The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-01-19


There, now, Hiram, what did tell
your said the agitated little woman,
leaning against the banister, with eyes
almost swapping fire; for by this time she
had passed the crying stage of emotion,
and felt good deal more like using
big words and breaking up the furniture.
"But, my dear, we haven't heard from
the Jansons yet, or Mr.. Menger," re-
marked Mr.. Tibbons, rubbing his hands
hopefully. "Thev're the jolliest of the
lot, you know, and if they come we'll
have lots O fun anyway"
" Yes, but as sure as you're living
man, Hiram Tibbons, inside of another
half hour you'll see somebody else
around here with the information that
Janson has had another stroke of apo
plexy and Pm prepared to hear at any
moment that Mr.. Menger has got a
broken leg or is locked up in the stat on
house. But don't care now whether a
single soul comes or not. I'll dish up
at two o'clock as l said would, and III
never get up another Christmas dinner
as long as 1 live"
The day moved on, with no further
tidings of bad luck coming to hand, nor
did any of the invited guests put in an
appearance. Every ten or fifteen minutes
some member of the family was deputed
to 60 to the door and look out to see
whether any of them could be seen. AS
the dinner hour drew YEARLY near, Mrs.
Tibbons became more and more nervous
and fdgety, banged the dishes around
recklessly, and remarked repeatedly that
she hoped nobody would come anyway,
as the dinner wouldn't be fit for a dog
to eat. Everything had gone wrong
from beginning to end, and if she had
to die at that minute her last words
would be that she had forgotten to put
a bit of seasoning in the dressing, and
had used salt instead of sugar in the
cranberry sauce.
Tibbons himself looked as wretched as
he was capable of doing, stood around
in the way all the time, rubbing his
hands, and with weak little sickly
smile that felt ashamed of itself, kept
trying to cheer his wife up by saying
"Don't worry, little woman-it's no
use, Susan everything'll come come out
right, see if it don't"
And, as if to confirm his words, Just
as the clock was on the stroke of two,
and the dinner was smoking on the table,
one of the children came running with
the cry Of
"Mr. Menger's comingw
Two signs of relief filed the dining
room, and two woeful faces frightened
up, and by the time Mr.. Menger came
in they were looking real CHEEKY, and
gave him reception that fairly sur
prised him by its unmistakable hearth
ness.
He apologized for being late, and ex-
pressed his surprise at not seeing the
other guests. Everything was explained,
and the discomforts and disappointments
of the morning turned into a source of
mirth and jollity as they gathered around
the grooming board.
Tibbons picked up the carving tools
and dissected the bouncing bird with a
skillful hand. 1t was done to a turn
couldn't have been better, and all Mrs.
Tibbons's doubts and misgivings as to
its being tender were allayed-it was
delicious.
"What part, Mr.. Menger2"
"Not any, whatever, Mr.. Tibbons, for
me, thank you. Eve been almost dead
with dyspepsia the past week, and the
doctor has put me on a bread and milk
diet, and strictly forbidden me to eat
anything else. It's terrible tempting,
Mrs. Tibbons, but the torture of the
penalty is too much for my courage, and
] can't give way to it. So, if you please,
just give me bowl of bread and milk,
and don't think for moment that
slight your delicious dinner willfully, or
through lack of appreciation"
All of which sounded SO nice to Mrs.
Tibbons that she was obliged to be mol
lifted, though she did feel chilling SEN
sation about the heart, and never wanted
to cry SO bad in all her life-but it
wouldn't do However crushed and
chagrined with modification and disap-
poinment she might be, she was too
much the lady to allow the slightest be-
trayal of the same in the presence of her
guest, and he was also very much of a
gentleman, and withal quite a connois-
seur in cookery, as his dyspepsia at
tested. Being an excellent talker, and
an adroit dispenser of compliments, he
soon managed to make the little lady
feel that her labor had not been entilrey
lost, and she soon entertained feeling
very much akin to that of gratitude to
the young man for having kept his ap-
pointment when it was really undergo
ing very severe penance to do so.
The dinner passed much more pleas
antly than it augured in the outset, and
just as they arose to leave the table, a
sharp ring came from the door-bell. and
one of the children bounded into the
room, shouting
It's the Jansons!" -..
And sure enough it was-all of them
children and all-and with them came
also a stranger, handsome young man,
with black curling locks, who brushed
eagerly past the rest and clasped Mrs.
ribbons in his arms, and kissed her right
square in the mouth, before ANYBODY
could say word, and Tibbons standing
there speeches. with eyes and mouth
wide open with amazement, and wonder
ing if he was sound asleep and dreaming,
or whether the brandy in the mince-meat
had fuddled his head up SO that he
couldn't understand his own eyes. And
then Mrs. Tibbons fell a crying and Sob
bling with joy n
ooh, John, you dear boy, little did !
think I'd ever see you again, for l
thought you was dead, John. The pa
pers said so, and we heard nothing from
you. Where-where have you been all
this whileT'
And then Tibbons knew that it was
his wife's brother who had gone to seek
h e. II m