Wichita eagle., 1889-02-13
MY WIFES LEGACY.
How She Counted Chickens That
Never Hatched.

How She Counted Chickens That
Never Hatched.
IL don't like to calculate upon such
things" observed my wife; "but if Aunt
Jane were to die, should not be bit SUP
prised if she left US that old-fashioned set
of silver. that belonged to my greatgrand-
PARENTS
Out of consideration for the printer,
win omit indications of the emphasis with
which she usually spoke. If the reader
will kindly consider every second word
printed in small caps or italics, he viii have
some faint idea of her manner Of express
Ing herself
ait is very handsome set,'' 1 returned,
CHANGING about our modest dining-room
sand VIII hardly accord with our furni-
ture''
cit wo1ldn't look at all well with that
side-board,' returned my wife, promptly,
ii is so dreadfully shabby-oh, Of course,
] mean the side-board, not the silver;
don't be so smart
80 happen, you'd have TO have new side,
board"
She nodded conplaceGtly.
day-antique oak, beautifully carved. l do
admire oak so much"
g But the rest OF the furniture is wal
NUT objected.
Walnut is altogether out of style, espec-
tally for diulng-roons,' she replied, with q
oisdsinfu glance at the chairs which we
had once found very good to look at; land,
after all, tie sideboard is by so much the
most expensive piece of furniture in din
tng-rooIn. that it doesn't cost much more to
get whole set than just that one piece
And even a walnut sidehoard, new, would
not look well with these chairs and this
sable"
ssid nothing, and the tacit surrender
was accepted by my wife. Thenceforth it
was understood that if Aunt Jane should
bequeath US that silver, we were to pur-
chase new set of dining furniture.
The next evening, as we were again at
dinner, my wife remarked:
4" have been looking at carpets to-day,
and saw one that just suits me-rich and
subducd, you know, but not dingy,"
"Carpcts!' repeated, In some surprise;
al didn't know that there was one needed
this season.
Why, stupid" rejoined my wife, petu-
lantIy land tue emphasis was al upon the
pet name), did we not agree that the din
ing-roem must be refurnished And this
carpet Is SO old and worn, of course itwould
no, do at all with new furniture"
Again l acquiesced silently, and she pro-
ceeded TO make plans for meeting me the
next day to examine and choose the carpet
and furniture to be purchased later on.
Well, If my wife's relations left her hand
some silver, must of course provide things
In keeping with it,
She met me according to appointment,
and having inspected the articles, gave me
TO understand that my taste was so execra-
bic as not to merit a moment conSidera-
ton, mi announcing her own choice, sug-
gested, cooly:
"And now let's go look at the wall paper"
Wallpapers" l echoed, blankly.
"Of course, the room must be re-papered
if it is re-furnished. AS for the woodwork,
suppose there is no help for that-it will just
have to be regrained. Can they make that
natural wood finish on wood that has been
painted"
stared aghast; that silver was going to
cost me pretty sum. But l was helpless
entirely so; my wife had made up her mind.
That evening, she was much etated at the
prospect of being surrounded by such
.
was but one cloud on her horizon.
THE dining will be nicer than the
parlors," she remarked, plaintively; IL
am afraid that they will really look
shabby.n
l said nothing, hoping that if she were
not coutradicted she would not pursue the
subject farther.
VAIN hope! She had it fixed in her mind
that silence gave consent, and when came
home the next evening, had assumed that
the parlors were to be newly fitted up.
Don't you Think she said, coaxingly,
"that as long as the parlors and dining
rooms are TO be torn up, and we are to have
the painters and paper hangers here, We
might as well have the whole house donel
1t would be very little more trouble, and
then IL would all look nice together"
ut would be considerably more expen-
site," demonstrated, family.
"You might draw the money out of the
building association" she suggested, and
then knew that our savings ia that insti-
tuition were doomed.
Aunt Jane fingered a long time. In JUS
tice to my wife, l must admit that she had
become oblivious of the fact that all these
improvements depended upon legacy,
which could only be possessed after the
death of her venerable relative.
A day or so after she had decided that
the house was TO be thoroughly renovated
my wife said to me:
al have been examining the parlor car
pets, aud find that by using the best parts
Of both, and buying a wide border, l can
get quite new carpet for our bedroom
absolutely unworn."
Indeed o. remarked, with pleased sur
Prise; there was one thing that she would
not want any how.
Eyes, and the carpet that is now on 1t has
enough good to cover the chiidreu's room
# I put the worn part under the bed. Or
maybe I'd better put that on the spare
roon,n she added, refecuvely, land give
that one to the children. Theirs gets such
hard wear that an cid one Will not last any
time, haroly.n
said nothing, but felt greatly relieved
AS loEg as we don't have to buy bed
room Carpet she remarked, insinuatngly,
don't you think we could afford new set
of furnlturei"
NO, L don't" I returned, savagely;
wnereupon she burst into tears and called
me a heartless monster To paeify her I
had to promise the furniture, together with
a new silk aud a seslskin, that the mistress
OF the house might be as fine as her dwell
AnE-