The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-24
HER WEDDING SILVER.

dificulties experienced in finding out
the uses of the various pieces of sill
yer she received as wedding presents.
don't know what you girls are go
ing to give Mabel for a wedding pres
ent. she said, but know what 1 am
not going to give her-and that is sill
yer. table silver. shall get her lamp
or a set of books or a rocking chair
or-or-anything, providing it isn't sill
YER"
Such an announcement against the
conventional was naturally greeted
with cries of What in the world has
happened to your" and For goodness
sake!" and like expressions of aston
ishment.
'sWell, I'm just judging from my own
experience. OF course, she will be hop
ping mad at first if 1 don't give her
silver, but after she's been married a
year or two you will hear her tongue
ringing with praises of my far-sight-
edness Now when 1 was married l
was presented with enough table silver
TO start a respectable sized silver shop
Silver and cut glass having always
been a hobby of mine. 1 perfectly re-
veled in the thought of how my table
would shine and sparkle with pretty
things, after 1 came home and settled
down to housekeeping. OF course,
had several duplicated, but l wouldn't
think of exchanging them for some
thing really needed"
The girls exchanged meaning
glances.
I,agk 6V1ff 7
packed them all away in the little safe
that brother George brought me for
that very purpose, and which 1 had
moved up in my bed room"
II never saw it; where does it
stand?" inquired one of the girls
why my dear. you have sat down
in front of it and written a letter on
it any number of times, thinking it
only a writing desk In it 1 also keep
my company pieces of value which 1
only use on state occasions. Then l
have an old fashioned travelling bag in
which I keep the small table silver
such as knives and forks, tea, after
dinner table and dessert spoons, the
carving set, individual salts, my
creamer and sugar bowl, and all the
little pieces which are in daily use.
And it is all such a worry!
Like every other housekeeper I am
afraid to leave my silver downstairs
in the dining room all night for fear
burglars might chance to pay us a
visit And after the days work is done
that silver has to be washed and
counted, and that has become a ter
rible task.
And then, when I leave the house
for a visit over night I am worn to
a shadow trying to contrive a hiding
place for it that burglars won't sus-
pect. l assure you I'm beginning to
realize the truth of the old saying
Blessed is he that hath nothing For,
unless it chances to be Mary AIMS
night in, Bob and 1 are obliged to de-
cline any invitation which will tear
us away from that blessed silver. 1
had no idea when l got married that
/ should degenerate into a care taker
of silver, else I should have applied
for position in the Treasury at once.
where l would at least be rewarded
for my vigilance" and she drew
long sigh.
why, I've positively thought of lit
tie else but thieves and silver since
I've been married. Every night for a
month after we came home from our
wedding trip l had the nightmare, in
which 1 could see thieves blowing up
the safe, packing my wedding silver in
that tea cloth with the Mexican drawn
work corners, that mother gave me,
and disappearing through the window
while I stood looking on at the per-
Torrance. powerless to make a sound
or do a thing!"
How dreadful" exclaimed the girl
with the auburn hair.
And then, too, you never know and
never can guess what all the silver
pieces are for. Listen! After we had
settled down, Bob said to me one day:
I'd like 1t, dear. if you could contrive
to have a sort of family luncheon and
invite a few of my relatives. I'd like
TO have them see what a nice little
housekeeper l married; besides it
would sort of square us up, you know,
for the fine wedding presents they all
gave u.s.
81 agreed to this heartily, and,
thinking to show my appreciation of
their generosity toward us when we
were married I put on my thinking
cap and contrived a luncheon compos-
ed of only such dishes as would give
me chance to use the silver and
glass which they had given us, thus
delicately conveying to each one of
them the idea that housekeeping in
general, and luncheon in particular,
would have been a failure but for
their thoughtfulness.
"Well, the day of the luncheon ar
rived, and with it the guests, all
ger, I suppose to see how Bobs wife
could entertain. l had cut flowers for
the occasion, and had ordered the ice
cream to be nodded in the form of
hearts. 1 proposed to show them that
ours was an ideal marriage, none of
the marryyou-for-yo your money kind of
partnerships, so common nowadays.
After we were all seated and fair
ly launched l pressed the bell for
Mary Ann. AS she passed the currant
jelly to Aunt Amtli liza in the cut glass
dish that Aunt Sarah had given us
for that purpose 1 thought I detected
a peculiar look on her face. In fact,
she looked up two or three times as
though she were going to speak, and
then she settled back in her chair
again. 1 began to get nervous, for I
didn't know but that in opening the
jar Mary Ann had broken the glass.
and accidentally sprinkled some of it
in the jelly. But when it came around
to me 1 could see nothing wrong with
it. I've always understood that it was
a trying ordeal for young wife to
be passed upon by her husbands rela-
tives. but never did 1 imagine it was
anything like what 1 was suffering