A WIFE'S RUSE.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13277, 30 November 1911, Page 4

A WIFE'S RUSE.

How a woman's subtlety may some times overreach itself is illustrated by the disastrous failure of a clever little ruso which the wife of a wealthy but economically disposed Berlin merchant employed recently.

The lady had set her heart upon becoming the possessor of a bracelet which she had seen in the window of a jeweller's shop. She found on inquiry that the price of the ornament was £30, which she knew was more than her husband would pay.

She therefore explained tho cii'cums.£anpes to the jeweller, and suggested to him the following plan: The lady would coax her husband into coming to the shop to ask the cost of the bracelet. The jeweller was thereupon to ask £15 for it, and was to allow the husband after considerable bargaining, to beat him down to £10. At this price tho husband was to be allowed to have the bracelet and the wife would afterwards mal^e up flipdifference of £20 to the jeweller out of her piu money .

The plot worked admirably and the husband carried off the bracelet for £10 in greaj; gleo at the goojf bargain he had driven. On the way ]u>m@ he went into his club and related his success to his friends, proudly showing them the bracelet.

One of, his companions recognising the real worth of the jewel, at once offered to give him £15 for it. Tlig German merchant pould not resist this second triumph, anjl returned homo without the bracelet to tell his wife with pride how he had bought it for £19 and sold it for £15. His cojnpjacency was turned to horror whoa his Weeping wife ponfessed that there was still £20 to ba nai(J on tho ornament ,and that what ho had regarded as a profit of £5 was really a dead loss of £15.