Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-29
THE SUMNER PARTY.

We used to 60 to Mrs. Goodfellow's every
summer when was child That is how /
happened to be there when the summer party
came up.
You may know or you may not know that
school teachers are the widest Of all summer
boarders.
You'd think them sage maiden ladies in
blue spectacles and brown wells, wouldn't
yous Indeed, they are not.
This summer party came from New York,
and they all taught school
Mrs. Goodfellow was enough in herself for
propriety, but there were plenty Of other
folk there, especially an English lady-who
thought it all shocking"
Mrs. Goodfellew said that, according to
American ideas, it was all right.
Il feel as if they were all my children"
said she. my own are all married and
away, and it most broke my heart to hev
'em 60" she said. "And heving young folks
makes it seem like old times. l like to see
'em kiting round and playing ball with fish
net-good exercise, poor dears-and dunno
as l don't like 'em best of all my boarders,
they've got such nice appetites fer ginger
meats, and it's fun to see 'em sneak away to
court, like my Liddy Jane and Ann Eliza
used to. hope I'll never get to feelin' as if
didn't sympethize with young folks, and
want to see 'en serious and hate to hear 'em
laugh, and not want 'em to sing and play
onto the melodeon, and carry on Seems to
me shill hope it's my time to go when it
comes to that"
No wonder Mrs. Goodfellow, who acted up
to her principles. was general favorite. No
wonder that when those young people asked
each other, "Where shall we gosn the unani-
nous answer was, ITO Mrs. Goodfellow's"
There they all were-Eveline Brown and
Fannie Green, Kate Grey and Rose White,
Alice Black and Gladys Jaune-not an agly
girl among them. And there was Tom Hope
and Dick Breeze and Harry Ashe and Rob
Bunting and VIII Roth and Charlie Garden,
aud it was jolly party, as one might ex-
pect, when every one Of those young men
had vowed to offer his hand, heart and-no-
can't say fortune--his hand, heart and sal
airy to one of those young ladies before vaca-
ton was over.
Tom Hope, who was a bright eyed, black
haired, jolly young fellow, who had no idea
of waiting for what he wanted, contrived to
get EveHne Brown into forward car-they
had all vowed to sit together-and he should
have been ashamed of himself, but he was
not, and proposed going down.
There was no one 10 hear him except an
old German, whom he felt sure could not I'M
derstand English, so he told her that he loved
her, and that he thought it would be twice
as jolly if they could begin that vacation as
engaged folk, and be said there was no girl
on earth as pretty as she was or as good, and
when she said it was sudden he said, Life
is short"
Then he asked her if he might put the ring
he wore on his little finger on her first finger,
and began to take off her glove, and when he
had pulled it entirely of he put the ring on
and kissed it, because it was, as he declared,
necessary to that in order that it might stay
on. Then he said
"Oh, Evviel" and she said, "Oh. Tom!n
And on that the old German who could
not speak English" held out his hand and said:
''Shakel | gingratulates you, young peo-
Piles. Dot vos right Dot vos vot did my
self. Ven you vos young dot vos de goot
times, and / hope you get so many blessings
as got myself. Dot over dere vos mine wife
and my nine children, and dink dot vos goot
for a man in sixteen years-nine boys unit
girls"
And after all he meant so well that, though
Evvie blushed, she could not feel angry
That is how Tom did it. As for Dick
Breeze, he waited until they had had tea, and
then took Fannie Green out rowing.
tom and Evvie are engaged, said he.
at looks like it," said Fannie
LET us be-" said Dick
'You ought to ask ma and pa first said
Fannie
"Never heard of such a thingi' said Dick.
"a pretty mess I'd be in if they accepted me
and you did not!"
perhaps they might forbid it." said Fan
ME
"S'pose I'd care if they did if you said yesGn
said Young America.
''Wen, ma and pa do generally do as tell
Them" said Fannie.
And that was the way he did it.
Harry Ashe and Kate Grey lost their way
in the woods, and were found very hungry
but happy.
She told US that since they thought they
might be going TO starve together they felt
they could bear 1t if they were engaged
When the mad bull chased Rose White and
Rob Bunting saved her, calling the bulls at
tention to himself by waving red handker
chief, and really was good deal hurt, that
affair was settled and VIII Roth wrote a
etter and carried it to the postoftice, and it
was three days coming, and Alice Blacks
answer was a whole week getting to him.
Still when it did come it was an acceptance,
and everything would have been perfect for
at last if it had not been for
Gladys jaime.
Gladys was firt, and we all said that the
way she behaved to Charlie Garden was SIM
ply shameful
She told me one day that she felt that in
getting up this summer party the boys had
aid trap for US, and that she, for one,
would not fall into it She would not return
home engaged She was not sure, she said,
hat she liked Charlie enough-at all events,
he wanted her freedom-and she got me TO
,e with her all tbs time.
l was only IA, but felt for Charlie Gar
len. Indeed l did, though he ones said-I
leard him:
What do you see in that gawky little Bar
ARA Prothero that you should always be go
ng about arm IN arm. or sitting somewhere
embracing each otheri Tn sure the child
I'D Father be playing tag somewhere"
Oh, well, / had my time aftervard; but
hat isn't in my story.
was in the way of hearing all the girls Of
he summer party said, for good many OF
S had beds in the big garnet, anG they all
eclared Ii was q shame Charles Garden
Fas more in love than any one ever was be-
ore, and sonaething ought 70 be done
One atternoon-it had &c: pretty near
chool tire a--ia-I g. ne or ~ 'he woods
nth Gladys jaime. She was laughing to
hink she had slipped away from Charlie,