Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-10-30
THE hANDsTREETs.
A STORY OF THE PEACH COUNTRY,
nv
OaoAR DALE
uOpyrishted BY 4as every ilvonins PublIshinN o.
CHAPTER ixy



"MR. oARswRLL's BALL"
In all the country about Landstreet,
BaRdad and Iron City there was eager
curiosity attended by pleasant anticips-
tion, for, the house now being complete,
the invitations to Mr.. Carswelps party
had gone forth. They were handsomely
engraved and were regarded by some Of
their recipients as valuable works Of art.
The elder Mas Juniper put hers In a
frame long occupied by small engrav-
Ing, hitherto the sole ornament Of he
Juniper mansion. "Florrie" Bsngs, the
store keepers daughter At Bsgdad knew
better than that, but she was moved to
the purchase OF card basket for the ex
press purpose OF lodging Carswell's
Invitation worthily on her psrlor table.
Though parties were no novelty to
Cayswell Il was an entirely new expert
enoe for MIN to give one. He had been
greatly disappointed by the failure OF an
attempt by Lutte Curtis to induce Miss
Norcross to psy her visit and go 10 the
party, but this feeling had partly worn
of alter the rso,ipt Of Miss Lily's
explanation OF her refusal, softened as II
had been by expressions Of her regret
kuu ubOlkIAttuu5 VI hu0 Piohnhto N ~ wy
gave her to bs with him, 80 that By tine
time the evening arrived Carswsll was as
full Of expectation as was any one.
The momentous day came at last and
Bob Lsndstrest made his first Appearaute
In TopgueoteaRue since Carswell's
arrival He was a brisk young lawyer
but did not greatly impress Carswell who
was at Mr.. Lsudstreet's when he arrived.
In fact CA-swsll was somewhat DIS
appointed and declared to himself that
Kaiie was "by far the better fellow tf the
two." 1t Is dus to young Lsndstreet to
say, hows yer, that he did not show at
his best, for he was grievously dis.
appointed because, either from diff eaos
or indiff renee, Miss Lizzie Carey had
declin. d Katie's invitation to come down
and visit her At the time Of the party
along with Alice Ashton and Sue
Richards, two OF her school friends
Katie had aiso gone to school with M'ss
Carey but had never been very intimate
with her, and wou.d not have invited her
10 visit hsr on this ocoIsion but for hint
given her by Lutte after the la'ter's
recent visit TO Wilmington that suoh an
invitation would be very gratifying to
Bob. t-t
An early supper was partakep Of at
Landstreet's In order that all the servants
except two old ones detailed TO stay at
home might 90 over TO Mr C,rswsli's aid
"hslp." They were o. com mparAtively
little use for CArswell had Drought DOVE
the one veteran caterer OF Wilmington
with his sable corps of assistants to man.
age the supper, aDd these turned up
A.. L. ah
Bile to their racs, at the notion that
"country nlgeers" could be of aly
possible use at ''arst GLASS party I"
Nevertheless the otuntry negroes wer
there by the score aud there wss 90 quss-
tion In their minds as to their absO.ut'
right 10 bs present a. friands If Mr.
Carsweli's own small baud OF serv .nis
and "the LAudstrset oulled folks I"
They were not ouly there bat were the
frat arrivals. Cars veil had learned from
Katie that this was the custom OF / Q
con try, aud he ,Std graosiully 10 II
and was greatly anu led al the unco =
oea.ed ouriosity Of hts self Invited guest
and their easy familiarity With himself
and others Cd Billy cams over early
from Mr.. Laudstrsat's and boldly a. :
sumed Command OF the band OF voiu utssr
hostlers, ordering them about as though
he own-d them. The kltohsn was full
OF ootored womsn aud toward thess 9
oity walters we're mors good nAiured han
they were toward ths men
The Laudstrsst party OF course arrive d
early and as they drove through the
lava thsy found it gay with numerous
Cainese lanterns ant light'd by tOroht
which Tom Landstreet had bought four
years before to lend to the Landatrett
Democratic Club and af;erwafds stored
away unused because OF Greeley's noni
nation, Even Tom admitted that 1t was
'mighty purity, though not worth the
cost"
The hour, 8 O'Clock, had been pat on
the Invitations and the first carriage
turned into the laue on the minute aud
from the rapidity with which others ar
rived thereafter It almost seemed that til,
euests had waited In the roads neal
Rensselaer, In order to APPEAR in time
large wagon load Of guests arrived frou
Bagdad and they came up the illuminated
lawn gsily singing. The whole hons'
was lighted and thrown open but Mr.
Oarswell, Mr.. aud Mrs. Ian istr'et Rnt
Katie stood in the parlor to reoeiv4 ih'
people, aud as Carswell needed prompt
Ing concerning the names OF his guests
msny Of whom he had never met bu
onoe before, Katie stood within eAs!
whispering distance Of the host leavinI
70 her mother and Bob the duty Of intro
duoIug her two Wilmington friends, 10
II must be remembered that IN tn
ooutry everybody ia introduced TO every
body.
Csrswell aud Bob Lsudatrsst had ur
hesitatingly d1nned their dress coats, bu
they felt a little conspicuous till afte
the arrival OF Frank Broughton an
Charlie Barlow similarly attired, bu
these four reosived no more reinforcs
ments until the Wilmington oolors
walters appeared on the scene whe
supper was served. Bat "the one abst
soiutsly well-dressed man In the room,
as Carswell whispered to Katie, wa
Mr.. Thomas Lar dstreet. The old gentle
man unresistinglV, for once, yielded
Imprisonment In his "beat olothes."
pair Of blue trowsers enoassd his leg
q broad txpauss OF linen covered hi
chest, framed 10 q great buff wAisicoi
which covered the ample rotundity belo
the chest, while . real cambria neoke
ohief--no petty tie-sDUiroled the hiR
long-pointed standing COLLAR In whiC
his cheeks appsAred to rest, and tn
kerohief had been tied by his wife's de
fingers SO that the ends Rraoefully huI
down ''like George Washington's Ia
tie" Carswsll said He wore blue DIRE
coat with brass buttons while above q
this fuery doomed Toms great red ia
shining with pleasure ss he greet,
everybody In loud tones and bit his II
from time to time In his efforts to ke
the promise he had made to his wife n
to swear once, In the presence OF lAdis
during the whole evening. Wise lit
Mrs. Laudstrset did not wish to demsi
too much and make the burden she Il
posed on her poisy spouse unbearRbl
Tom did wonderfully we'll, and Kati,
Wilmington friends were not shocked
she had feared they might be by b
fathsr's performances. Fortunately {
night was cool for June, but Tom need
his red silk handkerchief frequently q
when It was not In use 1t was thrust IL
his bosom where II looked like gl'
bouquet and completed the pioiureEq q
effect OF his costume.
And what shall be said Of the ladi
dresses The author confesses himsel
man and refuses to subject himself to
soorn Of his feminine readers
preordained failure TO which any seriG
attemptto describe feminine gowns wor
lead him. Those interested will have
look through the flles Of the Bagd
Banner for that year, in which q full
count Of the party will be found witt
careful description Of all the dres
specially prepared by the young lady
whom the editor was ''psying attention
aha In turu. having had the Rssistal