New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-16


be good deal Of fog. Charley out Of DOORS to have
! got into the house like thisP ,oa
WELL said / cheerfully, there must be less 10Y
outside. my dear, since some Of 1T has got in bus
the truth is that It is little thick think some VI
our guests may be rather late in consequence, MN.
| WHY so p inquired my wife Sharply ohe va,
nm excellent housekeeper and knew it, and nothing
ANNOYED her 90 much as to have her dinner spomo
by the social idiots who THINK sney canning late
whereas the sentiment that they really pr nds
every bosom is expressed by women ba p Beasts
III thew Knew the fog was thick, Charles, they
ought to have made allowance for it ana star'ou
earlier HoweveI here SsarS tSc bell ring but
a. it happened it was Litton. I knew his laugh ms
came up the stairs.a No. ,ndesd WHO Ou' H
sDear me- said he after the usual santatlonsa
what nice little dinner party we shall De- anu
what lots there will BE to ssd INV wife, drawing her.
self up hope there is always enough to eat az my
| house, ht s;roa what ia
enonoh for three can scarcely be enough for four
teen so what is enough for fourteen mus. oe raner
too much for three howSVor citS ran l. NO
| error."' !. ,,ouo ,,o
called city man. but it was much more so to- be
Impressed with the conviction that the guest who
| had done so was intoxicated. ..,-,
What do you mean Dir. Luton, she ihquheu'
sby your fourteen and threeP .
Then he laughed q laugh peculiar to himself and a
stage demons: why my dear Mrs Litton Is !. i i
out of doorsf If / had not lived Just round the
corner. so that had no crossing TO get over. l
mot It %y like
man Why. bless you, nobody will think Of COM
ing to-nig6t no cab will bring them.
'Most-indeed, believe all-Our guests are car
riage people,, observed my wife with dignity. D..
Then, their coming is quite out of the question
know exactly what happens IN these cases The
SPEAK to his master. aWhat is IT, John I" G.itton
was one of those dreadful persons who give imita-
sir they're not my osscs You know You can do as
you like with 'em but my dooty Is to tell you its
much as Their lives is h worth to D6ng e GS on
or perhaps 90 down one OF them river streets into
the Thames. before we know where we are:"'
But, my dear Charles exclaimed my wife. turn
ing upon me with some abIuptneSs, why did you
not tell me what night it wasp
'Oh, it's little thick, no doubt said cheer
fully 'but did not wish to alarm You. Every
body will come. you'll see, in time perhaps we had
better have the dinner put back, say Tor half an
.Oh. that is not bit of good exclaimed Litton
(who felt sure had taken no luncheon; when he is
asked out to dinner he never Goes IL your guests
are to come at all. they will be here by this time
even if they come at foots pace; indeed that is
the only pace they could come, with the coachman
walking at the horses heads like cheap funeral
to wait for anybody, but spite of Littons aTgu.
ments or perhaps because of them tshe was as
have said, little superstitous and his allnslon TO
funeral and especially cheap one, gave her quite
q turn and by no means in his favor. she rang the
bell and ordered the feast to be postponed.
40 hung hungry. that felt compelled to offer him an
apology and glass of sherry. The latter he ac-
cepted with much alacrity. =.
knowing the tastes OF persons OF his class and lest
be should feel uncomfortable taking it alone, took
This had the effect of raising his spirits always
consider ably above concert pitch. which was most
unfortunate; for when one was stran!ng ones ear
las was for the symptoms of an arrival or specu-
IN mil last In w better
left out las most suitable for the morrow II nobody
| should come to eat them las my wife was,, 1t Is
difficult to appreciate the jokes even OF persons of
| distinction. among which class our only guest
| could hardly be reckoned:
| If Canon Cruciform and his wife had arrived. or
even Colonel and Mrs. Tit1in, We should net have
experienced such sense OF waste but to think that
we should have given dinner for fourteen to the
reflection indeed calculated to depress the human
mind. As to laughing at his Jokes did my best,
for after all he was my guest. bnt the eilor dc,
serves to be classed among the submest records OF
| self-sacrifce. To see him taking my wife,s arm
| downstairs, and myself following despondently.
like single mourner after the Slamese Twins must
have been trying spectacle to the walters VINO
| knew what was wrong as well as we did. and whose
checks were swollen, as though they had the
liz was a wonder he didn't, II must have set those
| men off and they would have 81 ploded
| The table had the appearance OF gorgeous table
d'hote to which all tho landlords art had failed to
attract customers. . .
is it possible sighed my wife, looking at tho
flowers and we always tried to please the old gem
tleman ct whatever COST Is it really possible
| that nobody is comngP 49, -,
significant pressure CT her foot for we had all set
| tied down at one end Of the table, as ducks in
frozen lake congregate round hole that has been
cleared OF ice or as sheep hudde together IN snow
| storm; you surely don't mean to call us nobody
| And OF one thing | am certain that II ne hasn't
broken his neck his leg, we shall see the Colonel
| He prdes himself on always Keeping his appoint
ment and never altering his mind. Don't you re.
member that picnic on Box Hill. which he insisted
I on his wife going to- though it was u pouring wet
| day and there was nobody there but thcmselvesr
Just like u.s. sighed my poor VIE ne linen sud
| as knock at the door shook the very house; i
IT sounds ike IT. said LittOn. unless it's new
There are some people so unhappily constituted
that they will make a joke of anything, however
| serious
| It was not the Canon, but telegram from him,
| dated apparently from the middle of Hyde Park.
I'VE have lost our way It said, and Heaven only
| from the first office, which may lie either at Ken
sington or Holborn Hill. We hope you will havo
| ~ A good Christian man. cried my wife with pa:
thos how little re knows tho real state OF the case
| And how little he cares if he only gets home
| jolly' The champagne had been handed round
| earlier than usual to keep up, our spirits II
ANYBODY was to now sp %b 'n ms sS
would be like the wretched people who are asked
after dinner party to look in in the evening"
Brutep murmured my wife; she thought she
was talking to herself but she wasn't.
mo, my dear, it's not Brut, its Clicqnoes Cham
pagne' said hastily tho dry Dreaming. which
the Colonel likes-by Jove! there is the Coloneln
We heard his commanding voice in our little hall
inquiring whether any one had come, as il he was
asking for volunteers for tUrlOrn hope; we also
heard him in reply to tho answer which was given
him, exclaim contcmptuOusly: Oh, only him!
We knew that Litton and the Colonel were ac-
quanted, but we did not know with what reclpro-
cal cordiality they hated one another.
We'll, I'm glad tho COloneIs come said my
wife. He's V. G., is he not Mr. Litton .
10 bai 10 afa uda f0r