Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-03-29
From the Ladies World Of Fashion.
THE MISTER DINNER.
By LIDIA JANE PERSON.

temper, generous feelings, and well cultivated
mind, but he was eccentric even to oddly. He
was a powerful preacher, and his ministration
was best to the reformation of many in his parish.
At the age of thirty four he became enamored of
beautiful light hearted girl of seventeen, and who
imagined that to refuse the hand of minister would
be sin bordering hard upon the unpardonable.-
Well, the marriage was consumated, the bride tat
portion paid; and the husband as husbands in their
first love apt to do gave in to the humor of his
wife, and accompanied her to several festive par
ties given by his wealthy neighbors, in honor OF his
marriage.
The happy couple were sitting together in their
comfortable parlor, one evening toward spring, the
reverend gentleman studying the Venerable Bede,
and his wife equally intent upon plate of the latest
fashions, when she suddenly looked up with an ex-
preston between hope and fear, and thus addressed
her companion,
'"My dear husband have a request to make"
"Well, Nancy, any thing consistent
"You do not imagine that | would make an in
consistent request, surely?"
"No-not a request you considered inconsistent.
But come, what is 1t 2?
"Why, my dear SIR and her voice trembed a
little, "we have been to several parties among the
neighborng gentry, and now think that maintain
our position in society, we should make party
too" The minister looked blank.
"What sort of party, NancyP" he said at
length.
"Why," she replied, " such party as those we
have attended. We must make an elegant dinner,
and have a dance after it,
"Dancng! in a minister's house." CALCULATED
"Why, yes, certainly" replied his wife, coax
ing. s'You will not Dance the party will be mine;
and then we have been to similar parties all WIN
ter"
"True, true" he muttered with perplexed air,
and sat silent for some time as if considering. AT
length he spoke ayes, Nancy, you make a par
". give dinner and if the guests desire it, you
may dance"
"Thank you, love-" she cried, putting her arms
around his neck.
"But have some stipulatons to make aboutlt,
he said; 81 must select and invite the guests, and
you must allow me to place some OF my iayorlte
dishes upon the table
"As you please, love-" she answered delighted
w. but when shall it be-"
"Next Wednesday, if you please
"But our furniture and window draperles are
yery old fashioned. 1t is time we had newt?
81 should think it hardly necessary to reurnlsh
our rooms, Nancy. All our furniture is excellent
of its kind
"But our smooth carpets. white draperies, and
cane chairs have such cold look, do consent to
10 have the rooms fitted, we can move these
things to the unfinished chambers"
"And of what use will they be in those rooms
which we never occupy? Besides, 1t is near
spring, and to fit up now for winter, is supertu-
ous.'
"Wer would not care, she persisted, only
people will call US parsimonious and ungenteeL'
"Oh, if that is ALL" he said gaiy, /" | will pro-
misc to expend thousand dollars on the evening
of the party, not in furniture, but In manner
which shall be far more grateful to our guests, and
profitable to ourselves and which shall exhonorate
us from all imputation of parsimony; and you may
expend in Dress eatables and dessert just what sum
YOU please and do not forget the wines And so
the colloduy ended. He resumed his studies, and
she gave her mind to the consideration of the dress
which would be the most becoming; and the viands
that were most expensive. The next day she went
busily about her preparations, wondering all the
time how her husband would expend his thousand
dollars but as she had discovered something OF the
ecceutricity of his character, she doubted not that
he meant TO give an agreeable surprise; and her
curiosity grew so great, that she could hardly sleep
I during the interval
At length the momentous day arrived. The ar
rangements were all complete, and Mrs n. retired
10 perform the allimporant business OF arrayng her
fine person in fine attire. She fingered long at the
toilette. relying the fashionable unpunctuality OF
fashionable people, and when the hour struck, LETT
her chamber arrayed like Judith of old, gloriously
to allure the eyes of all who should look upon her,
and full of sweet smiles and graces, notwithstanding
the uncomfortable pinching other shoes and corsets
Her husband met her in the hail.
sOur guests have all arrived he said, and OPEN
ed the door of the reviewing ROOM Wonderful!
wonderful What strange assembly There
were congregated the cripple, the manned and the
blind; the palsied, the extreme aged, and group
of children from the aims house, who regarded the
fine lady, some with wide open mouths, others with
both hands in their hair, while some peeped from
behind furniture, to the covert of which they had
retreated from her dazzling presence. She was
petried with establishment, then displeasure eros
sed her face, till having her eyes the gro
tesvue assembly, she met the comically grave
preston Of her husbands countenance, when she