The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-08-12
MY WIFE'S LEGACY.
Why We Didn't Get a New House
and Furniture.

~ don't like to calculate upon such
things" observed my wife, but if
Aunt lane were to die, ! should not be
a bit surprised if she left us that old
fashioned set of silver that belonged to
my great-grandparents."
Out of consideration for the printer,
l will omit indications of the emphasis
with which she usually spoke. If 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 d very handsome set,'' l re-
turned, glancing about Jul modest din
ing-room, land will hardly accord with
our furniture"
ut wouldn't look at all we'll with
hat sideboard,' returned my wife,
promptly, Its so very shabby-oh, of
course. l mean the sideboard, not the
silver
II suppose, then, if such a thing were
to happen, you would want a new side
board"
She nodded.
Il saw a lovely one down town to-
day: antique oak, beautifully carved. l
do admire oak so much"
but the rest of the furniture is wal
NUT objected.
walnut is altogether out of STYLE"
she said, with a disdainful glance at the
chairs which we had once admired;
"and a sideboard is SO much the most
expensive piece of furniture in a dining
room that it doesn't cost much more to
get a whole set than just hat one
piece. And even a walnut sideboard,
new, would not look well with these
chairs and this table"
l said nothing and the tacit surrender
was accepted by my wife. Thenceforth
it was understood that if Aunt Jane
should bequeath us the silver, we We're
to purchase a new set Of dining-room
furniture.
The next evening, as we were again
at dinner, my wife remarked:
Il have been looking at carpets to-
day, and saw n that just suits me;
rich and subdued, you know"
Carpets" l repeated. iu some sur
prise. II didn't know hat there was
one needed this season."
Why, stupid" rejoined my wife,
~petulantly (the emphasis was all upon
the pet name}, did we not agree that
the dining-room must be refurnished?
And this carpet is SO old and worn, of
course it would not do with all 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-
lations left her handsome silver, l must,
of course, pro vide things in keeping
with it.
She met me according to appoint
ment, and, having inspected the arti-
cles, gave me to understand hat nv
taste was S % execrable as not to merit
a moments consideration, and, an
nouncing her own choice, suggested
coolly:
And now let us go and look at the
wall papers,"
wall papers," l echoed.
"Of course the room must be re-
papered if it is refurnished. As for the
woodwork, | suppose there is no help
for that; it will just have to be re-
grained. Can they make hat natural
wood finish on wood that has been
painted?'
stared aghast; that silver was going
to cost me a pretty sum. But | was
helpless, 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 hat day Sc
lected. There was but one cloud on her
horizon.
THE dining-room will be nicer than
the parlors," she remarked, plaintively;
I'm afraid they will look shabby"
l said nothing, hoping that if she
were not contradicted she would not
pursue the subject further. Vain hope!
She had fixed it in her W mind that
silence gave consent, and when / came
home the next evening had assumed
that the parlors were to be newly fitted
up.
Don't you think" she said coaxing-
ly, that as long as the parlors and
dinlng-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 it
will all look nice together, you know"