The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1882-03-24
WHAT'S HOSPITALITY?
BEFORE THE PARTY.

There. l believe old Mrs. Peckliam's
name completes the number! William
my dear, will you please listen to this
list Of invitations, and see if l have
omitted any one to whom we are in
debted?' The poor father-Of-the-fami.
ly, thus addressed. meekly laid by his
spectacles and paper and prepared to
submit to the inevitable.
1t was way Mrs. Barnes had OF
planning with her daughter Alice some
expensive indulgence, and, when too
late to be recalled, springing the sub
ject upon her husband in an easy mat
ter-Of-course way, which left him
no alternative but half unwilling con-
sent.
why, you see, my dear, she went on
in answer TO his questions of surprise,
we haven't had a large company in
over year, and we are really under
obligations to all these people-fifty-
eight make i'm ALL
Il do detest large companies began
Mr.. Barnes.
I'm sure you cannot dread this thing
any more than do put in Mrs. b.,
'and all the work and care to come up-
on me, too; but it is not so bad as a
number Of small gatherings, just as it
is better to have several doomed teeth
all extracted at once, rather than to
keep dreading them
What would these people say if they
knew mother compared their entertain
ment to pulling teethp-this from
Alice, in an aside to brother Fred; but
that young gentleman, who had been to
college, assured her that it was the way
with the world; they all felt just So
well, we must at least study sim
plicity in our arrangements, and that
will ease both your labor and my pock-
et-book,' said Mr.. barnes.
Sure enough, let's institute a new
departure, as Julia Dorr did in Rutland
assented Fred. She just had a dainty
bit of cream and fruit, OF something,
and lots of fellows went home hungry,
not relishing the feast of reason and
flow of soul.'
That is very well for literary people
whose houses are full of objects of in
terest,' said his mother-'And who
have other ways of entertaining people
than through their stomachs,' whisper
ed naughty Alice-'but we must have
an elegant supper, or we will give up
the party. Of course we must have
oysters and several cold meats, besides
ices, ice-cream, fruits, coffee and chOcO-
late. We will pinch somewhere else to
make up; leave that to me, William
And the lady went on complacently
reading her list. DIR. and Mrs. Rollins;
you recollect we were invited to their
daughters wedding. Mr.. and Mrs.
Cross silver wedding
Both which obligations cost us a
pretty little sum for presents to people
we don't care thing about said Mr..
Barnes, bitterly. Mary, if you ever
hear me say a word about our having a
metal wedding, know at once that am
either crazy or in my dOtage. When
we get so low as to invite people to give
us presents, will 60 round with asub-
scription paper, but will never get up
the modern farce of silver or golden
wedding
Then here are the Livingstones,
pursued the lady, who have just come
to town, but real quality people, whom
it is best to place under obligations to
us; and Squire Harding
who invited me to his breakfast, be
cause he wanted my VOTE put in pater-
familias, unpleasantly. But it's all
right, my dear, all right, l suppose, only
one cannot help wondering what the
Saviour meant, when he said: when
thou makest a dinner or a supper, call
not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither
thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors,
lest they also bid thee again, and a re-
cOmpense be made thee
Probably that will all be changed in
the new translation said Alice, who
was disposed to be bit cynical, like
her father, and to see through the ven
eering of society shams,
Let us pass lightly over the dreadful
days of preparation; the turning up
side-down of the house from top tO
bottom, the polishing of silver, the i'm.
portation of crockery and extra help( n
and the endless cooking, cooking, for
the Barnes family could not afford to
order their supper from the local Del
monico's. So the younger children
stoned raisins and beat eggs, and enjoy
ed immensely the confusion and gener.
al air of something coming; and the
family subsisted upon outside slices OF
roasts, unfortunate biscuits and test
pieces of cake. Some things went
wrong, of course, and had to be done
over, and there was hurry and terrible
anxiety for Mrs. Barnes, who, l am
sorry to say, lost her temper several
times. and developed unknown powers
OF Seeding. But everything was whisk
ed into line at the very last moment
and the poor lady with racking head
ache was trying to get dressed and COM
posed, when somebody announced the
first carriage.
How dreadfully early some people
do come. Here, Alice, help me on
with this lace quick, ! hoped to have
moment TO breath.