our mark, offered for five dollars. They were cheap at that price.
But Mr. Smith could not see that they were a whit better than the
set of chairs just mentioned as offered for four dollars; and which
he was satisfied could be bought for three and a half. So I went
with him to look at them. They proved to be showy enough, if that
were any recommendation, but had a common look in my eyes. They were
not to be compared with the set we had just been examining.
“Now, are they not very beautiful, Jane?” said my husband. “To me
they are quite as handsome as those we were asked sixty dollars
for.”
From this I could not but dissent, seeing which, the cunning dealer
came quickly to my husband’s side of the question with various
convincing arguments, among the strongest of which was an abatement
in the price of the chairs—he seeing it to be for his interest to
offer them for three dollars and three-quarters a-piece.
“I’ll give you three and a-half,” said Mr. Smith, promptly.
“Too little, that, sir,” returned the dealer. “I don’t make a cent
on them at three and three-quarters. They are fully equal, in every
respect, to the chairs you were offered at five dollars. I know the
manufacturer, and have had his articles often.”
“Say three and a-half, and it’s a bargain,” was the only reply made
to this by my economical husband.
I was greatly in hopes that the man would decline this offer; but,
was disappointed. He hesitated for some time, and, at last, said:
“Well, I don’t care, take them along; though it is throwing them
away. Such a bargain you will never get again, if you live to be as
old as Mathuselah. But, now, don’t you want something else? I can
sell you cheaper and better articles in the furniture line than you
can get in the city. Small profits and quick sales—I go in for the
nimble sixpence.”
My husband was in the sphere of attraction, and I saw that it would
take a stronger effort on my part to draw him out than I wished to
make. So, I yielded with as good a grace as possible, and aided in
the selection of a cheap sofa, a cheap, overgrown centre table, and
two or three other article that were almost “thrown away.”
Well, our parlor was furnished with its new dress in good time, and
made quite a respectable appearance. Mr. Smith was delighted with
everything; the more particularly as the cost had been so moderate.
I had my own thoughts on the subject; and looked very confidently
for some evidences of imperfection in our great bargains. I was not
very long kept in suspense. One morning, about two weeks after all
had been fitted out so elegantly, while engaged in dusting the
chairs, a part of the mahogany ornament in the back of one of them
fell off. On the next day, another showed the same evidence of
imperfect workmanship. A few evenings afterwards, as we sat at the
centre table, one of our children leaned on it rather heavily, when
there was a sudden crack, and the side upon which he was bearing his
weight, swayed down the distance of half an inch or more. The next
untoward event was the dropping of one of its feet by the sofa, and
