New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-08

Tho clans being gathered around the table. Aunt
Isabella views them with mingled relief aud apmc-
hcnsion. As she looks down the ilne oil faces SIp
encounters tho intense and somewhat guilty glahccS
of Aunt Amelia. who is sureDtiOusiy mDDllng inc emu
of an oyster Aunt Amelia with presence oil nina
looks abstraccdlv at the handle of the oyster fork
which She dreamly lowers and Aunt Isabella becomes
suddenly d,strant and gloomy. Meanwhile tho con
yersation buzzes merrily. Cousin Jerome be'hS his
pretty slxtccnyear old Cousin Agnes reloices III h''
freedom and wills pers to the pretty cousin VINO leans
hack In her chair, gggl;ng deghtedly, ana every no"
and then casting shy startled glanccs at her mother
In fact Cousin JeromeS high SPLITS quito carry n'lu
away-for In ono of those sudden paiises. when VIII
~ ,ba host regulated dinner he IS heard lemaiE Elm
to the cousin: ,,,
why. haven't YOU heard ?--Uncle Irastus Is really
very i'll Tie doctors have inst discovered that hc mas
heen suffering for years with tho enlargement OIL 'ho
feet
BELLA mildly surprised. But Oous" '''' -
dronped his napkin and IS burrowing under the taDo
t A. Whom emerces no has the appearance OF haVih'
a rush OF blood to tho head
Mani f., next Uncle Johns deaf ear. and cohVoisa
ion IN their vicinity has languIshod Uncle Johh poI
trtent on tn, menu. Cousin Maud being uneasy S'o'
rho various forls Before each course sh9 TOYS
l., with a,st ono then another. her cyoS fssehco VI
Aunt lsabella's fingers. At the fish MAUI Vaou '",
,ions are upset by Aunt Isabella having "H''Doo
colloquy with one of tho footineh uo',''H 80 ,he
with her fan to a dish visible at tho iai o'u " ~,
,, cousin Maud Is forced to fill In the Interim WIN
h airy nersiaace as Is consistent with Uheio JON"
deaf ear. 80, .o,,o Cous,r
little later. at tho upper end Of the 'apio, .oue,n
Ethel propares to shock Aunt lsapoiA anu
Thomas and IN answer to Aunt Isabella's pon'o
"whst are you doing with yourself now h'hei
t.IH
rve been reading Bslzac over agatha great man ;
palzac Is but an awful name to Aunt lsapeila WIN
,oos, rs gently grleved Is consistent WIN her W
Gu paiicn Of sicing the pudding
Ra,zaos-sllce-" how can you read'-the kniic
sps and sprnkles little burning brandy on ts tao''
- Ch--mcrcy Jerome, piease-youi iapkis-
thanks dcars-bites her lip as she deposits Inc 'n'e
safely on the pato-" What was l saying '-oh' yes
palzac-hs's dreadful for-Mr Harry, JamcS-youne
girls like YOU
Ethel perseveres and says swectly but with con
cealed aecrbty,
81 hardly think you'd say that dear Auntle, II you
were more conversant with his works.
Aunt Isabella look, down tho table and seeing hall
a dozen puddingess plaes signs, then suddenly turns
and smiles with bswdeIing empressement upon Ethel
sob hate French books" she says piungng In the
knife" who is 1t, James Master JackT-smiios
again ON Ethol who begins to look thundcrous-
-Therei Ny bracelet No, tho one on this wrist
It's unolas ped and caught In the lace jerome DEAR
YOU could-Thanzs SO much, what a clever boy ~
How many moro Pearson, Well. Ethels you were
saying1'
Ethel In a suppressed fury, determines to do II
this time or de-
al was merely remarkng,r cily, " that people who
object to Dalzac as broad are narrow thomselves-in
fact too conventional to DO anything olse The
artistic mind must overlook all such pocuiarties
The laws that govern genius--'
Aunt Isabella who has been regarding Ethel with
tho fxty Of abstraction,
"Would you mind, dear, asking Harry to pass the
marrons TO your Aunt Annie.n
A sudden Invasion OF children hero mskes a happy
diversion! The progeny of tho various branches o.
the family dispose themselves about their parents
in representative family groups Aunt Annies chill
drcn crowd IN between tho chairs. Helen and PhiliI
struggle TIL Philip pushes Holen to Uncle Erastus.
knee Helen with blood In her eye. cries ferccly
|" You nasty pIgl'
Then turning meets tho austerc gaze Of Uncle Eras
tus and subsidies suddenly Into frozen silence Cousir
Serenas little daughter makes plunge for the bonbrn
upsots O glass Of vino and weeps Aunt Isabellas
Lillian comes creeping in and leans heavily, child
fashion, against Aunt Isabella Every now and her
she steals sudden quick sido glance at Cousin Jerome
who vuigary winks at her In return Finally she ,oh
ut him sideways through her dropping curls and wins
both eyes In manner which causes Cousin Jsrom,
TO with tho keen appreciation Of tho cultured
artist,
by George, what arusher she'll DO some day -
Tho future crushor, emboldenod by success sidiss
toward him, takes o scat on HIS knee aud begins
conversation, twisting his shirt studs In her delighted
embarrassment TIL Cousin Jerome fears che will twist
thcm out altogether A murmur at the other end oil
table, drowned In loud and ropsatsd Hshes.' hers
attracts attention. end = the chorus ot HshsA' sub