Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-02-21

"Never mind, husband. It must be
one of those parties, We will make the
best of it. can warm up the parlor in
an instant.
aYou will do no such thing, wife. I
will manage this affair. And the
farmer planted his foot on the hoor in
that determined manner, which long ex-
perience had taught her not to oppose.
ssI can do nothing with him, }" she
whispered to her daughter. But do
not be discouraged, perhaps he will take
it quietly enough. "
And quiet enough the farmer seemed,
to be sure; for he had relighted his pipe,
reseated himself in his armchair, and
was putting away with an air Of the ut
most Indifference. Meanwhile fresh
guests arrived, and the preparations for
the evenings entertainment went on
At length the fiddler, who was seated in
an obscure corner of the room, com
menced tuning his instrument for the
occasion. The sound seemed to rouse
the farmer to action. Taking the pipe
i from his mouth, he said in voice loud
enough to ensue the attention of his au
ditors:
"You are heartily welcome, good
neighbors. I suppose you have been on
some sleigh-riding frolic, and have given
us call on your return. Draw up to
the fire as many of you as can find room,
and warm yourselves before you go home.
And stop that scraping, Simeon, he con-
tinued turning to the fiddler. "Your
services are over for the evening, l pre-
sumo. ~. So.
@By no means, my good neighbor, re-
piled one of the boldest of the guests
lon the contrary they have just begun
Y ou mnst know this is no sleig gh-riding
frolic, but simply merry party to be
held at your house, with your permis-
sion. "
"But my permission has not been
given, was the blunt reply, "and to my
knowledge, you are not invited guests.
| have no objections to party when |
choose to give one; but every man. s
house is his own castle. That's my
motto, neighbors. No offense [ hope"
There was a general silence. Many
merry party had been held in the village
without the consent of those upon whom
they had intruded, but none against their
openly expressed wishes. In vain Mrs.
Brown and Mary uttered their whispered
remonstrances. The farmer was i'm
movable, and at length, by general con-
sent, another place of assembly was de-
cided upon, and the company vacated
the inhospitable mansion.
| The farmers dreams were undisturbed,
in spite of sundry expressions of cha
grin from his wife, and burst of tears
from his mortified daughter, and for
many days no allusion was made to the
intended surprise party.
Christmas had passed with all Its happy
and mournful memories, and the last day
Of the year was rapidly approaching,
when Mrs. Brown and Mary were startled
by sudden announcement from the
farmer, that if they liked to go to sur
prise party Of his getting up, they might
hold themselves in readiness the follow
ing evening.
s'A surprise party of your getting up?
Why husbandr' was the involuntary ex-
clamation Of the astonished wife, while
Mary, though silent, looked at him with
equal wonder.
'Certainly; what is there remarkable
in that? Cannot | get up party as we'll
as any other person?
"No doubt you can, father; but you
call it a surprise party That is what
astonishes us.
81 call it by its right name, Polly, or
Molly, if you like it better. It is none
of your new tangled surprises where peo-
pie take possession of your house and all
it contains, but ia real fashioned,
pleasant way of doing kindly turn to a
neighbor. It is a sort of donation visit
(none of your beggarly ones) to poor
William Jones and his family. They
have been under cloud for the last few
months, and it is time that their neigh
bors tried to help them to ray of sun
shine. With their loss by fire, and
Jones long sickness and inability
to work, they must be poorly provided
for this winter. 1 a
I 'eBut the party, husband, tell us about
that" interrupted Mrs. Brown, who,
thou gh heartily sympathizing with the
sorrows of her neighbors, had a little
womanly curiosity to hear more of the
proposed entertainment.
~s'Ay, the party. That is all arranged.
/ have seen all the neighbors, and they
all enter into it, heart and hand. A cor
dial reception 1 meet with wherever I
went, in spite of your prognostications,
good wife, concerning the ofehse which
| must have given the other evening"
Twelve well-loaded sleighs will start
from our door at clock ON the even
ing of. the last day of the year,ready to
take up their line of march for William
Jones', and it will not be our falt if his
cellar is not well filled with an ample
stock of fruit and vegetables, his she'd
with wood, and himself and his family
; we'll supplied with winter clothing before
the new year dawns. But, on second
thought, wife," continued the farmer,
II believe you cannot join in our frolic
Molly may go, but you-a word in your
ear And the farmer drew the good
, dame aside, and communicated some
thing in whisper which called from her
: several expressions of qualification and
applause.
| A dark cloud had indeed hung for
many months over the household of
William Jones. One misfortune had
brought another in its train, until the
responding husband and father had al
f most ceased to hope for a ray of sun
shine, and on the last evening Of the un
2 happy year, feeble in body, dispirited in
g mind, he sat gazing upon his helpless
family, while the heavy sighs wich oc-
3 casionally burst from his oppressed
+, heart, plainly told of the anguish within
r With affectionate sympathy his wife bent
f over him: