The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-03
MY WIFE'S LEGACY.

Out OF consideration for the printer
will omit indications OF the emphasis
with which she usually spoke. IL the
reader will kindly consider every second
word printed In small caps or italics he
will have some faint idea OF her manner
OF expressing herself.
1T is a very handsom set" returned,
glancing about our modest dining room,
land will hardly accord with our furni-
ture."
1T wouldn't look at all we'll with that
sideboard," returned my wife promptly.
lit Is so dread dfully shab5y-oh, OF course
i mean the sideboard, not the silver;
don't be SO smart"
Il suppose, then. II such thing were
to happen. you'd have to have new side
board"
She nodded complacently.
"Isaw such a lovely one downtown to-
day; antique oak. beautifully carved. do
admire oak so much"
But the rest OF the furniture Is wal
NUT" objected.
Walnut is altogether out OF style. es-
pecially for dining-rooms" she replied,
with disdainful glance at the chairs
which we had once found very good to
look at; "and, after all, the sideboard is
by so much the most expensive piece OF
furniture in a dining-room that 1t doesn't
cost much more to get whole set than
Just that one piece. And even a walnut
sideboard, new, would not look wei. with
these chairs and this table"
said nothing and the tacit surrender
was accepted by my wife. Thenceforth 1t
was understood that IL Aunt Jane should
bequeath US the silver, we were to pur-
chase a new set of dining-room furniture.
The next evening. as we were again at
dinner. my wife remarked:
have been looking at carpets to-day.
and saw one that just suits me; rich and
subdued, you know, but not dingy."
Carpets" repealed In some surprise.
IL didn't know that there was one needed
this season."
why. stupid" rejoined my wife. pet
ulantly land the emphasis was all upon
the pet name). "did we not agree that the
| dining room must be refurnished2 And
| this carpet Is SO old and worn, OF course 1t
would not do at all with new furniture"
Again / acquiesced silently, and she
| proceeded to make plans for meeting me
| the next day to examine and choose the
| carpet and furniture to be purchased later
on. Well, IL my wife's relations left her
handsome silver ! must. OF course. pro-
vide things in keeping with 1t.
She met me according to appointment,
and, having inspected the articles, gave
me to understand that my taste was SO
execrable as not to merit q moments con-
sideration. and announcing her own
choice, suggested coolly:
And now let's 60 look at the wall
paper"
"Wall paper?"I echoed, blankly.
"Of course; the room must be repa-
pered II 1t is refurnished. AS for the
woodwork, suppose there Is no help for
x.-t1 s.,et has % kA
| Can they make that natural wood finish
on wood that has been painted?'
stared aghast; that silver was goin z
to cost me a pretty sum. But ! was help
less, entirely so; my wife had made up
her mind.
That evening she was much elated at
the prospect OF being surrounded by such
things as she had that day selected.
There was but one cloud on her horizon.
The dininR-room will be nicer than the
parlors," she remarked. plaintively: 81
am afraid that they will really look
shabby"
Isaid nothing, hoping that II she were
not contradicted she would not pursue
the subject further.
Vain hopei She had fixed IL In her own
mind that silence gave consent, and when
came. home the next evening had as
eumed that tho parlors were to be newly
fitted.
Don't you think" she said, coaxingly,
!. that as long as the parlors= and dining
room are to be torn up. and we are to
have the painters and paper-hangers here,
we might as we'll have the whole house
done? 1t would be very little more trou.
BILE, and then 1t would all look nice to-
gether."
1T would be considerably more expen.
sive." i demonstrated, family.
"You might draw the money out OF the
Building Association" she suggested, and
then knew that our savings in that insti-
tuition were doomed.
Aunt Jane fingered long time. In JUS
tice to my wife. must admit she had be-
come oblivious OF the fact that all these
improvements depended upon a 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:
Il have been examin ing the parlor car
pets, and / find that by using tho best
parts OF both, and buying a wide border,
can get quite new carpet for our bed
room, absolutely unworn."
"IndeedF j remarked. with pleased
surprise; there was one thing that she
would not want, anyhow.
"Yes, and the carpet that Is now on II
has enough good To cover the children's
room, IL put the worn part under the
bed. Or maybe I'd better put that on the
snare room." she added. retiectively, "and
give that one to the children. Theirs gets
such hard wear that an old one will not
last any time hardly"
Isaid nothing. but felt greatly relieved.
"As long as we don't have TO buy a bed.
room carpet" she remarked, insinuating-
ly, don't you think we could afford q
new set OF furniture?'
"No. I DON'T" l returned savagely:
whereupon she burst into tears and called
me heartless monster. To pacify her,
-had-to- promise Tire furniture. together
with n new silk and n sealskin, that the
mistress OF the house might be "a fine as
her dwelling.
ut does seem shame" she said, a few
days afterwards. "to spend so much
money on this house. That's very hand
some and expensive paper that we looked
II