Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-11-01

among the mOSt welcome OF our exchanges.
We have received another entertaining let
ter from " d. D. O." which will appear next
week. / g s. fr
Surprise Par'y.--A very pleasant and sue
cessful surprise party occurred at the resi-
dence of the Rev. L. b. FIrIELD, Pastor of
the Congregational Church, of this place, on
Monday evening Of this week. According
to programme the reverend gentleman and
his lady were visiting at a neighbours fire
side that evening, and while discussing the
state Of the country over warm biscuit and
hot tea, the clergyman's dwelling was the
scene great activity, and passer by, even.
could not have failed to understand from the
musical ehimings Of the ladies' tongues with
the harsh notes Of the pots and kettles, tina
somctlsinS of an unusual character was there
transpiring. While the aforesaid discussion
was being carried on at neighbor ScuENK's,
a number of our citizens, something less than
five hundred, were turning topsy-turvey the
usually quiet abiding place of the worthy
clergyman. The cooking stove was pitched
into the wvodshed, and one Of CRosBY's best
set up in its place. In another room neat
little alright, parlor stove ling bright
and new, found a quiet resting place against
the wall. Men and women hurried to and
fro with sundry and divers burdens, for which
they found resting place somewhere be-
meath the ministerial roof. Teams drove
up Oh the gallop, and in hot haste men de-
posted pumpkins, sqnashes, potatoes, etc
The elders children were amazed and sought
an explanation, but no one had time to give the
little ones the desired information. slime
waits for no man." and there was much to
be done previous to the return Of the pastor
and his wife. The cook stove was in its
place, finally, and the tea kettle soon singing
a lively tune, to the extreme discontinue of
the clergyman's wood-pile. The table was
spread ia the kitchen and loaded with the
handiwork of the best culinary ability of the
town. Everything was now in readiness ior
the coming Of the good man. Not long had
the friends to wait. Without invitation Mr..
FIFlELD presented himself, with his wife,
How they were received we have. but little
recollection. The most we, know is that
there was general stampede for some quar-
ter-that we got entangled in crinoline, re-
sulting SO disastrously that we very suddenly
and violently collapsed upon the floor, where
we distinctly remember Of receiving the i'm
print of several fine specimens of TRow-
BRIDGES Balmorals, proving rather dcstruc-
tiveao our consciousness, though, doubtless,
under the circumstances nothing better than
this could have happened, for we might have
exaggerated too much had we seen the real
ity. When we got our head on line with
individuals Of our size, the first thing we un-
derstood was that "Thc surprise was COM
plete?' Soon after the reception, supper was
served in the best Of style-and we know
what the "best Of style" means. All seemed
to enjoy this portion of the programmc--even
the most bashful Of the young ladies and
gentlemen. AS soon as supper was over,
and while the servants were off in the kitch-
en-, devouring the remains, Deacon PORTER
made few very appropriate remarks, as
presentation speech, to which Mr.. FIrIELD
rendering thanks and expressing
regards, etc. "The gay and festive" throng
had now completed their programme, and at
tention was turned pretty generally to socia-
bility. We retired from the happy company
quite early in the evening, being necessitated
so to do BY having in our kind care an ex-
tensive squad of elderly females, who in
formed us that their motto was 9 early to
bed and carly to RISE" ETC., to which we
made no reply, knowing that an argument
would be useless. Sadly and silently we
placed ourselves at the head of our detach-
ment, and, in the face Of violent wind
marched boldly and lnanfully off to quarters
with our squad Of flying home guards.
Those present at Mr.. FIFIELDs on Monday
evening, will remember it for some time to
come as very pleasant occasion. r