Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-20


 you're mad at my plain speahin.
 "I aint mad, Ann, Ionly thought to save her fret and worry. But l want you to let her know there won't be any expense on her. I'll pay for all the sugar and butter and eggs that's used"
 Ann flashed out on her: "You won't do no such thing. I guess we ain't to that pinch. There's plenty of every thing in the house, for lay in supplies once month regular"
 "But you must let me add some little extrys, Ann. If I do the thing at all l want to Go it up in style. A real first class high tea leaves awake of light be- hind it, SO to speak. And it does beat all how folks will eat when they get set down to a loaded table. I'll buy the chickens for salad, Ann, for know how to make it extry well, with mayonazy dressing, and guess shall order ice cream from Holden 6 White, best Phila- delphy. We will have real loaf at one end of the table and the salad at the other, and 8 celery glass of flowers in the middle and smoked tongue and pickled oysters in between, and when the cream comes on it will be surprise"
 "You can hev everything in the house, everything if she consents, and what's extry you can suit yourself about that" Ann was wiping her lean, brown arms on the roller towel preparatory to going up to her mistress, and while she was away Sister Martha counted the viands on the fingers of her two hands-oound cake and plum cake and angel cake and iumbles, not less than four kinds. She would make two pans of her feather light biscuit and have hot gems besides. Then for sauce, three kinds-plum and quince and crab apple jelly, and float ing island into the bargain. The table was all set out in her imagination before Ann came dumping down stairs.
 ''She says you may hev it and well come" was the message, stand she told me to bring out all Miss Mayhew's best chany and to rub the silver and see to the fine tablecloths and napkins. She thought you'd want the two tables put together just as they used to hev them in Mother Mayhew's time at Thanks givin, and she says you ain't to buy nothin as we hev store of in the house. didn't mention them extrys-ice cream and chicking-for I knew it would worry her. She looked real pleased when spoke about the tea; flutterin red come into her cheek, and her eyes were bright and she seemed trembly 1 and excited. guess she's got real hos pitable feelins, as much as anybody ever knowed. She'd hev been glad to ask folks to the house all these years since her mother died, only when she come to plan about company she sunk right down weak as water"
 Mrs. Whitcumb was paying but slight attention to Ann's remarks, mumbled, too, as they were, in her throat, as she put away the dishes on the pantry shelves.
 "Pn tell you, Ann," she said, coming out of her calculations about floating island and plum cake, "I'm going to send out cards as they do in cities-New York and Boston and other big places Mrs. Josiah Whitcumb, at home at the Mayhew house, on Thursday. Tea al six o'clock in one corner, you know. don't know as they've got that style yet in Littlefeld. shall mail the cards today and the tea party on a Thursday will come in handy. The washin and ironin will be out of the way, and sweepin mol till Friday. shall try not to do much underfoot, Ann; I'm pretty good cake and biscuit baker, and if you can man age to let me have the kitchen stove"-
 Ann cut her short with character istic speech. II shall do all that com ports with my part of the house, Mrs Whitcumb, and you can hev full swing.
 Sister Martha loved the hustle of prep aration. She was now in her element aS she tied on her bonnet, and stepped away down town to procure visiting cards. She smiled visibly as she thought of the ease with which the kitchen cer berus had swallowed her sop. The re mainder of the day she occupied hel sister-in-law's deserted sitting room
 busy writing cards of invitation. Sht had made out list like any other fash
 ionable lady who means to be very ex
 elusive and select. The cards were t
 be severely limited to those among he
 Littlefeld acquaintances who, in he
 own phrase, "had paid her attentions. There were the minister and his wife
 On a previous visit she had been aske'
 to a sewing circle at the parsonage; am Deacon Folsom and lady, and the Stoves
 three maiden sisters, and Miss Haiti Warren and her old bachelor brother At last she came to the name of Bligl
 on the list. She hardly knew why sh had put it there. A kind of dare devi i, impulse, she surmised, had impelled he i. to write it down. The captain was a old acquaintance and a near neighbol and why should she not ask him to he tea? Yes; she would. He might swea
 some when he got the invitation. Sh !; thought she could see him glowering a it before he chucked it into the fire. The card was written and lay befor 3 her; in the left hand lower corner, ere 3 at six o'clock;" in the opposite corner 3 "R. s. V. F." Mrs. Whitcumb did nc 1 know rightly what those magic letter : stood for, but she had seen them o
 fashionable invitations and she was d, :, termined to have the very lateG "wrinkle" at her tea party. Slowly sh 1. addressed the envelope, Captain Georg