Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1846-09-23

smiling, as it was purely to crafty her that he ha
made the push.
ssQute," she replied 81 suppose he will not sta
in town long,"
ssNo: he leaves the beginning of next week.
He will come to us about Friday or Saturday, i'm
aginc."
Mrs. Johnson said nothing more; but she was u
bright and early the next morning; and had the from
parlour given an extra cleaning, and was only wait
ing till her husband was off to do the same by tn
dnng-room.
When Mr.. Johnson next saw Mr.. Granville he wa
more than ever engaged, and seemed perplexed ant
even embarrassed when his old friend reminded bin
of his promise of dining with him. He had more in
vtations to dinners and suppers than he could have
eaten in year, besides political assemblies and com
mttees to attend to- and about apoogizing, hen
seeing that it was such keen disappointment to Mr.
Johnson, and that moreover, he did not mean to lei
him Off he finally promised to delay his departure one
day and dine with him the following Tuesday.
Some of those who surrounded him seemed sur.
prsed at this condescension, but he said to gen.
tleman with whom he was particularly intimate
"Johnson made such point of it, and one does no,
like to mortfy who is rather down in the world
He has not been successful, am told; has large
family, too-and, moreover, there was no getting off;
SO have determined to remain over Tuesday"
Mrs. Johnson gasped when her husband told her
that he had asked Mr. GravIe for the following Mon
day, and only breathed freely when she found Tues
day the day finally settled on, that she would
have no Improbable Sunday intervening to arrest all
the exertions she must put forth to make her table
fit for SO great a man.
Mr.. Johnson no longer talked ola ''family dinner:
his vanity would not permit him to s'hdc his light
under bushel;" he could not keep so distinguished
a guest to himself-he must have others to meet
him by way of showing how honoured he was.
So by the time the important Tuesday had ar
rved he had asked rather more guests than his small
dining-room would hold, and Mrs. Johnson was al
most out of her wits with the pcrplexity and multi
picity Of her occupations. The best china was to be
aken down and the silver cleaned; but that moth
ng if there had only been enough of it.
"Mamma," said Fanny, her eldest daughter, who
vas assisting her, "there only sixteen soup plates,
md you know set down eighteen at table,"
"Oh, heayens!' exclaimed Mrs. Johnson, in tone
IF despair. 'When were the others brokenF'
There was even tone of vexaton towards her
laughter, who communicated the unpleasant fact,
7ery much if the poor girl might have been guilty
Of breaking the absentees whose loss she announ-
Led.
81 don't know what to do. Such folly in your
ather to ask SO many. You must write note to
1our Aunt Waring TO ask for half-a-dozen others
Has the boy come back yetf'
"No; you know you just sent him for knives and
classes"
swell, well; make out a list of what we want
lave you counted the spoonsF'
eyes; we are very short ain afraid"
''Jenny must stand in the pantry and wash them as
asst as they come from the table, and so We'll make
tut very well, / Think
The cook, too, was not only to be directed but al
ed. The housemaid was taken from her usual du-
les to perform all sorts of offices; and for the
he fairly run off his feet. A regular
waiter hired to oficiate on the great occasion,
ut he did come until most of the arrangements had
cen made, and the supreme contenp. with which he
urveyed the small dining room, and the scOrn with
which he received the intelligence that there were
o silver dessert-kniyes when he asked for them,
lade Mrs. Johnson thankful that he had not come
ooner. He had not seen the house haif-an-hour be-
ore he decided that they 'rarnt real quality, and
Irs Johnson already was more afraid of him than
he was of Mr.. GRANVILLE.
The hours waxed on, however, and sort of order
,as coming out of chaos, though Mrs. Johnson was
till in the kitchen when Mr.. johnson came home,
nd half an hour later breathless child came down
0 inform her that ''the company were coming, and
a wanted her in the parlor right away"
So heated and worried, Mrs. Johnson had to watch
er opportunity TO slip through the hall and fly up
tairs to begin her toilette.
The repeated ringing of the bell did not tend to
and cool her as she dressed in all the fur
ola bclated hostess, added to which were contin-
al messages from her impatient and not very con-
derate husband, sent up as often he caught child
0 send it up by.
At last, however, heated. urried and half-dressed,
[rs johnson made her entree in the drawing room
st ten minutes before the folding doors opened, and
ne was to be led In sto eat from the plate she late
ad washed Such was her first introduction to her
usband's distinguished friend.
1t did not require the penetrating eye and knowl-
lge of the world of Mr. GRANVILLE to perceive with
aIf glance the true state of affairs, but far his
lsy and agreeable powers of conversation could go
restore his futtered hostess to tranquility, they
ere exerted; but the man who could have made
DOT Mrs. Johnson forget her shortness OF knives and
asses, and steep in oblivion her fears oil the plum
lddIngs being under-done. must have been some