Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-08


fully intended should receive an invitation.
Still she had very plausible reasons for
fastening the event, and sending polite
note to those whom she most wanted to give
good 'setting down"
Her husbands cousin had sent her a
Christmas present He had made visit
during the summer with his wife and three
children at Mrs Smith Jerome's, and this
Christmas present was kind of magnan-
nous offset to those six weeks of hospitality
1t was, the present, 1.-The dearest little five
o'clock tea-kettle Mrs. S. j. had ever seen"
She had never seen any before. "And to
her certain knowledge there was not an
other one in the town. But 1t was just like
Mrs. Palmer to get wind of it and buy one
for herself unless she, Mrs. S. j should
give her tea at once, and get the credit Of
leading the style"
This she told confdentially to Mr.. s. j.
one night in privacy of their own room.
Mrs. S. Jerome got Matilda Spry to write
the invitations, she was such neat pen
man. But she composed them herself, and
felt very much satisfied with her effort
She imagined they would excite some IN
terest among the neighbors. They ran
thus:
Mrs. Smith Jerome will serve five
O'Clock tea, New York style, on Saturday,
December 60, and desires the pleasure of
your company"
Mrs. S. Jerome couldn't have planned
any thing that would have caused a more
general amount of curiosity than did these
invitations.
Whether to wear white gloves and
dress bonnet and keep them on, or COM
mon wraps and take them off, was fully dis
cussed in all its points, and caused a great
deal of anxiety throughout the neighbor.
hood.
Every invitation was accepted, and Mrs.
s. Jerome beamed patronizingly upon each
arrival.
By quarter Of five o'clock every one was
there, and Mrs. S. J. led the way to the
dining-room where the table was spread,
and adorned with her best china teacups
and saucers.
She had procured some of those matches
that go of like a fire cracker, instead of
ordinary sulphur, and had wasted three Of
them practicing lighting them in an easy,
accustomed kind Of style.
She just casually remarked, designating
the tea-kettle with a wave of the hand,
that 1t was "a Christmas present from her
husbands cous in, Mr.. Macintosh Farming
ham, of New York City"
Conversation rather slackened as Mrs. S.
jerome scratched matched under the edge
of the table She applied the light to the
open mouth of the little urn under the tea
kettle but the match burned its fulllength.
and no fame started
Conversation ceased entirely. Mrs. s. J.
lit another match with no better result.
Then third and fourth, remarking, as she
grew warmer and warmer: something
must be wrong She didn't know what
allied the thing any way"
There lay FIVE matches used with no result
whatever and Mrs. s. Jerome's face was
flaming with vexation. II was the unkiud-
est cut of all when Mrs. Palmer suggested:
1T might need wick 70 boil the kettle
properly"
Mrs 5 Jerome fairly cried when she was
telling Mr. S. J. about it afterward how
.>she had 10 go into the kitchen and steep tea
in her old tin teapot / should think you
mi CHI have known, Smith Jerome, that urn
needed WICK You are a. ways getting me
n TO trouble, and those women, I'll warrant,
were all tickied enough TO see ny mistake.
Hateful things!' JEAN E LANCASHIRE