
low up nearly all he had laid aside in the
savings bank.
He at length told his wife the cause Of his
dependency, on her anxious solicitation
The vanity and love of show she had exhibited
lay ON the surface. She determined TO ex-
| press utA NNuIutAlg al tsA atllNt way w hat
that was / viii explain.
When George came homo the next even
ing TO tea, what was his astonishnent to
find a load Of furniture before his door.
"Can IL be possible" he thou ght ''that
Mary has been purchasing now furuitureT'
Looking more closely he observed that the
new parlor sofa aud other articles Of fur
nture were included Ia the wagon-load.
Full Of amazcmcnt lac entered the house.
whats all this, Maryi What have you
done with the parl0r furnituroW
"Sold it, said his wife, composcdly
"Sold itr exclaimed George. i'm surprise.
eyes; l know that your circumstances
were not as good "a they have been, and l
thought the money would be- worth more 10
us than the furniture. had heard that tho
Watkins were about to furnish their house,
aud thought they might be willing 20 buy
our furniture at reduced price. Here -
what got for IT,"
She placed i'm her husbands hands a
purse containing one hundred and fifty dol
lars.
siary," said he, with emotion, ''you don't
know how YOU have relieved my mind
This will just pay OF our debt, aud | shall
not be obliged 10 take the money from the
BANK
The year passed. Again business re-
vivcd. aud with the first of January George
had his salary raised 10 one thousand dol
lars but though his means arc increased,
his wife has learned valuable lesson, and
probably win be content, for some years 10
come. at least, with the Old-Fashioned Sofa.
-CdrOliIic r. Preston, "a TdHIcc Blade