The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-03
,-,n. Goes 10 picnic. g
5enkfns or,,v determined to 20 70

Maria Ann - u
picnic; nm is my wife-untortunatts ay on
Mara ,,anned it to so it alone, 80 Ia
t nan rronccrned, on that p : determined
but wh ist She pretended she was ve,y
to Int don't believe she was. |
g'aai;t viii do YOU good to get away from
..,r work day, poor fellow" she said z;
land we shall so much enjoy cool morn
ing ride on the cars, and dinner In the
On the morning of that day, Maria Ann got
ND at s o'clock. About three minutes later
she disturbed my slumbers. and told me 10
come to breakfast. told her l wasn't
hungry, but it didn't make bit Oil differ
erence, I had to get up. The sun was up
had no idea that the sun began business
e Now" said Maria Ann, y we must ny
,ronnd for the cars start ut haf.past o.
Fat all the breakfast you can, FOR you wont
cot ANYTHING more before noon.
coi,ld not eat anything at that t1me~ln
the morning, and it was we'll could not,
Car 7 had all I could do. There was ice to
ha rounded to 90 around the pail OF ice.
nream and the sandwiches to be cut, ana l
thoucit I should never get the legs, OF the
chickens fixed so That could get The cover
on the big basket. Maria Ann flew around
and piled up groceries for me 10 PACK, CIV
| ing directions to the girl about taxing care
Of the house, and putting on hel uie IS, Eau ~,
| nj once. There is a deal OF energy In tna'
woman. perhaps trile too much.
AT twenty minutes past 6 stood on Inc
front steps with basket on one arm anu
Maria AIMS waterproof on the other, ana
| y mil in each hand, and bottle OF vinegar
in nv coatskirt pocket. There was o camp,
chair hung ON me somewhere, too, Dut 1
| forget Just where. ,,,,
Now" said Maria Ann, awe must run
or we shall not catch the train.
| " Maria Ann" said l, that IS Ieas .,i,,
able idea. How do you suppose can ruu
| with all this freight 7" t,,,
."Ynu mist. YOU brute. You always Try
to tease me. il you do not want q scene
on the streets you will start, too" ...s.
So | ran. 80.
l had one comfort, at least. Maria Ann
| fell down and broke her parasol. She called
me brute again because laughed. She
drove me all the way to the depot in br1sk
trot, and we got on the cars; but neither OF
| Us could get seat, and could not nnd
place where / could set the things down. SO
| / stood there and held them.
| Maria" / said, in winning accents,
| Chow is this for cool morning ride ~"
| Said she, !" You are brute, Jenkins"
Said i. "My love, you have made that
observation before"
| ! kept my courage up, yet knew there
would be an hour of wrath when we got
home. While we were getting out OF the
ears the bottle in my pocket got broke,
and consequently | had one boot half fuli
OF vinegar all day. That kept me pretty
quiet, and Maria Ann ran off with big
whiskcred music teacher, and lost her fan,
and got her feet wet, and tore her dress,
and enjoyed herself much after the fashion
of pic-nic-goers. / thought it never would
come dinner time, and Maria called me q
pig because wanted to open our basket
before the rest Of the baskets were opened.
| At last dinner-time came-the "nice din
ner in the woods you know. Over three
thousand little red ants had got into our
dinner, and they were worse to pick out
| than fish bones. The ice-cream had melted,
| and there was no vinegar for the cold meat
except what was in my boot, and of course
that was of no immediate use. The music
teacher spilled q cup Of hot coffee on
Maria head. and pulled all the frizzles out
| trying to wipe off the coffee with his hand
kcl chief. Then / sat OH piece of rasp-
berry pie, and spoiled my white pants, and
concluded l didn't want anything more. l
| had TO stand up against a tree the rest of
the afternoon. The day afforded consider
able variety, compared to everyday life,
but there were 50 many drawbacks that we
did not enjoy it SO much as ! might have
done. ....-.