Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-04-05

tone of satisfaction. 81 have never
played them since was child, but I
was very fond of them then. You seem
10 De playing some new game. of which
do not know the rules; but if you will
bear with my ignorance for a while, I
make no doubt that shall learn them
soon."
The others, with, I fancied, a SLIGHT
hesitancy, began to instruct her in the
laws of tine game. Soon 1 heard terms
flying freely-terms curiously familiar,
but strange and uncanny as proceeding
from my mothers lips.
A flush" pair" a straight flush "
what could it all mean?
q chip!" cried my mothers voice,
in tones of wild excitement; but
Too latel" cries another voice. "HoW
many counters have your"
Twenty-Five" replies my mother,
blandly and unsuspiciously.
Instantly twenty-five cent stamp is
laid upon the table before her. She starts
back, eying it with wild dismay. A hor-
rlble suspicion creeps across her mind,
and looking around the table, she gasps,
family,
"What-lrhdt have I been playing?"
Amidst shout of laughter the answer
reaches her, brokenly, family, but, alas
only too intelligibly:
playing? Why, penny ante to be
sure. The cards were all in use, so we
have been playing poker with dominoes
by way of variety"
l must pass lightly over the tableau
which followed, or my tale will be too
long; over my mothers apologies, ,remose,
fearful explanations; over her indignant
refusal of the money her final accept
ance of it under protest, and its subse-
quent dedication to the cause of missions.
All this must leave to your imagination,
and pass to the next scene.
George had succeeded at last in her
efforts at persuasion. George LenoE>i
was my cousin, and my mothers favor
ite niece. She was married noW-mar-
| of the best fellows in the world, and
they had taken up their abode in Ho-
boken, that most German of American
towns. 1t was to the celebration oftheir
wedding anniversary that my mother
had, after much hesitation, consented |
to 60. /
at is to be a very quiet dinner"
George had said; al but Rudolph has so |
many friends who must be invited, that |
we have decided to give it at the German
| Club instead of our own house, which |
is much too small"
81 am afraid it will be a very gay and |
worldly affair."" sighed my mother " but !
| George makes such a point of it that |
for her sake, l suppose must go. But |
! remember, Frederick, if l see any signs of |
dancing, l leave at once, for that really |
can not countenance by my presence. |
There is point beyond which will not |
CO."
Ofcourse 1 satisfied her with cheer
full Gall right" and she made her prepa-
rations with sort of resigned equinami- |
ty edifying to behold.
Georges fiction of the "quiet dinner"
had hardly imposed upon my mother, 1 |
think. Nevertheless, 1 felt her cling |
closely to my arm, with stifed groan, |
as we entered the one long room which |
then composed the entire second floor of |
the German Clubhouse, with its polish
ed floor and brilliant lights, and the lit
tie curtained stage at the upper end on
which her eye fell first. There was no
danger to be apprehended from that
quarter, however, as she soon found but
scarcely less alarming, from her point of
view, was the array of many colored
glasses which clustered beside each plate
all the way down the three long tables.
"What does it meanp she moaned
family. "Will they make me drink
wine? Oh, Frederick, take me homer
should not have done so in any case,
but it was already too late, for George
had caught sight of US and hastened up,
followed by one Herr Miller, German
of the stout, jolly, rubicund type, whom
she introduced to my mother as the son
of German Protestant minister. My
mothers face partially lost its look of be-
wildered dismay at this item of news,
and she allowed him to lead her to her
place without further objection.
The dinner was thoroughly German
affair. Servants, dishes, conversation,
music, all were German of the purest
type. 1t was little slice cut out of the
very heart of Pdterland, and set down
boldly in the midst of an American town.
My mother did not understand a word
of German, but Herr Miller spoke excel
lent English, and was glad to see that
my mother was gradually becoming more
and more absorbed in the conversation.
When she found that her refusual to
take wine provoked only a very mild
surprise and remonstrance, her last scru-
pie melted away, and was scarcely sur
empty glass, and chanting with the rest
the musical Hoch," which is the Ger
man version of our uliI-!c.Uu-Uus cheer.
To be sure, the toast which she selected
thus to honor was, 'To the health of our
American friends now present" but as
no doubt of the propriety of her proceed
ing crossed her mind, it would have been
a pity to enlighten her.
Now there was a stir around the table.
The band, which had hitherto been
silent, struck up a march-like air. Each
gentleman offered his arm to his partner
and we moved around the room in dig
nified promenade. while the walters en-
tered to clear the tables and push them
out of the way Round and round we
went, my mother beaming with mild en-
joyment as she leaned upon her partners
arm. Suddenly the measure changes;
hand is linked in hand, and the long line
winds and waves, weaving itself IN and
out in graceful undulations. For an In
slant my mother, in confusion and be-
wilderment, yields to the impulse. Then
dreadful suspicion breaks upon her
mind, and she turns to her partner, with
the frenzied question.
What is 't2 What are we doing%
"Doing, MADAME repeats Herr Miller,
lOOhlLS DldllOJ OuS ENAAHASO" "
are dancing the Polonaise, to be sure.
Do not be troubled; you do perfectly
well, assure you"
But my mother waits for no further
encouragement. With gasp she wrests
her hand quickly from the grasp uponi it.
and mechanically retaining her hold
upon her partner, she whirls him, too,
out of the ranks, and drops, limp, col
lapsed heap, up the nearest chair.
Helen and l disengaged ourselves from
the line and fastened up to her. But
consolation is in vain. She only raises
her fearful eyes to mine and murmurs.
Frederick, your mother will disgrace
both you and herself in her old age.
First gambling, and now dancingl Oh,
Frederick, send me back to Nepoosuc be-
fore I sink f1rtherp And covering her
face with her hands she burst into help
less tears, while her bewildered partner
looks on. unable to form the slightest
conjecture as to the meaning of this re-
markable scene.
Obviously there is but one thing to be
done, and that do, by hastily consign-
ing Helen to Herr Miller's charge, and
leading my mother out of the room as
quickly and as quietly as possible.
TA -, II C,,,yJnrr ,E /