The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-11-04
Our Sunday Night Teas.

believe in good dinner on Sunday,
the only day in the week when the guide
man of my house has his dinner with
his family. l also believe in making
Sunday day of rest and gladness for
nv faithful, hard-worked Chloe. How
to combine these two things has long
been q problem, which at last we have
solved, to the entire satisfaction of all
concerned.
We have dinner at haH-past one,
when we come from Sunday School.
The table is laid with snowy cloth and
the best china always, and generally
for one guest We like to bring home
with US some home-sick student or pale
faced teacher, who only boards, not
lives, or friend who loves q Sunday
''sing," and can help with fingers or
voice. Chloe, in a fresh calico and
white apron, comes in to wait on us,
when her dinner, nicely served and
garnished, Is ready. In summer we
give up soup, and have lettuce or to-
mato salad between the meat course and
dessert, and there is always coffee or tea
last The dinner is the pleasantest and
most leisurely of the week, as well as
the incest. As much as possible is pre-
pared on Saturday. By four o'clock
Chloe has everything cleared away, her
breakfast table neatly set, and goes
smiling out of the side door in her best
array, not to return till ten O'Clock.
On side table in the dining-room she
has set out a waiter, with a plate of
thin bread and butter nicely piled. a
basket of cake, pitcher of ice-water,
another of milk, dish of baked apples
or fruit over all napkin. There is
also the little japanese tray and tea
things, with which the tea is always
made on the table, instead of being
boiled and spoiled in the kitchen. If it
Is winter, she leaves the tea-kettle ready
to boil at a minutes notice. In sum-
mer | boil the water in a saucepan over
the kitchen gas. 1t takes five minutes,
and that is all the work to be done for
our Sunday night teas. The meal is
made perfectly informal. If we are 90
ing to evening service, my husband and
l sometimes take ours when we come
home, and let the rest of the family
have theirs when they choose
Sometimes we have happy Sunday
evenings at home, all together. These
are Tue UeSt, anu VIII nave lOlQ on
the children, am sure, while they live.
There are long. quiet chats, with
Papa" in the middle of the sofa, the
little heads on each side nestled close;
or our favorite game, each repeating a
line of poetry. beginning with A, and
SO going through the alphabet; or sing
out of our beautiful Sunday School
Hymnal, which is so much moderated
by people in general. On these even
ings our tea becomes a real pleasure.
bring the waiter into the library, and
put it on little, round table before the
open fire. While the Souchong is brew
ing in the little, blue china teapot, the
children pass the bread and butter, or
every body helps himself in picnic fash
ion without ceremony. In summer the
little table is wheeled out on the piazza,
and we have our tea there, with the
shadows of the vine leaves dancing
over us while we watch the sinking
sun. Ten minutes is more than enough
to gather up the few dishes afterward.
The children, happy in anything out of
weekday routine, say, How lovely
Sunday is!'' And we elders think,
How good God is who gave us our
home!-Mrs. S. II. Gilman, in Good
Housekeeping.