The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-29
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
A "STICK" IN THE TEA.

What with or Without" Means at a Five
O'Clock Tea.
My dear, it is shocking.' said we'll
known hostess the other day.
The newspaper women looked inter
ested.
This talk about tea being the
beverage that cheers but does not in
ebriate will have to be revised. Now,
if l should take one of my little tea
cups and look at you aud say, With or
without?' what would you think is
meant?"
'Why cream or sugar, l suppose,
said the newspaper woman, who had
enjoyed only limited afternoon-tea
experience.
Cream echoed the hostess with a
gesture of despair. my dear, have
you really been living on this earth?
Now try it again. With or Without
with or without" repeated the
newspaper woman as she tried to think
of all the things ever put into tea.
Finally an inspiration came. Hot
water" she exclaimed in triumph.
The society woman looked at her
with pity.
81 see that you are hopelessly behind
the times. You don't know any more
about modern fashionable tea drinking
than Queen Elizabeth did. Now, I'll
enlighten you. When l say With
or Without that means rum"
"Rum!''
eyes, rum! and whisky! and brandy!
and a-b-s-i-n-t-h-e" exclaimed the host
ess in tragic whisper
The newspaper woman gasped.
"All in one cup?" she said.
"No, you silly innocent. One at q
time, of course.'
And what do 1 say when you say
with or without?'"
well, you assume an expression that
is childlike and bland and say: ga sus-
picion of rum, please or you put on a
deprecating air and exclaim: oh, really
now! Well, if l must drop of brandy
or, if you want to be real reckless, say
boldly: DO 'liven it up with some whis-
ky! It's so beastly fiat. Rather stiff,
mind YOU"
"Ohr' said the newspaper woman.
of rum?"
''One teaspoonful, my dear"
"And "a drop?'"
"The same"
"And you 1iven it up with"
1.-TWO teaspoonfuls, or-occasionally
-'alf and 'alf, don't you know" and
the society woman put her finger on
her lips, and looked around with an
air of secrecy.
woman.
'Sh-h-h" said the hostess, looking
at the minister's wife, who had Just
come in.
"Well," she said, in confidential
tone, after the lady had passed on,
''it's only the ultra Bohemian women
who take those French things, you
business, anyway. laid in supply of
all these things for one Of my at home
days and all afternoon l mixed drinks
till felt like an old and accomplished
bartender. Well, you must know that
rum and whisky and all those things
have very able-bodied odors pertaining
to them. But, my good young friend,
these odors get to be regular Samson
smells when they are put into hot tea.
by the time the outer edge of the
afternoon was reached, the craven i'm
ages in the conservatory reeled and the
very pictures on the wall looked drunk.
When my husband came home to din
ner he could hardly get his latch key
in the door. At least, he said so. When
he got to the reception room, where
was still sitting thinking about several
queer things that had happened, he
said-well, never mind how he put it,
but he asked me if l had been rehears-
ing Ten Nights in a Bar-room.' Think
of it! Ten nights in a--well, as /
say, I've cut the whole business. l
have plain tea, or put slice of lemon
in it and call it Russian, or if | want to
be eccentric put a spoonful of jam in
instead of sugar. That's real Russian
fad, you know.
but as for mixing drinks under pre-
tense of serving afternoon tea, I've
quit!"-Chicago journal.