Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-01-03

handsomer"
0It NAV be so,n said George, doubtfully
81 suppose you know better about such
things than do. If you are desIrous Of
having it, 1 suppose 1 can buy It,"
ooh, George, if you only will, 1t will De
such cOmfortP
"Then," SAID her husband, turning 20 the
clerk, "you may send it to my house"
"It snail be done this forenoon"
The young husband took five ten-dollar
bills from his pocket and paid them over for
the sofa.
'This is the money" SAID he, as he was
walking home, "that was gong to put into
the savings-bank. You know that this is
ouarter-lav, and for the last four / have
put in this amount. Now, in consequence
of our new purchase, shall not be able TO. "
ut is only for once" sad his wife, "and
then only consider how much better our
parlor will look"
Was it only 70 oncel Time woulo show.
When that sofa came home, and was in
stalled in the place of honor, the old-fash-
ioned sofa was removed to a chamber.
Somehow it did not seem to set off the room
as much as it was expected to. 1t looked
out of place, as Mrs. Hall could not help
confessing to herself, though she was not
disposed to speak of it. The plain but neat
Kldderminster carpet looked decidedly
cheap in comparison with it. However,
Mrs. Hall resolutely shut her eyes to this
unpleasant fact, and continued enthuslas-
tically to expatiate in praises of the new
sofa She could not be contented until Mrs.
Savary had called and expressed her opin-
ion of it. This happened before long.
"My dear" said that lady, taking crlti-
cal survey of the apartment, "your sofa is
a handsome Cne, acknowledge, but will
you pardon my suggesting one thing"
Certainly, Mrs. Savary." 'tsa
"Then allow me to suggest that a dark
Brussels carpet is necessary to have it
show to good advantage. Now this Kidder-
Minister, dare say, is tolerably good one,
but 1t couldn't have cost more than dollar
yard. "
"Only elghty-seven cents" said Mrs.
Hall, little confused.
$50 supposed. Well, you see, carpet
at eighty-seven cents yard doesn't CORE
spond very well with fifty dollar sofa. To
tell the PLAIN truth, the old-fashioned sofa
looked more appropriate"
Mrs. Hail almost wished that she mad
never bought the new sofa, but, having
done so, she was determined, if possible,
to have every thing to correspond. She was
too wise to say any thing about it at present,
but waited until q week before the next
quarter-uay.
Then she began to indulge In brief hlncs,
which at length became more decided. At
first, George would not hear of new car
pet. He was determined not to omit his
usual quarterly deposit this time; but at
length his wife's opportunities succeeded,
aided by lurking conviction on his own
part that there was a real incongruity be-
tween the sofa and the plain carpet, The
new purchase cost fifty dollars and a trifle
more, which made George look little
sober; but he could not deny, as his wife
said, that the room looked a good deaI
improved.
And was TINS alll By no means.
By the time the carpet was put down, 1t
was discovered that the chairs, which were
only cane-seated, looked quite inferior to
the good company which had recently been
introduced. When the next quarter-day
arrived, it was found absolutely essential
to purchase some black stuffed chairs. Aft
erwards came new mirror, and piano
was hired, for even Mrs Hall did not vent
ure TO suggest so large an outlay as the
purchase would require. So the piano was
brought, ana some fifty dollars year were
paid for it's use, though, by the way, it was
never used, since Mrs. Hall had no err for
music; and therefore it served only for
BY the time the year was up, George
found that two hundred and 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
nture, 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
revulson had swept over the land, and
Georges employers had not been spared.
They had not failed, but their resources
had 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 to cut down his income for the year
to come to six hundred dollars. He went
home much depressed, as well he might be.
His expenses increased, his income dimin-
ished, and debt to 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 her sympathy in an active way. What
tha' was will explain,
When George came home the next even
ing to tea, what was his astonishment TO
find load of furniture before his door
"Can it be possible" he thou ght, 'that
Mary has been purchasing new furniture"
Looking more closely he observed that the
new parlor sofa and other articles of fur
niture were included in the wagon-load.
Full of amazement he entered the house.
whats all this, Maryl What have you
done with the parlor furniture!'
"Sold it," said lis wife, composedly..
.'So!d itr exclaimed George, in surprise.
ayes; l knew that your circumstances
were not as good as they have been, and
thought the money would he worth more to
us than the furniture. Ihad heard that the
Watkins were about to furnish their house,
and thought they might be willing to buy
our furniture at reduced price Here is
what got for it.'
She placed in her husbands hands a
purse containing one hundred and fifty dol
lars.
Mary" said he, with emotion, ''you don't
know how you have relieved my mind.
This will just pay off our debt, and | shall
not be obliged TO take the money from the
bank"