Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-06-22
THAT SILVER SET.
Aunt James Coveted Legacy That
Never Came.

Aunt Jane were TO die / should not be
q bit surprised If she left us that old
fashioned set of silver that belonged to
my great-grandparents.
ut is very handsome set" re-
turned, glancing about our modest din
ing room, land will hardly accord with
our furniture.
1T wouldn't look at all we'll with
that sideboard," returned my wife,
promptly. ut is so dreadfully shabby
oh, of course ! mean the sideboard, not
the silver Don't be so smart"
~ suppose, then, II such thing were
to happen you'd have to have a new
Eideboard."
She nodded complacently.
II saw such lovely one down town
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,
especially for dining-rooms," she re-
piled, with disdainful glance at tho
chairs which we had once found very
good to look at; land, after all, the
sideboard is by so much the most ex-
pensive piece of furniture In dining
room that 10 doesn't cost much more to
get whole set than just that one
piece. And even a walnut sideboard,
new, would not look well with those
chairs and this table"
I said nothing, and the tacit sur
render was accepted by my wife.
Thenceforth 1t was understood that If
Aunt Jane should bequeath us the sill
YER, we were to purchase a new set of
dining-room furniture.
The next evening, as we were again
at.dinner, my wife remarked:
81 have been looking at carpets to-
day, and saw one that just suits me;
rich and subdued, you know, but not
dingy."
Carpets" repeated, in some sur
prise. II didn't know that there was
one needed this season"
"Why, stupid" rejoined my wife,
petulantly land the emphasis was all
upon the pet name). Ibid we not agrde
that the dining-room must be refur-
nished9 Aud this carpet is so old and
worn of course it 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 pur-
chased later on. Well, if my wife's re-
1ations left her handsome silver, I
must, of course, provide things in keep
ing with It
She met me, according to appoint
ment, and, having inspected the arti-
cles, gave me to understand that my
taste was so execrable as not to merit
moments consideration. and announc-
ing her own choice, suggested, coolly:
sand now let's go look at the wall
paper"
'tOf course; the room must be repa-
pered if 1t is refurnished. AS for the
woodwork, suppose there is no help
for that; it will just have to be re-
grained. Can they make that natural
wood finish on wood that has been
painted?"
stared aghast; that silver was going
to cost me pretty sum. But 1 was
helpless, entirely SO; my wife had made
mp 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 hori-
ION
'SThe dining-room will be nicer than
the parlors," she remarked, plaintively;
81 am afraid that they will really look
shabby"
said nothing, hoping that If she
were not contradicted she would not
pursue the subject further
Vain hopeI She had fixed it In her
own mind that silence gave consent,
and when / came home the next even
ing had assumed that the parlors were
to be newly fitted
Don't you think" she said, coax
in1iy, that rs 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 well have
the whole HOUSE, done? 1t would be
very little more trouble, and then II
would all look nice together"
eft would be considerably more eX
Densiye," demonstrated. family.
.'You might draw the money out o.
the building association" she suR
Oested, and then knew that our say
jngs in that institution were doomed.
Aunt Jane fingered long time II
1nRtlC0 10 MY WHO 4 AAhoe e5~aAAAAS SAAS -
become oblivious of the fact that al
these improvements depended upon
legacy which could only be possessed
after the death of her venerable rela
tive. .,so
hat the house was to be thorough.
renovated my wife said to me:
81 have been examining the parlo
carpets, and 1 find that by using tn
best parts of both, and buying wild
border, can get quite new carpe
for our bedroom, absolutely unworn.
Indeed" l remarked, with please
surprise; there was one thing that sh
would not want anyhow.
"Yes, and the carpet that is now o.
It has enough good to cover the chi
dren's room, II put the worn part ur
der the bed. Or maybe I'd better pu
that on the spare ROOM" she added, re
hectvciy, land give that one to tn
children Theirs gets such hard wea
that an OLD one Will not last any tim
hardly"
said nothing. but felt greatly re
heved.
''As long as we don't have TO buy
oeurOoh carpet She remarked, lnSlhu
atingly, don't you think we could af
ford a new set Of turniture?"
mo, DON'T" returned, savagely
whereupon she burst into tears an,
called me a heartless monster. T,
pacify her, had to promise the furni
fure, together with new silk and
sealskin, that the mistress of the hous
might be as fine as her dwelling.
1t does seem a shame" she said,
Few days afterward, Ito spend 90 mucI