article placed in her hands. If she would burn up the oil, it was
but fair to infer that she would as remorselessly make way with
other things. So I parted with her. She begged me to let her stay,
and made all sorts of promises. But I was immovable.
Whether I bettered myself in the change, is somewhat doubtful.
CHAPTER IV.
CHEAP FURNITURE.
ONE of the cardinal virtues, at least for housekeepers who are not
overburdened in the matter of income, is economy. In the early part
of our married life, Mr. Smith and myself were forced to the
practice of this virtue, or incur debt, of which both of us had a
natural horror. For a few years we lived in the plain style with
which we had begun the world. But, when our circumstances improved,
we very naturally desired to improve the appearance of things in our
household. Our cane seat chairs and ingrain carpet looked less and
less attractive every day. And, when we went out to spend an
evening, socially, with our friends, the contrast between home and
abroad was strikingly apparent to our minds.
“I think,” said Mr. Smith to me, one day, “that it is time we
re-furnished our parlors.”
“If you can afford the outlay,” I remarked.
“It won’t cost a great deal,” he returned.
“Not over three hundred dollars,” said I.
Mr. Smith shook his head as he answered: “Half that sum ought to be
sufficient. What will we want?”
“A dozen mahogany chairs to begin with,” I replied. “There will be
sixty dollars.”
“You don’t expect to pay five dollars a-piece for chairs?” said my
husband, in a tone of surprise.
“I don’t think you can get good ones for less.”
“Indeed we can. I was looking at a very handsome set yesterday; and
the man only asked four dollars for them. I don’t in the least doubt
that I could get them for three and a half.”
“And a dear bargain you would make of that, I do not in the least
doubt. It is poor economy, Mr. Smith, to buy cheap furniture. It
costs a great deal more in the end, than good furniture, and never
gives you any satisfaction.”
“But these were good chairs, Jane. As good as I would wish to look
at. The man said they were from one of the best shops in the city,
and of superior workmanship and finish.”
As I make it a point never to prolong an argument with my husband,
when I see his mind bent in one direction, I did not urge my view of
the case any farther. It was settled, however, that we could afford
to re-furnish our parlors in a better style, and that in the course
of the coming week, we should go out together and select a Brussels
carpet, a sofa, a dozen mahogany chairs, a centre table, &c.
As I had foreseen from the beginning, my husband’s ideas of economy
were destined to mar everything. At one of the cabinet ware-rooms
was a very neat, well-made set of chairs, for which five dollars and
a half were asked, but which the dealer, seeing that he was beyond
