The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-10-06
WESTMINSTER, MD. SATURDAY, OCTOBER g. 1877


he was in love, in which he makes mention
Of eertfin angel.
"lndeedP and Bessy laughed in her
oldeu fas hion.
We must take him in hand, said AunI
Prue, ser riously. "This "all work and nc
play will never answer. I'm sure, my
deaHif you always give him half such
nice meals as that of this morning, he has
no right to complain"
" But you saw" said Bessy, timidly
" Yes, yes, l saw that he was trying to
make the food seem more palatable by uu-
derrating it. No, to-day I'll get up one
of my best dinners, and you shall do moth
ing but look on. just give me kitchen
apron, my dear, and wish me good speed
They had merry time Of it that morn
ing. Baby was happy and jolly under the
superintendent of her mother; the oven
worked to charm, and everything was in
readiness for the lord of the household
who awaited dinner with more than lit.
tic trepidation, quite unconscious that the
aunt, paler than usual from exertion, and
the wife overfushed from anticipation, had
changed places expressly on his account
80 they sat down to dinner, each one
more or less expeetant. Walter ran hi,
eye over the table.
"Bessy, dear, | don't think it's an i'm
provement to stack the knives and forks
over the napkins like parcel of guns,
he said. "Tell Mary like the other way
best Ah, quite too rare, I'm afraid r a,
he plunged his knife into the beef
"Aunt Prue, I'm afraid can't suit you
to-day, l remembered how thoroughly
your roasts were always done, aud yet
were juicy. The gravy is browner than
usual, he added, dipping into the dish
81 don't know about the butter beans
yours were always delicious. And so on
to the end Of the chapter For every dish
there was some hint or glance of dispar-
agement, and it was all Bessy could do,
with her almost painful sense of the ludi-
crous, to keep from laughing outright
as occasionally Aunt Prues speaking eyes
met hers
"I'm sorry, Aunt Prue,' said Bessy at
last, mastering all the gravity she could
command, "that after having taken the
trouble to get up this nice dinner expressly
for Walter, he should have found fault
with everything you have done"
"Whatl" cried Walter, explosively, half
rising, and looking from one to the other
"My dear, AFTER your cooking, | expect.
ed he would, said aunt Prue quietly
"The sample you gave of your powers,
this morning, was quite beyond my poor
efforts"
Then a bright red flush covered the
mans face, even to his brow. Were those
two women making sport of him2 In his
own opinion he was one of the most acute
men alive That nobody could deceive
him had always been favorite maxim ofhis.
81 want to make the experiment" said
Aunt Prue, in the most innocent manner
imaginable, "and find Walter, that you
have been quite spoiled by your wife. y
"Bessy Aunt Prue why don't you
tell me 7 Oh, hang it'll And he turned
away, too deeply mortified to express him
self iittingly.
"Pray don't mind it, said Aunt Prue,
''you know my dear, | am getting a little
old fashioned"
But Walter had received his lesson.
He was too keen not to see that it had
been purposely given; and he was man
enough to feel profoundly ashamed of
himself Indeed, in time, he confessed
as much, and applauded the ingenuity
that had so completely taken the ground
from under his feet
Aunt Prue's visit proved so delightful to
all parties that she made arrangements to
remain with them for an indefinite time,
and henceforth Bessy's cares were light.
ened, and she became as in former DAYS.
the angel and blessing of home. But
she always maintained that she owed
something of it, at least to Aunt Prue's
New Years dinner Petersoa's Magazine.