Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-10-30
Preparing for the Family Visit.


The man across the way is IN Ridge
field this week, visiting his uncle Jo-
seph. He took his wife and boy with
him. They loft on the 9:45 q. IN. train.
There is nothing very remarkable about
this, but the preparation and the get
ting away was so extremely natural
that we thought we would speak of it.
The night before they stayed mp until
twelve o'clock getting everything in
readiness, and rs the train was to leave
at 9:45 they got up the next morning at
400. His wife got up FIRST, and looked
out doors to see if it was going to rain,
and was quite sure it was, and as it was
too dark at that hour to distinguish OBJ
jects you couldn't touch, it was exit eme-
ly probable that she was right. While
she prepared the breakfast he sat on the
edge of the bed, and endeavored to dress
the progeny, but not succeeding, owing
to q great weakness Of the eyes, in get
ting the boys jacket over the boys legs,
he gave up the effort, and fell to dress
ing himself. After breakfast, during
which he fell asleep and tipped over a
cup of coffee, he looked out of one win
dow, and concluded it would rain sure,
window and expressed a belief that it
was about to clear off again. Pretty
soon he went down street to secure a
hack, and came back again to wait for
it. This was about s o'clock.
At quarter past eight ne came over
to ask us if we thought it would rain.
Twenty minutes past he asked the party
next door what he thought of the
weather. At twenty-five minutes past
he solicited the opinion of a little girl
on the next street, and at half-past
eight he was waylaying everybody on
the topic. About this time his wife,
having twice repacked the trunk, and
twice re-dressed the progeny, had got
on her redingote and jockey, and with
abouquetin one hand and smelling bot
tie in the other, took upa position in the
parlor TO wait for the hack, which was
due i'll one hour and ter minutes, city
time. After sitting there IN calm and
patient attitude for eleven seconds, she
jumped up and came over to ask our
wife if she thought the back breadth was
not little too full. The lady consulted
at once made thorough examination of
the back breadth, and and was briefly
able to make the gratifying announce
ment that the back breadth was not
bit too full. With her suspicious al
| layed, the wife of the man across the
way returned home, reaching there just
in time to rescue the progeny from
tub of rain water, into which he had
promptly fallen on discovering that he
was alone. He was dressed ut once
(Some people would have emptied that
water early In the morning, and set fire
to the tub, but they do not live across
the way. As it was now O'Clock, and
three-Quarters of an hour before the
train was to start, it was reasonable
to expect the arrival OF the hackman,
and the advent of that worthy was ac-
cordingly watched for. The man took
up Lis station at the gate and the next
corner, and between those two points
he moved with commendable celebrity.
His wife took advantage of the lull to
come over and ask our wife if she
ever saw anything like it, which that
lady conscientiously admitted she hadn't.
Then the first lady put her head out of
the window and looked down the street,
but seeing no indication of the hack
man, asked her husband if that man
had come yet. Thirteen seconds
later, she ran her head out again, and
asked him where the progeny was. He
didn't know, and as 1t was absolutely
necessary that he should keep moving
between the gate and the corner. if the
hickman ever came, there was nothing
else TO do but to go after the progeny
herself, which she did. He was in the
back yard, running, in connection with
another boy, double barreled bakery,
and was completing an order for five
mud-pies, when his mother lighted upon
him. His transit to the house was in
much less time than any boy could rea-
sonably expect to make. By the time
he had got into the fourth clean suit,
the hackman came, and drew up in
front of the house, as did also the
children of the entire neighborhood.
The arrival of the hack was the signal
for general and complete confusion.
The progeny was poked into the car
rage by his mother, and Immediately
pulled out again by his father, who
cuffed him on the head, and asked him
what he meant. Whereupon the chill
dren laughed, and the progeny turned
his eyes on his nose and kept them
there. After the family was loaded, and
the baggage got aboard, the man of the
house commenced to think of the things
left behind, and the next five minutes
were employed in recovering those
articles. Finally the hack drove of,
the woman protesting that something
was forgotten, and firmly asserting that
nobody else ever went away at such
short notice, and so lily prepared, as she
was obliged to. Then those of the
children who failed to catch on behind,
as the hack drove away, fell to calling
the more successful ones what names
they could think of in the hurry, and
the women of the neighborhood moved
back from their blinds, where they had
been posted for the last half hour, and
came out doors to exchange opinions
over the fence.