Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
THE CONFESSIONS OF A WIFE PACKING UP THE WEDDING PRESENTS jM Chapter XXXVIII. I had dreaded to pack up and as things turned out it "was not com fortable. N When I went to get my salad forks that I intended to take back I found that Mrs. Waverly had used one dozen of them, and I am fraid that they are scratched so that I cannot return them. Mrs. Waverly said to me: "Madge, 1 wish you would leaye your 'flat' silver with me, It will be so nice for my bridge parties and if you wish I'll put that banquet lamp that Mollie gave you on our sideboard." At the risk of seeming very nasty I refused by saying: "I am going to return a good deal of the silver only keeping enough for a dozen of every thing and I am going to take back the banquet lamp." "I am afraid that Mollie will be heart-broken," said Mrs. Waverly. "On the contrary Mollie is de lighted," I answered, "as you know she had the lamp charged to her brother's account and she told me the other day that it would be im possible for her to pay for it. There are many things that I would rather spend our money for than banquet lamps!" I tried to say this with a smile, but I felt a thin, censorious note coming into my voice. Of course, Mrs. Wav erly is a much older woman than I, but I cannot help feeling that she has not done her part in this great business of marriage. All she seems ,to think about is what Dick calls "putting .up a front" and she gets .everything she can to further this without any regard for how it is pro- ured. She would use Dicks credit nd our bridal gifts or any other thing which any one in the family fewned to gam her ends. i couia not neip neanng ner ten oily as I went out of the room that Madge was going to live so far on the other side of town, as I think she is going to be very disagreeable." Mrs. Waverly would be very indig nant if anyone accused her of not being a good wife and mother. ,She has all the conventional virtues, but she thinks much more of what some acquaintances will say about her than what those that are nearest and dearest must think. I find that the banquet lamp, the four "Morris" chairs, the four per colators, and the duplicates of cut glass, that I am not going to keep wilt buy me a perfectly beautiful rug. I am also sending back all but one of the pictures that were given me and exchanging them for a beautiful leather and brass writing desk set. I will pick up somewhere the right kind of a writing desk. All the dishes except an afternoon tea set and an afternoon coffee set, my chafing dish, electric toaster and other things I can use I am sending to the storehouse. That beautiful "nest of tables" in Chinese laquer from Eleanor Fairlow shows her to be a woman of taste and I shall keep them. I can just see how pretty that little room is going to look and I am crazy to get over there. I think Dick will be out of town next week and I will get the place all fixed up before he gets home. We are going over to the hotel tonight to stay in one of the other rooms until ours are fixed Up. Dick has not seen our rooms yet. He said he was satisfied if I was. I must tell him about the money. The $6,000 was paid to me today and I want things settled before we go into our own rooms. I have a feeling that we are going to quarrel over that money and I want only happiness to enter with us when we open the door of the first place we call home. (To Be Continued Tomorrow.) Bhe "guessed it "Svas just as well that (