Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-05-11

Pearl became panic stricken, explaining
that it was piece of extravaganza on
her part, and that she had expended on
this piece of goods, which she could not
possibly use before next fall, a large
part Of her weekly allowance. She like
wise declared that she was afraid to take
it home lest her husband should up
braid her. Accordingly, she agreed to
leave it with Mrs. Nuwed fer day or
two, until she could smuggle it home
And this is how Mrs Nuwed came to
coyet her neighbor's goods. By the time
Mr.. Nuwed came home to dinner she
had inspected that piece of broad
cloth at least dozen times, and with
each inspection her desire to possess it
became overpowering.
So when Mr.. Nuwed, tired and hun
CRY, did arrive he was treated to
rhapsody on this particular piece of
'broadcloth" and was silently voted
an unfeeling brute by his gentle spouse
because he preferred corned beef and
cabbage to contemplation of its mani
fold beauties After dinner and with
lighted cigar between his lips he as
sumed judicial aspect and proceeded
to examine the cloth Mrs. Nuwed dis
played it in all lights. draped it over
her shapely person dresswise and ex-
patiated upon its beautiful gloss, its
great width and its eminent desirability
as a spring gown. Then, of course. she
explained how she really had nothing
to wear, = which was something of a
revelation to Mr. Nuwed, who recalled
some recently paid dressmakers bills
and could not remember having seen
his spouse in the role Of beauty un-
adorned. However. like wise hus-
band. he said nothing on this score
and contented himself with trying to
tear the cloth, after which he decided
that it was pretty good stuff.
This was really all he knew about
dress goods, but he argued from the
standpoint Of common sense that there
must be something queer about mans
selling goods at less than cost Incl
dentally ii may be mentioned that Mr..
Nuwed had been bitten by one of those
Cuban cigar peddlers. although, Of
course, he kept this fact secret from his
wife, but it served to cut his eyeteeth,
and he applied the lesson to the broad
cloth peddler According to his dag
nosis, the man was either smuggler
and liable to the law or a thief, in
which case Mrs Nuwed might be re-
lieved of the goods by the police, if not
suspected Of receiving stolen goods, or
plain everyday fakir, with new
version of the Cuban cigar game.
Neither Of the first two arguments
appealed to Mrs Nuwed, for by that
same barbaric trait of femininity al
ready mentioned the sex seems to de-
light in slight favor of lawlessness
AS for the insinuation that it might be
''phony piece of goods, indeed she
declared she would trust her own eyes
against any would be swindler. Ac-
cordingly she proposed the next day to
make overtures to Mrs. Pearl for the
purchase of the goods, and the best Mr.
Nuwed could do was to persuade her
to take sample of it to some reliable
store to be tested
Accordingly the next morning Mrs.
NuWeA Sdlllbu uOWH l0Wu viii u pi6Co
of the coveted goods in her pocket She
felt guilty sensation every time she
passed policeman, and hid the sample
in her deepest pocket lest it should
prove clew. She went to the store
where she usually does her trading and
under pretense of trying to match
the sample presented 1t to the clerk.
''Oh, yes, said the clerk. .swe have
this goods, although not in the same
grade. =
Mrs. Nuwed glowed with a feeling of
conscious superiority.
what is the diTerence?'' said she.
.'Well, ours is 60 cents yard this
seems to be an inferior piece, and you
can buy it for about 80 cents yard.
"Well, what kind of cloth is irf"
faltered Mrs. Nuwed.
"Flannel, just plain black flannel, /"
answered the clerk, 'but it seems TO
have been CLOSED on one side They do
that with hot iron and some kind of
preparation to make it look like broad
cloth. .
That is why Mrs. Nuwed did not get
her bargain, and why Mrs. Pearl is
making the 'broadcloth' up into horse
blankets. Washington Post.