The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-08-04

it has in it enough good to cover the
children's room, if put the worn part
under the bed Oh maybe I'd better
put that on the children's room," she
added, refectively, ''and give that one
to the children. Theirs gets such hard
wear that an old one will not last any
time"
True"
Gas long as we don't have to buy a
bedroom carpet" she remarked, insin-
uatingly, don't you think we might
have new set of furniture?"
/ mo" savagely.
She burst into tears and called me a
heartless monster. To pacify herI had
to promise the furniture, together with
new silk and sealskin, that the
mistress of the house might be as fine
as her dwelling.
''It does seem shame" she said q
few days afterwards, ito spend SO much
money on this old house. That's very
handsome and expensive paper that we
looked at, and to substitute an arch
way for the folding doors will cost
something
IAN archway" I gasped.
This was the first that had heard Of
such thing But my wife sailed right
on, unheeding my exclamation.
''And then those lovely carpets cut
| up to fit these small rooms, too!'
Eyes, it is shame,"I replied. hard
II crediting my senses.
Not all had been lost, though much
had been in danger.
81 am SO glad that you think so," re-
| turned my wife, briskly. II was SO
sure you would agree with me that it
would be wiser for us to find house
that suits us better, and buy right
away. Real estate is cheap now, they
say, there is so much in the market
Sn~ tried to put on a knowing look;
if she had known half as much about
that subject as about managing me,
should have felt impressed. AS it was,
objected weakly.
''My dear, don't know where in the
world l could get the money to buy a
larger and better house."
You could sell this" she replied,
nothing daunted.
Thinking cunningly to turn her own
weapon on herself, l retorted:
"But if real estate is a drug on the
market l do not want to SELL
There are those shares of sto elk,
could you not sell them?''
'But that stock is going up daily; if
wait six months can get double what
it would bring now; or hold it and
draw a big interest on my investment"
'Well, what else are you going to do?
You said yourself that we must have a
larger and better house"
Thereupon l mentally bade a reget-
full farewell to the stock, and the
money which l had expected to make
by holding it.
My wife occupied her leisure time for
the next three weeks in looking for
residence which should be in all re-
spects suitable for the furniture we
were going to buy. What she would
desire next could not guess, unless
she should become thoroughly dissatis-
fed with me.
At the end of the period mentioned |
came home one evening to find her in
tears.
Aunt James dead" she sobbed; 1.-The
poor old lady died this morning. have
just come from her house."
AS Aunt Jane had been at the point
Of death for the past six months, l was
hardly surprised to hear this bit of
news. 1 did my best to comfort my
wife, however, and comported myself
like dutiful nephew-in-law at the
mournful ceremonies following the
death.
When returned home the day after
the funeral, my wife met me at the
door, her face flushed her eyes blazing.
What do you suppose that old crank
has done?''
''What old crank?'
Aunt Jane"
''I'm sure don't know, but you must !
remember, my dear
''Oh, know she's dead. She would |
MT give her things away under any cir ,
cumstances. She has left me 500 in /
cash and that dear old silver TO my t
second cousin, John Scott!'
/ could hardly hide smile, but / /
managed to say:
What a pity.'
He'll sell it, and spend every cent |
on liquor and cigars"
Then the blaze in her eyes was
quenched by flood of tears.
l did my best to soothe her, but nv !
efforts were useless. l Iassured her that /
if her cousin sold the silver we would /
buy it.
81 don't want it, she declared: Il
won't have it. ] won. get a single new
thing in the house or n new dress or
that sealsliin or anything FL just
stay here with things as they are. and
John Scott can keep his silver. and you
can keep your building association mon
ey and stock. too. So there, now"
After that / did not try to assuage
her grief. ! was afraid that consoIa-
ton might cost more than could pay.
-Waverley.