The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-11-30


table, and 50 told Ralph Id give EN- a
couple of kitchen chairs and our cradle,
the one we were both rocked in. So
did, and pieced a real handsome little
quilt for the cradle, sunfower pattern,
all out of spick and span new calico.
Well, it's most too bad to tell, but
Mandy Jones, who went to help Miss
Ormsby git to rights, told me that she
did act dreadful, and not bit becOmin'
a ministers wife.
She went all around the house lookin'
as if she was ready to cry, and at last
she got down in the parlor on her trunk,
and began to laugh at the vases and the
inkstand, and then wound up by fndin'
fault with the stove, which she said
looked as if it came out of the ark.
I've always thought she made her hus-
band discontinued, for Mr.. Ormsby was a
meek, quiet, unsel6sh man, that he never
would have made any trouble if she
hadn't been always compIainin' and put
tin him up to grumble.
But I'm wanderin' off from my story
i started to tell you about the dona-
ton party. You see, the first year we
got along splendid with it, and l must
say never saw a better teatable spread
than we set that night for Mrs. Ormsby.
But that woman never could be salts
fed, and she said afterward that it
wouldn't take more than two such par
ties to ruin any family!
1t seems she found fault because we
all staid to tea with en- just as if we
hadn't right to our tea after sendin' in
all the victuals Tor it.
" But don't know as Aunt Betsy did
do exactly right, for she took Mrs. Orms-
by's preserves to put on the table, and
they was all eat that night, and l sPOse
that put her out some.
Well, as I was sayin', the second year
come round, and it was read out in
meetin', that the donation party would
be given the next Friday.
Mr.. Ormsby read the notice, and then
he looked all around and cleared his
throat two or three times, as if he had
somethin' pertickler to say, but after
waitin a minute he changed his mind
and sat down.
1 thought he acted kinder queer, but l
was quite taken up with nOticin' Miss
Ormsby. She got as red as could be,
and when metin' was dismissed she jest
hurried out as if she didn't want any
one to speak to her
Well, Friday came and by three
o'clock we were mostly at the parsonage.
Mr.. Ormsby looked dreadful sober, more
as if it was funeral thana merry-makin' ,
l must say; but mis- wife was awful.
She was jest as hutfy and short as she
could be with everyone, and she went
and locked the study door and put the
key in her pocket right before us all, as
if she was afraid we'd touch some of Mr.
Ormsby's papers or books.
Bimeby we began to think about set
ting the table; 50 Aunt Betsy, Mandy
Jones aud me went out in the kitchen
to unpack the contributions. There was
some pertaters and turnips (them we pu'
in the suller), a piece Of corned beef
! two or three billed hams, a pot of butter
some apple sass, a big cheese, and such
lot of biscuits it would have taken al
night to count.
> | began to be scarf when we took GU
panful after painful of biscuits, and n
cake to speak Of At last we came t
Miss Jones basket, and there we toun'
. lection cake, as we'll as a great batch
molasses cookies. =,
> was glad enough I'd sent Poundcak
and crullers; but somehow when tn
d table was ready, there was more biscuit
II on it than anything else, though we di
J. the best we could.
r. Mr.. johnson sent tea and coffee troE
n his store, besides sugar and crackers; an
s Amos Hull he brought bag of nuts an
a some apples for the young folks attt
u supper, he said l.,
to divide 'em into three lots, the dihin
r room bein' small and it was most seve
pe o'clock when they got through eatin.
er Aunt Betsy staid with me to clear Il
TT some and thought I never should g