The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-04-14
CENTENNIAL TEA PARTY
BY ANNA SHIELDS

I call II Il Centennial Tea-party, because
there had been no tea.pariy, Mabel would no
have wanted the Old.tashloned dress; and
} Mabel had not wanted the dress, we woull
never have opened Aunt Patty's trunk am
if we had not opened Aunt PAtty's trunk "
would never have fouud-but, dear me, that
no way to tell story. will begln-where
Well, I guess I'll tel! who we all are, to com
menCe with.
am Mrs. Marcus Holway, widow Of tn
late Marcus Holway, who departed this III
twenty years ago, and LETT me very hand
some life ncOms and very comtortabI
home, bot. of which, home and income, wi!
go to Mr.. Holway's nephew when die
Mabel Renshaw is my niece an orphan anl
a teacher in II city seminary. She comes L
me every summer to make visit, and she j
nv ONLY near relative. What | can save OF
of nv income #lll be Mabel's when die.
But the last visit Mabel made me was no
in the summer, but ia February OF this yer!
centennial year. For the seminary was coseC
on account of the death Of the principal, ant
| Mabel had no home but mine. SO she wa
with me when the young people OF Tower
vile proposed to raise fund to pay OF par
of the church debt by giving Centennia
tea.party on WashIugtOnS birthday.
We Mabel and |, had been sitting by TIT
fire, after dinner, and Mabel had been telling
me about Will. ThuIston, one of her clty
friends, who wanted my little brown-eyeC
niece to become Mrs. Will Thurston
! But" Mabel said, with the prettest littl,
! blush in the world, eve must wait a long
long time, Auntic, because Wills salary i.
very small Ii We only had three thousand
dollars now
"Well," asked, thinking Of those saving,
of mine that would one day be MabelS bu
of whose existence she knew nothing, sup
pose YOU had three thousand dOllarSr'
"Will would buy partnership with his
cousin, VINO has a wholesale house and is do
ing n good business. OF course the partner
ship Is worth ever so much more, but his
cousin will let him into the firm if he can put
IN three thousand dollars. But it might as
well be three millions, for win can scarcely
save anything on his small salary
And Just then Mrs, Ray came IN TO tell II.
about the eaparty. How her tongue did run
There was 10 be long table set in the base.
mentroom used for the sunday school, and
refreshments served on that And twenty
Young ladies were TO he dressed III the cos.
tune of 1,16, 10 wait on the guests. And the
tickets were 10 be dollar. And would dear
Mabel be one of the ladies in oldfashioned
dress, and how many tickets would take?
We arranged all that, and Mrs. Ray went
off 10 sell more tickets, and enlist more young
ladies, and Mabel came back to the flreside
her cheeks flushed with pleasure. She said
suddenly:
What shall wear. auntie: must have
II regular continental dress, and what shall II
be-"
clapped my hands together as a brilliant
idea struck me.
Mabel" | cried, We will overhaul my
Aunt Pat,y's trunk
Your Aunt Patty" she asked
"You never heard of her | said. "She
died long before you were born, twenty five
years ago. But she was my aunt and the
most eccentric person ever knew in Giy life.
Although she was past eighty when she died,
she was as gay as any young girl, had her
box at the opera during the season, went to
balls and parties, and spent small fortune
on dress. And that brings me 10 her trunk.
Amongst her other eccentricitieS she had a
passion for saving her handsome dresses, and
putting them on, one after another, for me to
admire. She had the first ball-dresS she ever
wore, and full court.dress in which she was
presented before her father left England to
come to this country. She had brocades that
would stand alone, and laces fine as cob
web.
Common dresses She wore uu, or gave
away, but her evening dresses were carefully
boarded, as fashion compelled her To change
amt renew them.
What splendid collection said Mabel.
well, yes" said Z" fill a great old fash
toned trunk. When Aunt Patty died she left
me all her money IN bank, and that trunk,
containing her dresses and jewels. Before
she was buried the bank failed, and had To
sell most of The jewels TO pay funeral expenses,
buy mourning for mother and myself, and
support Us till found something TO do. Your
father WAS in Europe then, travelling with a
rich mans son as private teacher. Well, dear,
before | changed my mourning mother died,
and then | married ana came out here. So
Aunt patty's trunk was not opened for years"
But after You took oifyOur mourning"
said Mabel, did you not wear some of the
dresses them"
Never, dear. My Aunt Patty was a little
woman, about your size, aud was tall even
Us II girl, and grew stout, SO that could never
have worn the dresses, had i 50 desired"
And YOU actually have them now?'
Actually! Enough To dress ~ half the
girls, nj any rate, And give the trunk To
you, now an here, so you may be as generous
rs YOU please with the contents
oh, how splendid" cried Mabel, dancing
"lf YOU like But YOU had better call John
and Mary to bring it down here. You would
freeze in the attic today"
so John and Mary were summoned, and
we all four went to the attic, | leading the
way. The trunk was a large, Old-iashIoned
one But John and Mary, strong
irish clrl, carried it down 10 the sitting room,
talking all the way about the weight.
Big as it is" SAID John, q I'd never a
thought it could be So heavy ill lifted H."
But they got it down safely and stood il in
the sitting room. Then there was another
rummage in my room for the key, and it was
a long time before We found that, But we
did find il at last, and Mabel danced down
the stairs again, and knelt down 10 open the
great trunk. The lock was rusty, and we b al
To take the poker and put 1t through the top
of the key before they could turn 1t.
But we succeeded in opening IL, and threw
back the cover.
The first dress was a yellow satin, but a:
Ia - 1t