The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-05-17
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WESTERLY, R. L., THURSDAY, MAY H. 1855.

At home | was famous as Yankee
story teller, but having fear of the
minister's superior attainments always
before my eyes, had never allowed him
to see what | could do. This false
tilnidity was, however, slowly wearing
away. | began to feel anxious to resent
my Cousins ofliciousness, and / daily
grow stronger in my determination to
do so | noticed his department. when
he little thought it; his quick step
ahead so as to seem alone when he met
some fashionable lady his little maneu-
vres to slip in and out of church by
himself; his careful avoidance of all
mention of my name to others and |
thought to myself, Zone day III teach
you lesson, young man, if you are a
minister. fts1
How it was, I know not, but by
some mismanagement, l suppose, in-
vitations were sent US to attend large
dinner party, given in honor of some
distinguished divine, then creating quite
an excitement in the city. My relative
looked astounded when he found that l
had resolved to go, and tried to intimi-
date me by limiting at the fashionable
character of the entertainment AT
list, fading me resolute, he said, with
\ q bland smile: - 49, ,n. ~. /. ba
i we You had better LETT me Introduce
! You as my cousin from the country,
}, sod as you are not initiated into the arts
and mysteries of fashion, it will help you
wonderfully; they will suppose you igno-
rant of etiquette, and therefore excuse
your greenness.
"Thank you for nothing" thought I,
and consented. o. 'I"'.' 1'
l went to the party. There is no
mistake about it, l was at first abashed
in the company of so much dignity and
beauty; l trembled for myself. My
cousin sat opposite me, and by his side
a lovely girl robed in blue, who looked
to me the nearest to an angel that it
was possible to imagine. l soon saw
that my Cousins heart had been travel
ing in that direction f; he was devoted to
her, although he kept an eye on poor
ME, to see that his Z" cousin from the
country" did him no garing discredit.
| heard him address her as Miss Har-
riet, and once in filling her glass from
the crystal pitcher near by, he overran
it, and the fluid mingled with meat and
gravy on the young lady's plate.
"Aha !" thought L, glancing at him
slyly, "cousin from the country"
Presently noticed another mishap.
A reverend and absent-minded looking
gentleman at my right, undertook to
carve chicken. By some awkward
ness, small bone flew from the edge Of
bis knife, and slap it went against the
nose of lady opposite, scattering her
face with the gravy. The lady turned
red = the gentleman apologized, the
company seemed more than usually
serious, as company always does when it
restrains itself from hearty laugh, and
l looked straight at my friend across the
table, saying, as plain as eyes could say
it, saba cousin from the country -
And that was not the end of the
chapter, for my cousin, in attempting to
cut, butter, which, as it was an usually
warm winter day, had ice upon it, un-
fortunately knocked the frozen element
on the table; and of all the efforts |
ever saw put forth to catch a slippery
article, those he made in the matter of
securing that ice were the most ridic-
uous. ..a
First he laid siege with knife and
fork, but it danced about like ioe-be-
witched: polka, waltz and redowa step,
hopping now against MissHarriet's plate,
gliding about among hot vegetables, and
sliding under meat dishes until its cap
ture became q matter of stubborn prin-
ciple. - j
Fortunately one Of the servants hur-
ried to bis help with large spoon, and
in using that, my cousins elbow came
in contact with little glass dish filled
with pickles, and away it spun over on
Miss Harriet's lap, and the ice followed
after. o, with what gusto could I have
shouted at that moment, "cousiu from
the country but ] pisisd the blushins