Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-20
a CURIOUS WEDDING PRESENT.
DID the Old Merchant Wish TO Rebuke His
Daughter or Was II HE Simplicity

suSutef OF w As II His StmpltcttyI
Prom the New York Tribune.
There was q fine old gentleman in this city
ne died not many months ago-who from the
humbiest beginnings made his way steadily up
TO commercial fame and immense wealth. all
by the manufacture of soap" said . New
Yorker the other day, land with all his wealth
and prosperity he never forgot how q poor man
feels or lost any OF his consideration for the
nor made him ashamed OF his business or bis
early history
He was proud OF the purity and excellence
OF his soap, and the secret OF his success over
his rivals lay in the fact that he invented sew
eral processes for chcapening the manufacture
of that article. and his great factory in this
city was full Of machinery Of his own invention
and manufacture. He made one ample fortune
solely out Of patenting the ideas of his fertile
brain and several others by selling the manu-
features he was thus able to turn out.
His wife was as intensely purse proud as he
was simple, though her origin was Is humble
as his own. and her daughter took after her.
This child married well, as they say, that is. .
young swell about town proposed 20 her on
account OF the great wealth he knew she would
the daughter and mother asked the old man
what nc was going to do in the way Of setting
the young people up in life.
Here they ran up against an unexpected
snag. Ihe old boy would give nothing in the
way OF dowry. He thought the bridegroom
should support his wife unaided till her fathers
VIII gave her q share Of his estate. The utmost
ne could be prevailed upon to do was to give
MS daughter wedding present. What this
wouldbe he steadfastly refused to saw Just
then On the wedding day, however. his gift
TO the bride was the deed for a handsome house
In Q iashlonable street, completely furnished in
costly style from top to bottom.
'Ihe bridal tour had all been arranged, 30 no
stop was made by the happy pair to examine
the new house. All through the HONEYMOON
they talked of the pleasure they would have in
gong over the house, examining the pictures
and the plate and entertaining their friends in
1t. Great was the delight with which they en-
tered their new home on their return. The
carpets were velvet. the hangings OF silk and
lace, the furniture hand-caryed, the pictures
old masters, the linen of the finest and silver
plate was everywhere, even in the kitchen.
Ihe bridegroom was delighted, but the
brides cheeks were crimson and her ewes
flashed fire that tears could not quench.
Everywhere she looked she saw familiar OBJ
Jects that filed her with rage. Snatching q
heavy silver salver from the table she showed
to her husband, engraved on il infinitely, but
with elaborate detail, the representation of q
bar OF soap with her fathers well-Anown trade
mark on it.
This queer crest was everywhere about the
house, worked into carved furniture, woven in
the linen and hangings and even painted on the
carriage and stamped on the harness which
were presented with the house. 1t was the old
man greatest pride, that trade mark and what
II stood for, but whether ne had il put on his
daughters things out of sheer simplicity of
heart, or whether he intended il as a rebuke to
her foolish pride. l never found out"