The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1873-05-22
OUR EVENING PARTY.
From st. Pau:'s Magazine. ]

|
pers 90 nicely placed on the hearth. Blu. l
was sure of it when my wife said, smilingly,
81 hope you like the tes, dear; ! put an ex-
ira spoonful in. because its such bleak
night for you;" and when nv eldest daugh-
ter, Molly, laughed 90 very heartily at my
old story Of the Chinese missionary, which
l think so good that take every opportun-
ity of repeating it.
snow, Molly" said !. as l took down my
meerschaum after tea, snow, Molly, what
ia it?'
"What is what, papa" said Molly; but
she blushed and laughed conscious little
laugh all the same.
"Come," retorted, ''let US have it. What
il it YOU want to coax out of me now?'
swell, Molly, As papa seems 70 cunning
a. finding us out, think We had better tell
him what We have been talking about" said
my wife, with a slightly nervous litter.
"a great deal better, you most artful Of
women" said /, with all the sternness
could master; "and no more compliments to
my superior wisdom, if you please. l am
quite aware you are only oiling the machin-
cry to make it run around your own way.
All a,tempts, too. 10 bribe the court with
more mullins will only injure your case
| Proceed, therefore.
"Well. James" replied nv wife, "the
girl. and ] have been talking all the after.
noon, and, ahem,-"
GAIL the morning, too, have no doubt
So far the court agrees with you, madam"
| interrupted, blowing out one of my most
sarcastic wreaths of smoke
"rhese poor things, james, do 70 want
you to give them an evening party-some-
thing little stylish, you know-Iike other
PEOPLE," nv wife continued. hurrying on
like the stream when it has come to the
brink Of the precipice.
"An evening party" repeated in amaze
ment.
ooh, yes! do, papa" said Molly. sitting
down on the hossack at my feet, and putting
her rosy cheek on my knee. She is an ad-
mirable hand at cosxing, is Molly.
"Yss, dear, Why should We not be like
cur neishbors, someiines-iike Mis-. Vyner,
I for instance" pursued my wife, skillfully
singing out an acquaintance who was nv
! pet aversion.
"Well, because W. can't, If We tried; We
haven; got the money!" I replied. "You
mist surely see what nOnsence il is to talk of
our being like Vyner. when his partnership
in Double X brings him in couple of thous-
ands a year, and have barely as many hum
dreds"
"Well, but we might show Mis-. Vyner
We know what's what"
1t was mean advantage which my wife
Jane was taking, and she knew it. Mrs W.
ner was from the same county town al my
self, and on the strength of her father HAVING
had a thousand year in land, land he..v-.
knows how much more in rustic stupidity y
had always considered herself entitled to
play the part of n superior being toward ia.
Nor WAS che conten; with thinking this, bu
was Diet. rmined we shoald admit her glor-
ious supremacy in style. h ,G>e furniture. and
belongings. In word, sh. was my special
ib.iorance; and il there was one thing !
should have liked, it would have been To see
Mrs. Eyner drought down peg" and !
Coz sidered IL an UngeneiOus aciion on her
part TO lave sppeaisd TO il. However, for
the present resisted the temptation firmly.
In truth the notion Of our giving an even
ing party was a very ridiculous one, l was
secretary Of a city company, With about G3O0
year. We had already sacrificed to- the
graces of London ety-appearances-by
taking decent house at Noting Hill, and
hai hard work, what with Nei's schooling
and the 'iinishins" of my two daughters, 20
keep our heads above wafer. 81, like
sensible man. had insisted on dining at
Id, and had never received Inv friend-
o nerwise than at Tea and supper, in the plain
est OF "piain ways." !fthsy liked to drop
in at such times land many of them did, we
wsre always delighted to see them, and I'M
der these circumstances had many a pleas
anter chat and laugh, dare say, thsn fall
to the lot OF srand-r houses. The very free
dom of this kind of visiting, the knowledge
that you can 80 and come when you like, and
that the more Won please yourself the better
YOU will please your host, suit my constitu-
lion exactly; and believe that in liking il
am only one OF 4 vast majority of London
gentlemen. For the ladies' ! dare no,
speak.
When We went 10 bed, however, my wife
returned to the attack, and did not leave me
till she was victorious. Her chief argument
now was that we Sought to give Molly a
chance and Molly thought 20 herself There
was young Kelly looked very sweet at her
but how could We expect respectable young
fellow like him TO come forward unless he
saw we knew somabody and were not quite
out of the pale Of society p
..My dear said l, "pray ion't pr, these |
silly notions into MolIy's head. Kelly al
ways seemed to be rather saoorey on Ellen |
Vyner, and not at all on Molly"
"Ah, the Vyners always try to make out |
that he Is quite devoted to them, but l hstter |
myself know whit. from black when ! see |
it-yes, yes, think so indeed"
"Weli, if you really think We ought to |
give Molly this party" said ], reluctantly. |
"Yes, that would he good excuse for be- |
ginning. Bat think We ought to give one
every year for the future"
groaned in spirit and siid, "Pray let us
ge, safely over this before We talk of any
more, confess | think the whole notion |
absurd the expense, the trouble, the proba-
bili,y Of breakdown with such servants as
ours Bu. suppose you must have your
own way"
Accordingly, in the morning my vie and |
two daughters formed themselves into per
manent committee Of ways and means They |
decided that things could not possibly be got |
ready under month, and for the whole Of
that time we were in a state Of disturbance
curtains We're old and shabby. and we must |
have new ones then. that the dining-room
carpet did not suit the furniture-''and you |
wOulu FOL Wisi peOV'e W tiiuh We nav e 10 l
taste, dear :" raid my wife. Now, it was
nv old bookcase that Rad to be ru, into an
unobtrusive corner, where had to 60 and |
hunt for nv papers in the dark next, one
nearly broke ones neck over new music |
stand which had arrived that morning and
been left in the passage, ''cnly just for .
minute till the carpet was put down." then,
if any friend came in there was scarcelv q
single place where One could sit down. In
word, all our 4niet, homely, comfortable
WAYS we're at end and what with upholster-
ers, carpenters and piano-tuners, and others. |
il was Just as bad as il We were "flting."
was heartily glad, therefore, when they de-
clared themselves ready to send Oh! ''the in
vitations."
Then the consultations were about tie day |
and wha. people We were TO ask! Mr.. Dis
raeIi, forming n rev Cabinet for the govern |
ment of fourth part Of the world could not |
have pondered each name for a longer time, |
or more anxious!y, and am sure he would |
not have looked half SO gravely important
over it. For my part, Sstched the pro-
ceeiings with an amused eye, for my opin- |
ion, like an eminent physicians, was only |
taken as a last resource.
The first name written down in "ail the |
lists was, of course, Fred Keliy's-to catch |
whom Gin plain English) cur party was
given.
J,.x.r c,uld unite understand how thi. /