Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-12-14


Did any body hear the like :, rroane.
the lady, who bad BY this time arrived !
the pitch Of excitement when tears are NOR
effective than words
Perhaps they nevk- did but II evsr
see anythigg Of this SORT again thew viii h,
pretty likely to hear Of it. reDiied M
somes, thFowing Oft bis blue frock, aud com
meneIng his preparations to take tea viii
the minister
The plate of hot biscuits was placed il
me midst Ct the profasion Of fancy eatable.
with which the table was crowded The
minister and bis family we're fully seated
ana the ceremony was proceeding decentl5
and in order
Ms Ssnes had not wholly recovered
from The excitement Of the interview ii. rs i
ki.cbe.s ari kev hand trenblaa .sliakflT Is
sne nausieu sars. MeeEhe heFi sss = -
Mr. Somes had donned his best blue cont
with brass buttons, which had done a. a
Sunday garment for fifteen years
He seemed to be somewhat uneasy. and
tho be and the minister had ALWAYS been
on the best terms, his answers were too
short and cFusty for courteous host.
Won't you pass the biscuit to Mrs
Meekis, husband q said Mrs Somes with
that
Mr. somes did pass the biscuit to Mrs
Meeklle, and she took one but when he
passed them to Mr.. Meeklie, be smilingly
declined
! No, thank you, Mr. Somes; / never
eat hot bread. 1t does not agree With me-
he said
Mrs. Somes passed the cold bread. think.
ing all the time how very uneiyil it was in
the parson TO refuse the not biscuit she had
taken so much pains to prepare.
But Mr. Mseklie was very respectful to
his stomaebl for he found when insulted and
imposed upbu, that il was tyrannieal and
disagreeable and be paid more Difference to
his digestive organs than he did 10 the feel
ings Of his vain parishioners
My biscuits are not very nice did not
have as good luck as I generally do, sng
/gested Mrs Somes, as Mrs. Meeklie took 4
second cake
/ Better interposed Mr. Somes
( The lady looked At him with very evident
marks Of displeasure
"Ihey are very nice, said the parsons |
wife
Take little more Of this ounce preserve
Miss Meeklie dare say il is not 50 nice
as your mother makes; but the truth is-L
1t has stood too long interrupted Mr. S.
The jar has not been opened since you were
here last fall
Mrs. Somes looked daggers but the par
sen very considerably asking Mr.. s. if he
was done planting, just at that moment. her
1htess It &c. something very simple such as
or molasses cake
What calamity Four kinds Of cake,
and the parson wouldn't touch one Of them.
but ysu will take some of these jumblesi
made them on purpose for you
That's fact, Mr. Meeklis, added Mr. s.,
maliciously
lie would further have added that his wife
never made pies and cakes for her own fam.
ily, but he was afraid Of frightening the par
son
You must excuse me !; doubt not they
are very nice but | have to be careful
Mrs. Meeklie and her tive grown up daugh-
ters we're more courteous, and each nibbled
small bit of the rich pound cake but they
seemed to dc it against their better judg-
ment.
The truth was, they felt embarrassed by
the extraordinary display Mrs. Somes had |
made They did not feel at home. The |
whele affair was toe set and artificial to be |
enjoyed and at an early hour the whole par |
" withdrew mentally determined to make
it long time before they took tea with Mrs.
Somes again.
wife, where is the piece of meat / sent
home for dinner = asked Farmer Somes, as
he and the boys came in for their MONDAY
meal on the day following the tea party
The farmer glanced iuquiringly at the ia
BILE which was spread before him IDyolun-
tarily his nasal organ contracted longitude
naIly itwould not be polite to say be turn
ed up his nose though such was the fact
| beyond the possibility of denial
Farmer Sumes was not IN any sense an ep-
icure He liked plain, substantial diet,
that which was good and enough Of it, as
he forcibly expressed his ideas of table econ
envy
Lest the reader should suppose be was
| one Of those equity, ill-natured feeders who
/ would rrumble at the ambrosia and nectar Of
the gods, we deem it necessary to particular
| ize the articles on the board ofsthe lady who
had placed four kinds Of cake before ccmPa-
ny.
Certainly there was variety enough to sat
isfy the most tickle taste. On broken
platter-the best dishes were religisusly re-
served for company-was the half OF one
sausage and one sixth all told. They were
in suspicious looking fat, and altogether the
aspect Of The dish MAS singularly forbidding.
on white plate with q long black frac-
ture extending across it, lay in an aggrega-
ted mass. three dozen baked beans, and an
infnitessimal fragment Of pork rind. This
was an antiquity. Farmer Somes and boys
had a very distinct ideaNof having seen this
dish on the table every day for the previous
fortnight; proving that Mrs. Somes was not
only the most economical but one of the
most obstinate danes in the world The
! Farmer and his boys had virtually said they
! | would not eatthese same beans, and Mrs
{ Somes had virtually said they should
On WORKOUT blue plate superannuated
and .nicked' 10 thousand places, were foui
. pork bones, looking as though they had beef
. picked by that army Of mice which Whit
E tinptsn's cat destroyed. These bones has
: been service for the last twelve days TIL
Joint Of which they we're the disintsgrate'
{ members had graced the table just one fori
q night before. There were sundry articles
antique old fashioned 'tit bits which nigh
L have been set before Noah and bis friend
d in the ark, Six long red potatoes, un2eeleS
even unsprouted. completed the array 81 c
5 ible, ornamental and substantial.