Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-12-08
Bill Arp's Letter
HE is HAVING A GOOD TINE AT HOME

HE is HAVING A GOOD TINE AT HOME
| A VISIT FROM THE PREACHER AND VIVA
CAME OF IT-AN OYSTER SUPPER AND
MUSICAL soIREE-A HoMILY ON CARDS
BILLIARDS AND DANCING - OTHER RE
MARKS BY MR.. ARP.
From the Atlanta (Ga..) constitutional
We had good time at our home las
night, an extra good time, for the preache
came out to spend the evening and brough
| some nice young men with him. Our girl
knew they were coming to tea for l OBJ
served some commotion in the kitchen ant
pantry during the day, and heard the signii
icant sound OF spoon beating up some
thing in the large yellow bowl. The tabl,
was heightened out and the damask cloth
spread over it and the chinaware brought
down from the top shelf in the closet. The
ashes were taken up in the parlor freplac,
and the hearth recoated with Spanisf
brown and clean tidies pinned on the parlol
chairs. 1t is all right, thought I-go ahead
we will have something uncommon good
to eat to night. / can always tell wher
company is coming by the way the girls fly
round. Our preacher is a young man too
10 fact, he is quite boy sometimes, for he
loEes froic and holds up his corner we'll
but he never compromises the dignity o
his calling. A church at Tallahassee ad
vertised for preacher, and said they
wanted young man who was unmarried
When our preacher saw it he shook his
head and said, 81 am not so overly young
and shall give no guaranty on the mar
riage question"
We had oysters for supper, and as there
was nothing else upon the table and nc
blue ribbon on the castor, concluded il
was just an oyster supper, and as helped
the guests bountifully from the big tureen
and we talked and told anecdotes and en-.
Joyed the delicious shell fruit, and I re.
newed their supply, for thought this was
all, except the coffee that was to come. By
and by the tureen and plates were removed,
and suddenly large platter of broiled
chickens was brought forward, and other
rich viands too numerous to mention. 1t
occurred to me that had pressed the oys
ter business rather much considering, but
We all managed to dispose of the second
course quite literally aud when there was
reasonable cessation of hostilities, | was
about to give the signal to rise and depart
those coasts when the waiting maid began
to remove the plates to a side table. l
looked around in surprise and then came a
whole platoon of large saucers fu' of trans.
parent jelly or jellyteen or .omething
tangled up on cream and sugar, and was
thankful that the end was at hand. The
cake was passed round in the silver-plated
baskets and was lavishly complimented by
the young men who somehow or somehow
else found out that the girls, made it. !
know from the wa. they talked they had
never found any cake quite as good as that.
But all good things must have an end, and
gave sigh of relief and was about to
rise, when to my amazement that same
persecuting waitress came along with big
lot OF wine -colored tumblers, full to the
high top with some foamy stuff that rested
on a creamy fluid, and | unconsciously ex-
claimed ooh, my country-is this the
last ~ My piteous tone brought down the
house, and my better half looked at me
with a desparing look. Well, it was a
splendid repast aud a series of surprises, but
1t Was awfully tedious TO man of my
primitive habits. l see in your paper that
reception is to be given to some famous
musician and tho invited guests are ex-
pectsd to be in full dress. Well, of course,
covered. both the men and the women, and
hope they won't go there half clad, but if
1t means swallow tail coat, that lets me
out. will send old Father Markham in
my place, for he totes one behind him all
the tiEe. He is the only man 1 know of
who is always ready for highfalutin COM
pany.
We got back to the pnrlor in due time
and found some more company, and then
the music began, for the young men were
skilled in the divine art, and one of them a
splendid performer on the fiddle or the
violin or whatever you call it. 1t dident
take any swallow tails to hear him play
and enjoy his melody. He was not our
preacher though. / never heard but one
preacher play the violin, and that was
Judge Longstreet, and he outplayed any
body in his day. The Methodist dident
ike it much and they wouldent have tole-
rated it in any preacher but him. Even
Sam Jones would have had to shut up.
Our preacher has got about as many eyes
in his head as anybody, and as he sat near
my secretary his fingers meandered to a
deck of beautiful cards that the girls forgot
to hide, and as he shuffled them carelessly
in his hand, he exclaimed, swell, this is
an age of pictures. l never saw SO many,
and some of them are too lovely for any,
thing, but these are different from any /
have seen. What are these for, young
ladies ?'' saw their cunning embarrsss
ment, and came to their relief. s"lbose
are my lecture tickets" said I. ooh, yes,
l see!' said he, "This one with five spots
admits family of five, and this one with
ten spots family of ten." "Exactiy so,"
said l, ''and those with pictures are compli-
mentaries for the preachers" 81 under
stand" said he, ''and so will just take
two or three of these home with me-" and
he slipped queen and jack in his
pocket.
''Those cards." said I, "are reminders of
many things. There are four kinds which
remind US of the four seasons. The spade
reminds US that labor is the leading trump
in this worlds affairs the club that We
must be aggressive and force our way the
diamond that money is good thing to
help; and the heart that after all, riches
and labor and force are worth nothing
without love. There are twelve of those
picture cards which remind us of the twelve
months in the year, and fifty-two cards in
the deck which tell us of the fifty-twO
weeks in the year, and" "And," said
he, interrupting me, "there are just 365
Spots IN all, which remlnu US OF the mum DER
of days in the year" Right then 1 sur
rendered for saw he knew as much about
deck of cards as did, and / expect he
has played many game in gully or be-
hind his fathers barn Well, after all it is
as be says the influence of bad associations
that makes many things wrong that are
not wrong in themselves. There is GER
tainly no more harm IN game of cards by
the family tireside than in game of mar
bles or Jack in the bush or hull gull OF
word making. There is chance and skill
in moss all games But cards are used by
gamblers. and so cards are under the ban
just like the violin used to be under the
ban because the music was most frequent
in the doggery. But these prejudices are
going away. | visited several club rooms
in North Carolina. where billiard tables
were part of the furniture. but no young
man could become member, or even be
admitted, who was in the habit of drink
ing The ministers and ladies of the tewH
were members. There we're good libraries
and all the standard magaz nes and news
papers. Good fires were kept and good
manners were the rule. The young mer
who travel for commercial houses, and who