Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-03-25
Across the walnuts and the Wine.
In after.dinner talk

sighed Housewife the other nigbt,upOn the
occasion Of his last Juvenile party for the
season; and really, when | looked about
me, | could scarcely feel astonished at his
inquiry. The room, indeed, was full of
children in one sense, but In another
there was not child to be seen. II was
an assemblage of little men and women.
The dancing was rs stately as u minuet
and each duodccimo dame had card in
which to set down her engagements,
heard one of them refuse n most gallant
cavalier lin puce velvet and lace) her
hand for the lancers, upon the ground that
1t had been previously promised to another;
and yet she.did not dance that set
"And why" said 1, "my little lady, did
you not dance with that gentleman am
sure he looked very gcod.natured ="
Good .natured g--yes," returned she,
shrugging her small shoulders; "but how
unfortunately plain !"
This young person was about eight
years old.
Mrs. Housewife had empowered me to
act as one of the masters of the cere.
monies--she termed II "helping TO keep
order !" but any post of that kind would
have been perfect sineCure. "Romp-
ing" was as little likely to take place
among these decorous Liliputians as
scalping or the actual cautery. The least
approach to it was regarded with inetlable
disdain. Even awkwardness was visited
with the utmost severity of remark by
these small ladies'.
He hangs upon one So" was the YER
dict passed ON one young beau, who had
just taken to "stickups," and looked like
u Clergyman in miniature.
Another was rejected by sweet little
maiden of eleven, upon the ground that
he had danced with her twice already,
"And are you so inconsistent as all
thatY" inquired l. defercntially.
mo-" said she frankly ~ like him as
well as any in the room But don't like
being laughed at; and people do laugh if
one dances more than twice with the same
person." ........
She was actually afraid of "being talked
aboutp
overheard two little female dots of
six or seven making conversation, They
had got very friendly, and one expressed
her hope that they should see more
of one another. My sister yonder,"
(pointing to a damsel of eleven) sis at
home Wednesday from three to seven.
We should be so glad to see you"
Instead of the indscriminate rush
NlllCu uStu w lOllOW buO dlluOuuCSluNut
of supper when we were young, these
dignited Juveniles went down in couples
and talked the same twaddle on the stairs
which their seniors use--inquiring sedate-
| ly of one another whether they had
been lately to the theatre, or were
going out of town. AT tie repast itself,
itwas thought vulgar to admire; as for
| bursting into applause at the sight of any
| gorgeous dainty, as youth was surely wont
to do-to have given away to such
| impulse would have been considered bar
| barrie On the other hand, depreCiatory
| criticism was as freely exchanged as
among the most fashionable grown-up
society. Professor Puzzleton's son and
heir, aged q happened to be my neighbor.
| He was prosecuting his attentions to q
little golden-haired fairy on the othel
side of him in most characteristic man
ner Having inherited the faculty o
analytic investigation from his parent, hi
was taking the gilt off the conjurer!
tricks which had just been performed up
stairs, and preaching to his beloved objec
upon the text of the hollowness of things
in general. Presently he took up a highly
ornamental cracker, and in a loud ant
distinct vOice-the very echo Of his
fathers lecture-room tone = observed
"These crackers were made at home"
| saw the color come into Mrs. House
Wife's face when on finding it did not ex
plode, he added, "Ah, thought So"
Another young gentleman of somewhat
less tender age, who, 1t seemed to me, had
had quite as much champagne as was good
for him, was ceaseless in his opportunities
for port
"Port wine, say l'--"Port wine, will
you ?" were the observations he addressed
to every waiter, with increasing irritation
4 Now, in his ignorance Of the tastes OF
the rising generation, their host provided
no port wine, and the indignation of his
very respectable butler at its being de.
manded in this public manner was q
charming spectacle. saw him growing
redder and redder with each reiteration Of
the request, which he nevertheless affected
to ignore. When the little ladies retired
from the table, some of the little gentle
men remained to discuss matters o.
general interest, with their little legs az
wide apart as they would go, and thell
little thumbs in the armholes of theil
waistcoats, and among others was my
bacchanalian friend, as importunate al
ever. "They have got no port at thi
house think of that p cried he.
Then Housewife, wishing to dscove
the young gentleman's reason for wanting
port, as we'll perhaps as to remove thi
stigma from his character for hospitality
caused bottle of the desired liquor to b
brought. 4 >sL4 U
"Now, why were you so anxious 70
that wine, my young friend ?" inquire
he
"Well, you see, I've had great deal {
dancing; and though your 'Fizz' (by whic
he meant Champague) is well enougl
there's nothing like port wine to pick
J fellow up"
From subsequentinquiries discovere
that this gentleman had just arrived 8
his teens; he had seen, as the novelist
] say, only thirteen summers
Surely Housewives remark upon til
probable extinction of the genus iafaH
o6icinatis-the common child as it used
be-was not without good grounds
: am bound to add, however, that tn
: rising generation are as sharp as needles
J perhaps, their brain, forced into prematur
activity, will soften at the period when
was wont to become well seasoned and ms
} ture; but at present their intelligence
acute. DuFiAg the course of that evenin
| Professor Puzzleton entertained us wit
} one of the very ybestconundrums that eve
hIoth III my AhGs Az was WV Va tAANs NNAa
: plicated kind, it Is true, which excited th
3 wrath Of Sydney Smith, who deemed thu
/ man should be hurried to execution will
t out being permitted 10 explain the rel'
! tion of his third" to his "fourth;" bl
il was excellent for all that;
In my fret my second sat-
My third and fourth ate;
5 The answer to which is like Columbu
egg problem-very easy when we hay
/ learned what it is.
Iibsdtidte -
Our juveniles applauded it exceedingl.
! and quite appreciated IL; but what Wi
/ still more curious, when the Profess
} added as pendant TO the above,
3 Under my hrss my second stood
! think you'll own this quite as good
! there was quite roar of juvenile Voic'
! that had all guessed right
! Let us hope my grown-up readers ha'
been equally sagaciOus. Chambers J0ura
THEY saw that fifly Young Radicals