The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-05-21

then those lovely carpets cut up to fit
these small rooms, tooP'
eyes it is a shame" I replied, hardly
crediting my senses. Not all had been
lost, although much had been in danger.
"I am so glad you think SO" returned
my wife briskly; II was sure that you
would agree with me that it would be
wiser for us to find a house that suits US
better, and buy right away. Real estate
is cheap now, they Say-there is so much
in the market"
She tried to put on a knowing look; if
| she had known half as much about that
fsubject as about managing me, l should
have felt impressed. As it was [ weakly
| objected:
"My dear, 1 don't know where in the
world I could get the money to buy a lar
ger and better house, any house at all, in
TACT"
"You could sell this, she replied, moth
ing daunted.
"But if real estate is a drug on the mar
ket, / do not want to sell" I retorted,
thinking cunningly to turn her own weap-
on upon herself.
"There are those shares of stock, then"
"But that stock is going up daily; if I
wait six months, I can get double what
It would bring now; or hold it, and draw
big interest on my investment"
"Well what else are you going to- do?
You said yourself that we must have a
larger and better house" -
Thereupon I mentally babe a ~regretful
farewell to the stock and the money which
I had expected to make by holding 1t.
NY wife occupied her leisure time for the
next three weeks in looking for a resi-
dence which should be in all respects suit
able for the furniture we were going to
buy. What she would desire next, l
could not guess, unless she should become
thoroughly dissatisfied with me.
At the period mentioned, I came home
one evening to find her in tears.
"Aunt James dead" she sobbed; the
poor old lady died this morning. l have
Just come from her house."
AS Aunt Jane had been at the point OF
death for past six months, [ was hardly
| surprised to hear this bit of news. l did
my best to comfort my wife, however,
and comported myself like a dutiful neph-
| ew-in-law at the mournful ceremonies fol-
lowing the death.
When / returned home the day after
the funeral, my wife met me at the door,
her face flushed, her eyes blazing.
What do you suppose that old crank
has done? ?" she demanded.
What old crank" I inquired, won
deringly.
"Why Aunt Jane, of course"
I'm sure I don't know" I returned,
mildly; "but you should remember, my
dear, that"
ooh, 1 know she's dead. She wouldn't
give her things away under any other
circumstances. She's left me $1OOin cash,
and that dear old silver to my second
cousin, John Scott. He'll sell it, and spend
every cent on liquor and cigars and horses.
] know he will"
Then the blaze in her eyes was quench-
ed by a food of tears. / did my best to
Soothe her, but my efforts were useless.
I assured her that if her cousin sold the
silver we would buy it.
"Idon't want it, she declared; won't
have ii, "-vehemently-"and I won't get
a single new thing in the house, or a new
dress, or that sealskin, or anything. I'll
just stay here with things as they are, and
John Scott can keep his silver, and you
can keep your building association money
and stock, too. So there, now"
After that / did not try to assuage her
grief. I was afraid that consolation might
be costly.-G Good Housekeeping.