Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-11-27

THE MAJOR WELCOMING HIS GUESTS.
Granted these children tired him, and
that he made them aware of the fact
by the use of language peculiar to the
major; for all that they felt that their
uncle loved them rs dearly as they
loved him, and when Teddy preferred
his request, rash though it had been
considered at the first blush, they were
quite confident that he would not re-
fuse them so innocent and eminently
praiseworthy desire. They had talked
it over together so often, this sister and
this brother, that it had, by degrees,
because of the increasing familiarity of
the idea, lost its first impossible aspect.
1t did not occur to them that what they
had talked and dSeamed over until it
had grown to seem almost thing ac-
complished might burst upon their
fond uncle with all the unexpectedness
of thunder clap out of clear sky.
The very moment poor Teddy had
chosen was unpropitious; the major had
but just discovered fresh traces of
collegiate usurpation upon the person
of his beloved war horse, Sultan, and
his rage, in consequence, was at pro-
nounced pitch.
''Invite your college friends to eat a
Thanksgiving turkey, is it?-a Thanks
giving divill I'll tache them to give
thanks in my house! Would ye pour
wine for the murdherers of your uncle,
and shtir sugar in it to their liking?
Tare an ours, but you're a cool-faced
lot, wild the chal1e of grinning
chimpanzeel Invite the bloody beg
gars, say you-oh, no, yen not! | be-
lave I'll reserve the right to do what
invitations done in me own house, or
know the raison why! And I'd rather
have the company of tramps-d'ye
mind that-the poor, meeserable,
abused, misunderstood tramps, that
niver lift finger to do anyone Il mean
turn, thorough, honest, daycint min,
that lave u citizen in pace, lave the
gates on their hinges, the shingles on
the roof'-here the majors anger
roars amain-"and the roof on the
house! No, siri To perdition wild your
college monsthers-but ye may ask
livery tramp We mate in the sthreet to
come and dine, wild Maj. McCalligan-
say that he is their friend, and that
turkeys shall be roasted in honor of
them-that the deserving hungry shall
be fd at the ixpinse of Maj. Nc
Calligan, and that bread and wather's
too good for the likes of'-here fol-
lowed untranslatable, but unquestion-
ably vigorous, Celtic college
companionsW
Poor children! Teddy's notion of
doing the hospitable was nipped in the
bud, so green that there was no means
of determining just how rich in hue or
how beautiful flower it might have
become; and Kittie's little dream of a
period of bliss wherein a most enchaut-
ing gown of peach blossom tinting
shared equal honors with the figure
of tall and rather awkward youth
known to the college world as Jim
Junior''-this delightful dream vanished
in the miserable dawn of her uncle's
tempestuous mood, and the wretched
sun of day of disappointment shone
through mists of big unshed tears.
Uncle, you haven't forgotten your
proposition concerning Thanksgiving
in other words-to-morrow?"
''Eh, Teddy? Bless me soul, me boy,
what?'
''To fetch pack O. tramps on Thanks
giving day to dine with you. I've met
thirteen in the interim sorry it's thir-
teen-such an unlucky number; but
since told each one to fetch all the
scarecrows he could scare up along
with him, | wouldn't wonder-hello,
uncle, what's the matter?"
''Noth-nothing, Teddy-nothing, me
boy!" The laugh shouldn't be on him,
he'd be bound. What an ass-what a
long-eared, deep-mouthed, braying ass
he had been to give that boy Teddy
land, if Teddy others, of course, others
who were his arch-enemies and es-
pecial abominations) such grotesque,
such an absurdly ridiculous hold upon
him!
''Had you forgotten about it, uncle?"
Forgotten? Dye think me mim'ry 8
failin' me? Wen have regular faist
turkey enough fer twinty, and oyster
dhrissing to confound the natives! It's
Maj. McCalligau that can taich the be-
nighted world the rale naming of hos
pitality. Faith it shall be beautiful
shprid.''
And it was. The great oalken table,
pulled cut to its last joint, with tho
company napery covering its polished
surface, groaned with the burden it
bore. There was no half-heartedness
oh aS fr1ff 90
his best silver, the sparkle of his finest
crystal, the glowing hues of the bright
est flowers from his hot house, the
aroma arising from well-coolled viands
all these awaited in due time the
coming of the guests.
By ones and twos and threes they
came-a motley crew-an unlzempt, un-
washed lot of hungry men, knocking
at the side door, knocking at the back
door, ringing at the front door-each
and all cordially welcomed by Mai Me-
Calligan, who stood bowing (foreswear-
ing, however, the shaking of dirty paws
held out to him now and again). and
seeming really to enjoy the revenge he
felt confident Teddy, the rascal, had
thought to take upon him. 1t actually
warmed the good old Irish heart within
him to see the hungry, gaunt-eyed men
put away the delcctable provender
with which he had provided them, and
the thought that for one hour at least
these outcasts were appeasing their
seldom-satisfed appetites and were
drinking in, together with their fra
grant Mocha, u glimpse of life among
the lofty and refined, touched his heart
with the warm finger Of self-satisfac-
ton, and he beamed benignantly upon
his INDECENT guests.
The clatter of dextrously-handled
knives (which weapons were favorite
conveyors of food from plate to mouth)
and forks, the loud swoop and gurgle
caused by the swallowing of coffee
cooled in saucers, the noisy crunch Of
teeth upon apidlydisappearing edi-
bics, the half inaudible grunts accom-
panying the pointing of an unwashed
di0it toward soire desired Wand. to-