Year: 1876

THE MARRIAGE OUTFIT.


old Deacon Brown started in life very
poor He married his wife, Susan. be-
fore the days Of hoops. pads. etc They
had been happy in their married life.
and unto them was born beautiful
girl whom they named Kate, who, OF
course, VIXEN she grew up, fell in love.
Her choice was poor, but noble young
man. The deacon and his wife had
taught their child to choose for herself,
but to do it wisely. and they were glad
to see that she made choice of an esti-
mable young man. their peighbor's son.


Now, Kate took up notion that she
must have great many articles for her
marriage, and to make fashionable
show Of dress during the honeymoon,
and as they lived at only town, she
wrote her father a note, requesting him
to furnish her considerable amount to
buy her outfit, and she stated in it that
she expected she would have to send to
the city to get all she needed, where
upon the old man made the following
reply:


DEAREST DAUGHTER:-As you are
my only daughter. I may call you dear
est truly, for l love you very much I
have considered your note and this is
my reply: I am sorry to find you pos
sessing a weakness of most Of your sex.
viz: that you think you should have a
large outfit for your wedding and hon.
eymoon. When | married your dear
mother she had but two calico dresses
and { ther things to fit, and she thought
herself we'll of with them. and l really
thought her, as I took her in her calico
dress, the prettiest, sweetest girl in the
land, and have never thought other
wise She has made me a dear, pre-
cieus wife, and has been to me help
mate, indeed. Now, my dear child, I
will not refuse you what you ask, but
my observation in life has convinced me
that those girls who spend heap of
money to provide their outfits for mar
riage are generally sure to SPEND HEAPS
of it afterward, and that often they keep
their husbands noses to the grindstone
of misfortune and toll all their lives.


GA great many fine things for your
wedding and its after incidents will
make you no sweeter or prettier to your
husband. and NAV make YOU a great
deal DEARER as to his pocket. If the
man of your choice really loves you. as
no doubt he does. it is not for what you
have on, but for the qualities Of your
person, head and heart, and as he is a
man of sense, l have no doubt he will
think more of you when he finds that
you have not made any great prepara-
tions for your marriage There are
many gentlemen in this country, now
worth their millions, whose wives, when
they married, had no more than your
mother By this / do not mean that
you should have no more, but your
mother tells me that you have now FIVE
neat everyday dresses and four Sunday
ones, and really they are larger, finer
and better outfit than many millions Of
your sex are able to obtain.


II make these suggestions for your
consideration, but leave you follow them
or not as your judgment may dictate.
and to show you that this is the fact, I
enclose you draft for thousand dol
lars on my cashier, which you can use
at your pleasure. Affectionately yours,


JOHN Brown"


Kate did not long hesitate as to her
course of action Her mother gave her
a few dollars Of her pocket money, and
she bought only simple plain white
dress and appeared in it at the altar,
with natural flowers and her own love-
illness for adornment.


She drew the amount of the draft in
gold, and one month to day after her
marriage handed the amount to her hus-
band and accompanied the gift with
these words:


"Dearest-I applied to my father for
money to purchase what I supposed I
needed for my marriage. and he wrote
me this letter (handing it to her hus-
band) and inclosed in it the draft upon
which I drew this thousand dollars,
which I now present to you as the
money saved by victory over foolish
fashion. Have I done wisely ?"


"You have, my blessed wife, and are
a thousand times dearer to me by your
better judgment"


1t is needless to add that the husband
of Kate is now worth many thousands
Of dollars, and in delightful old age
they often tell their friends and children
of the thousand dollars as the founda-
tion of all.