The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-10
LITTLE DINNERS.
How TO Make These Entert ailments
Bright and Cheerful to
the Guests.


writer in the Home Journal, should
consist of from six to twelve we'll
chosen guests, bright, clever, sociable
people, who will keep the ball of con-
versation rolling, changing the topics
from grave to gay, from lively to Sc
we're" The room well lighted, well
warmed, with pretty, well arranged
table. will alone give sense OF bten
entire to people coming in from the out
side cold. The dinner for small
party ought to be small. Clear soup,
fish, two nice entrees Zone light and
one dark) q joint, we'll hung saddle of
mutton, being the best, game, and two
well chosen sweets, one being an iced
souffle, and savory will be quite
enough. But everything must be well
cooked, as hot, if not hotter than pos
sible, the meat well hung, and the
soup, fish and entrees perfect of their
kind. Let dinner like this be served
at round table, and the wine be of
the best quality of its kind; and what
man, aye, and woman, too, but what
will say: Fate cannot harm me, have
dined to-day!" All this, to be well
done. must entail trouble on the mis-
tress of the house. But, if she is the
right sort Of woman, these cares will
be pleasures; and if she is not of the
right sort, no little dinner will ever be
a success in her house, even with
round table. The table decorations
alone are test as to the capabilities
of the mistress of the house. This is
with some women an Unborn gift; some
have no artistic faculties whatever. A
pretty arrangement at this time of the
year is piece Of peacock plush in
the center of the table, with low mass
es of maiden-hair fern, and large white
or yellow japanese crysanthemums;
and, if l had my way, no dessert should
ever be put on the table. A clearly
written menu to every guest. And let
the dinner be helped with "a feast Of
reason and flow of soul, much be-
ing in the power of the hostess, if
bright, intelligent woman, to start top
les, and keep the conversation going
without seeming to do so. Then let the
dinner finish with little dessert, some
Chateau Marsa,x with the chill off,
and good coffee we'll made. Most peo-
pie, after this, will be in genial mood
when they reach the drawing-room, and
will he ready to be entertained and be
entertaining.
1t has been the misfortune of most of
Us to experience quite another sort Of a
little dinner. where from first to last
everything goes wrong. As we enter
the door, a foreboding of our fate comes
over us, as mingled smell of cooking,
grease and other denominations greet
our olfactory nerves; the servants show
US into cold, primly- Furnished draw
ing room, where the fire, half out,
vainly struggles with the gloom of the
badly-trimmed, evil-smelling lamps.
The mistress of the house is handsome
ly, but untastefully dressed, and from
the higher regions come shrieks of Woe
We 90 down to dinner; the soup Is thin,
the salmon is either half raw or else
boiled to rags; the entrees, evidently
from the pastry cook. consist of vol
ADVENT, with the legs of the chicken
from last nights ball supper, dish of
outlets, evidently a rechaufe; the joint
is tough and undercooked, and the
game not fit to eat; sweets ill-chosen
and worse served. This is a little din
ner at which the male element is
gloomy, and the female bored. The
mistress of the house leaves things in
the hands of an incompetent staff of
servants. We have suffered like this
at the hands of our friends, and regis
tered vow never to suffer the like
again, if it is in our power to prevent
it. Now, if the menu had only con-
sisted of good soup, well cooked fish,
good leg of mutton, a fruit tart and
cream, with good bit of cheese to fin
ish up with, in a well-warmed room,
very few would have found anything to
grumble at
The first little dinner Is, if well done,
bright and cheerful episode in our
life. But if it is not in the power of the
mistress Of the house to have it well
done, she had better leave 1t alone.
When l say well done, by no means
intend that thrust be the cause of great
expense to the giver. 1t will be found
quite possible, with good care and good
management to have a perfectly
faultless little dinner, which both en-
tertainer and entertained will feel much
brighter and better for. without the
cost being at all beyond the means Of
the sort Of people am referring to.
The great art of dinner giving is,
never attempt more than your own staff
can do well; have no dishes you have
not proved your own cook can do, and
let house, table. dinner, all show that
every care has been taken by all con-
cerned to make the little dinner a sue.
cess. And II madam does ask her lord
and master for little more money for
the months bills. he knows that he has