181 
THE LADIES' ELOBAL CABINET 
day, had a pair of Tases that struck my eye; nice cheer¬ 
ful things, you know.” 
“Charles Green,” I gaid earnestly, “spare my feel- 
ings, and listen to Anna’s letter.” 
My dear comin :—I Icnow you are infatuated -^vith old 
China, and thought that nothing would please you so 
much as this genuine Satsuma vase, which is one hun¬ 
dred and fifty years old. Cherish it carefully; look at 
it often, and may it lead you into the reahn of the only 
true and beautiful. 
Of course, my dear, you must refurnish your drawing 
room ; the casket must be fit for the jewel, and indeed 
your house is barbarous. You may, with such an an¬ 
tiquity, become the leader of the new school in your 
willage. 
Wisliing you many happy returns of the day. 
Your loving cousin, Anna. 
Charlie said never a wmi'd, but turned, with a sup¬ 
pressed grunt, to the vase again. 
‘ ‘ Oh, isn’t it a dear! Just look at those funny people, 
and the dragons and tortoises! ” 
“ Why didn’t she send you a perfect one, if she had to 
send it at all?” quoth Charles. “I declare this is 
cracked all over, and sueh a color.” 
“ Dear me 1 of course it is dingy until age —and as for 
the minute cracks, a characteristic of the ware. I love 
the dark old thine! Only think of possessing a vase of 
that age.” 
“ Humph,” was his sole reply. 
There was really no use in prolonging the discussion, 
so I carried my precious vase into the parlor and looked 
out a suitable place for it. How garish everything ap¬ 
peared. I had always taken pride in my cosy room, but 
now I sighed for a dado of storks and sunflowers, for a 
carpet more subdued in coloring, and immediately re¬ 
solved that the pretty Swiss curtains should come down, 
and in their places some high art cretonne be hung, I 
also determined on a small cabinet for my new “old” 
vase. When I expressed my views to Charlie he groaned 
and said: 
“So you have really caught the fever 1 I gave you 
credit for moi’e sense. No, I cannot consent to patch 
my walls with a hideous paper, simply because it’s the 
fasliion. I have never crossed you before, Jennie, but 
now I put my foot down, and say, give up the idea as 
speedily as possible.” 
We all know that a continual dropping will wear the 
hardest stone; so I alternately begged, scolded and 
cried, and, of course, gained my point. I had heretofore 
considered Charlie rather yielding than otherwise, but 
the mulishness that man-displayed almost passed my 
comprehension. At all events I won. 
The dado shone in all its glory, a new carpet of the 
“regulation tint” went down, curtains of the most ap¬ 
proved pattern graced my windows, while the doors dis¬ 
appeared "up attic," send portieres took their places. 
Of course people talked—they always do in a country 
village—^but it was such a satisfaction to show Mrs. 
Brown my old Satsuma, aud explain to Mrs. Smith all 
about the dado, etc. Indeed I felt a glow within me to 
know that I was leading my neighbors a little way into 
the “ temple 6f art.” _ ■ . 
Charlie grew morose and went out evenings. It di 
not trouble me much, for I was so busy, and then 
Cousin Anna was with me for a visit. 
One evening, as we sat at table, she proposed that we 
give an aesthetic tea, and invite our Boston friends, 
was enchanted, for she promfeed that the poet, her la 
acquisition, should honor my dwelling amd give us a 
selection. 
Charlie said not a word against the plan. Indeed he 
seemed to become unaccountably cheerful, and beguiled 
our evening by so many entertaining bits of news, that 
we forgave him for his peevishness of the past few weeks. 
We retired early, promising each other to send our 
invitations the very next day. In the middle of the 
night I was awakened l;)y a crash, as if the top shelf of 
the Cliina closet had fallen in upon all the others. 
“What’s that?” I cried in alarm. 
“ Nothing my dear,” said Charlie drowsily, “only the 
cat I ” 
“ But such a noise.” 
You were dreaming, my dear.” 
But imagine my horror, when, on going into the 
drawing-room next morning, I beheld my cabinet on 
the floor, and my vase, the vase, in a dozen fragments 
all about it. I screamed, and Charles and Anna rushed 
in. 
“How could it have happened?” cried my cousin. 
“ Never mind, pussy,” said my husband, seeing that I 
was really grieved, “mend it up and tack on another 
hundred years. “But what is this?” picking up a 
small piece of flne paper inscribed with various hiero¬ 
glyphics. 
"That must be Japanese,” said Anna, “perhaps a his¬ 
tory of this vase; we must find out.” 
“Now you mentioned it, I have just made the ac¬ 
quaintance of a very nice little Japanese, in the city, 
