Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-05
WOMAN AND HOME.
A HOSTESS WHO PLACED GUESTS
IN AN AWKWARD SITUATION.

children Should Consult Their Parent.
Untruthfulness Unconscious Cruelty
Old Bahy-Let the Girls Romp.
Open the Biinds-The Hair-Notes. Etc.
A hostess is supposed to give her attention
ooth before and after an entertainment to
the enjoyment of her guests, and so natural
is the instinct of hospitality that women do
this to a certain extent involuntarily, but
many other times, with perfect unconscious
ness they place their guest in an awkward
situation. l was forcibly reminded of this
at witnessing recently joke merry fellow
played upon his fellow guests at large din
ner given at a beautiful country house.
Among the knives, forks and spoons found
at each cover the guests soon observed very
singrlarly 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 was little handle, was triangle
in shape. 1t lay quite harmless looking affair
and yet 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
of luxury loving race, and that, too, it
was a new acquisition in this pretentious
fashionable and wealthy household, was
also apparent by the gIaringly new shine of
the silyT
Cop0so after course of the elaborate dinner
weht On. and if the keen edge of enjoyment
Tor those persons who always worry over
tri0es was gone il was because the specter at
the feast was this mysterious SPOON and that
it was ghost winch would not be laid in the
minds Of more than would seem possible was
openly confessed hy merry party of eight
who drove home together through the moon
lit night Their was but one resource-as
carelessly and quietly as possible to keep an
eve turned hosteSSward, 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-
corting his hostess to the table Being a
careful student Of human nature, it did not
take him long to form the conclusion that his
nelghbors were filled with sense of the Dos
sibility Of making 4 faux pas, and he as
quickly determined that somebody should do
this If be could effect it, What cared he
whether it partially fell upon his own head
il he could get joke on somebody elsel So
when the fish came On and proved to be an
alaborately made dish for which this Singh
lar affair might possibly be the article of
use, there was an almost imperceptble hull,
succession Of quick glances toward the
head of the table, and hesitating flutter of
hands, and this joker submitted his hostess
to such running fire of questions that she
was the very last person to take 10 her
1,,,1v
followed a succession of courses for
which the articles of use so obviously
suggested themselves that there could
be no mistake, and then came punch
In which were frozen rum, cherries, while on
- the plate which held the pretty punch glass
was little OF something which afterward
proved TO be a strange sweet East Indian con-
diment. Again the half anxious lull, and
again was the attention of the hostess en-
chained and diverted until some woman more
bold and self confident than those about her
Nized an ordinary little gold spoon and
straightway, like flock of geese, every one
followed the leader Then came terrapin
erved Individually in paper cases, and now
alr Joker had his fun His hostess was in
ssuee 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 twO-thirdS Of his friends had made
an exhibition of grsenness.
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 newfaugled dishes and imple-
inents, and the only regrets shall be she
: -Inow everything, never mistaken sort of
persons. The moral of the contretemps is
that hostess, thoughtful and kind, whose
housekeeping appurtenances are novel and
likely TO be 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
tarrspin. There could then have been no
mistake and no discomfort, while the service
would have been quite as pretty.-"S. S. E.
NJ" in Chicago Herald