Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-06
WOMAN AND HOME.
A HOSTESS WHO PLACED GUESTS
IN AN AWKWARD SITUATION.

Children Should Consult Their Parents.
Untruthfulness - Unconscious Cruelty.
The Old Baby-Let the Girls Romp.
Open tho BIinds-The Hair-Notes Etc.
A hostess is supposed to give her attention
both before and after an entertainment to
the enjoyment Of her guests, and SO natural
is the instinct of hospitality that women do
this to certain extent involuntarily, but
many other times, with perfect unconscious
ness, they place their guest in an awkward
situation. 1 was forcibly reminded of this
at witnessing recently joke merry fellow
played upon his fellow guests at large din
ner given at beautiful country house.
Among the knives forks and spoons found
at each cover the guests soon observed very
singularly shaped spoon, the like OF which
not one of all the twenty or more assembled
had ever seen. 1t was long, and the bowl,
over which WIS a little handle, was triangle
in shape Itlay quite harmless looking affair
and yet a weapon which doubtless sent dismay
| to many an apparently indifferent observer,
/ for its shape suggested no reason of its why
/ and wherefore. OF course, it was one Of the
/ recent innovations which enterprising deal
( ers are continually forcing upon the notice
]
( was a new acquisition in this pretentious
! fashionable and wealthy household, was
: also apparent by the glaringly new shine OF
the silver.
Course after course of the elaborate dinner
/ went on, and if the keen edge of enjoyment
! for those persons who always worry over
/ TRIES was gone it was because the specter at
Che feast was this mysterious SPOON, and that
it was ghost which would not be laid in the
minds Of more than would seem possible was
openly confessed by merry party of eight
who drove home together through the moon
lit night. There was but one resource-as
carelessly and quietly as possible to keep an
eye turned hostcssward, for the owner Of the
strange possession must be familiar with its
use.
1t CHANGED that the joke loving man men
toned had been assigned the honor Of es-
cortlng his hostess to the table. Being a
careful student of human nature, 1t did not
take him long TO form the conclusion that his
nelghbors were filed with sense of the pos
slbiilty of making faux pas, and no as
quickly determined that somebody should do
this II he could effect it. What cared he
whether it partially fell upon bis own head
If he could get a joke on somebody else? So
when the fish came on and proved to be an
elaborately made dish for which this singu-
lar affair might possibly be the article OF
use. there was an almost fmperceptible lull,
n succession of quick glances toward the
head OF the table, and hesitating f1utter Of
hands, and this joker submitted his hostess
to such running fire of questions that she
was the very last person to take up her
fork and calmly begin to eat. Then
followed a succession of courses for
which the articles Of use SO obviously
suggested themselves that there could
be no mistake, and then came q punch
in which were frozen rum, cherries, while on
the plate which held the pretty punch glass
was little os something which afterward
proved TO be strange sweet East Indian con-
dlment Again the half anxious hull, and
again was the attention of the hostess en-
chained and diverted until some woman more
bold and self confident than those about her
seized an ordinary little gold spoon and
straightway, like flock Of geese, every one
followed the leader. Then came terrapin
served individually IN paper cases, and now
Mr.. Joker had his fun. His hostess was in
such absolute commissions Of laughter over
his funny stories that eating would have re-
suited in choking had she attempted it, and
by the time she dipped this new queer spoon
into the dish he had the satisfaction of feel
ing that owo-thirds Of bis friends had made
en- exhibition of greenness.
So much did this amuse his highness that
he declares some day he shall give dinner
In which everything shall be served In and
eaten with newfangled dishes and nipple
mentS, and the only regrets shall be tho
know everything, never mistaken sort Of
persons. The moral of the contretemps is
that hostess, thoughtful and kind, whose
housekeeping apprrtenances are novel and
likely to he unfamiliar to friends perhaps
less favored with that power for possessing
new innovations, should avoid the possibility
of making them feel awkward not of course
by keeping her possessions locked away In
her silver safe or her china closet, but by
setting quick example Of what use to put the
new thing, or, as might easily have been done
in the above case, having the spoon sent to
each individual at the same time and on the
Same plate with the paper case holding the
terrapin. There could then have been no
mistake and no discomfort, while the service
would have been quite as pretty.-''S. S. Z.
NJ il Chicago Herald.