Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-12-07
The Philadelphia Times of Novem

that she so much wanted for Christ
mas. Now, though hubby is not the
least bit stingy, he did not see the
use of supplantlng the one which
WAS already there and answered
every purpose by another possibly
more elegant, but which meant the
outlay Of couple of hundred of hard
earned dollars.
He hated to refuse her, yet with
all mans determination he was re-
solved to have his own way ABOUT it,
but to make her relinquish it of her
own free will rather than to cause q
scene with tears and sobs by setting
his foot down with stern, unalter-
able "nol" as his ultimatum. Yester
day at breakfast in their sunny dining
room, that looked so cosey and com
Portable, he remarked:
My dear, l had a most curious
dseam."
What was it? eagerly replied
the little wife, all her woman's cur
iosity aroused by his manner.
st was the most vivid dream l
have ever had," he went on, ''and it
made deed impression, yet hardly
like to tell it to you, knowing your
sensitive nature and fearing you, too,
may likewise be influenced by it."
"Oh, do go on, am dying to hear
it. Was it about snakes, black cats
or white horses? They all presage
trouble, you know"
"It was neither of snakes, cats nor
horses that 1 dreamt, but of that
hall stand you want me to get you. "
Surely that wasn't SO very bad, -
she laughed. Did you dream you
got 2"
yes, 1 dremt got it," he went
on solemnly, Il thought that you and
L went down town and bought it,
and just at dusk the wegon drove up
and it was set up in our hall. 1 can
see it now, the beveled glass gleam-
ing at me with almost ghoulish glee,
the little brass handles and trim
mings assuming the guise of goblin
faces, and every bit of carving coiling
and twisting into the figures 900,
You were nightly pleased"
''As, of course, would be-" broke
in the now thoroughly interested
ruler of coffee urn, who thought this
dream presaged the certain presen
tation of that hall stand.
Next morning." continued the
dreamer, "when we descended to
breakfast it was just such a day as
this, bright and sunny, but instead
of as now the hall looking cosy and
delightful, that new stand made
everything else appear positively
shabby. The wall paper looked old
the carpet worn, the vestibule cur.
tains were more faded than they had
ever seemed before, and in fact oul
hall was q great disappointment"
"Over the coffee, as we sit now,
you and I conferred on WAYS and
means, and decided that there must
be IN that ball new carpet, paper
and curtains. That very day the
men came to work, and when they
had finished there was $500 more to
pay out. We tried to feel pleased,
but that spick and span new hall
with its elegant furnishings, made
our little dining room so shabby BY
contrast that we could not ask our
friends in to dine with us, OF to the
cosy little card parties we were wont
to enjoy, as that vivid contrast be-
tween the hall and the other portions
OF the house raised an impossible
barrier betwixt us and society,"
BY this time the little wife was
very quiet, but as he paused for
breath said, almost in a whisper
"Go on"
"Well, you know you and 1 could
never stand living in this inhospitable
way, so we concluded to refurnish
the parlor and the dining room.
Then came the sitting room, one by
one the bed rooms followed suit, and
then we learned our house was much
too plain for its furnishings, and one
day, though we were by this time
very much in debt, we arranged to
buy larger house, on which there
was a mortgage equally stupendous
in dimensions.
Into this we moved, but the
greater mansion called for more ser
wants, horses and carriages and social
entertainments far beyond our means
until in another moving such as this
you and 1, instead of being in oul
own home free from debt as we are
now, with table loaded with every
luxury, no care on our minds and
happiness in our hearts, we found
ourselves bankrupt, without house Oh
home, and the ruin of our earthly hap
happiness could all be traced to that
fatal hall stand.
L A i