The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-09-28

SedrCn OF diversion.
Meanwhile Little Mother and Maria
had been making plans for the day.
These We're on one sheet of paper and
read:
You and 1 can take turns answering the
doorbell.
Better get all the old school states down to
use at the dinner table.
We must contrive to make it easy for
Blanche. She isn't so much addicted to
turbulence as the rest of u.s.
May Stephen buy half dozen cheap paper
pads in the cityY
Yes, and pencils.
Let me take your public library card, please.
I'd rather read Last Days of Pompeii' than
talk ~ this evening"
Maria blue penciled a portion of
this paper and showed it to Stephen,
who departed with sudden alacrity.
study, after giving Blanche this little
note:
Kitty is just as hungry ever
And the parsonage settled down
into a quiet which it had not known
since the fuckers moved into it.
With great forethought Maria wrote
out the grocer's list, an order for the
fish man and small sign saying: NO
agents wares wanted here" She had
privately registered a vow to make
her silent week as perfect as possible.
believe she would have even written
note to Fred, asking him not to call,
had she not anticipated some amuse-
ment from watching his surprise.
This was Thursday morning No
other functionarics called, and Maria
and her mother exchanged congratula-
tory smiles as she went into the hall to
ring the dinnerbell.
incidentally this reform was des-
tined to bring others in its train.
Promptitude at meals had never been
Tucker virtue, but now the entire
family, with the exception of Stephen,
who worked in an art store in the city,
and Rev Mr.. Tucker, who considered
that it did not consort with his minis
teria1 dignity to leave his sermon save
at the end of a paragraph, had gath
cred at the bile before the bell ceased
to ring.
Each persons plate was provided
with slate and pencil, and there were
sundry little slips of paper in dish
labeled Etiquette"
Blanche pulled out one of these and
passed it to Frank. 1t read: "Will you
have some butter?" Frank took up
his emptied butter plate, and looked
at it critically. "No!'' he wrote on
Blanche's slate. Then selling the lead
pencil which he wore ostentatiously
tied to string around his neck, he
careted in the word more, so that the
slip read "Nill you have some more
butter?' To this question ne answered.;
yes" Blanche looked puzzled. But
Maria, who was presiding genius of the
butter dish, severely ignored his wait
ing plate, and reached for her tortured
etiquette slip. She crossed out the
"more," and wrote an "over" under
meath the line. On the other side of
the slip she wrote: "Never, by look,
word or deed, remind another of how
much he has eaten" This was too
much for Frank, who shook his sides
in mock laughter He wrote some
thing at the bottom of his slate, but
did not pass it to Maria.
Mr.. Tucker created diversion by
saying: 81 wish, Ellen"-as he came
into the dining-room. His look of dis
comfture us he saw five fingers placed
upon five pairs of lips was truly COM
ical.
During dinner Charley dropped a
glass tumbler breaking it into thou
sand pieces. I'm SO glad did it this
week." he wrote to Blanche, "'cause
now papa can't say anything to me"
Maria, who was clearing away the
debris, read this over his shoulder and
took his pencil to draw line through
the Objectionable sentiment.
AS they left the dining-room Frank
showed his slate to Maria, pointing to
the question: won't you come into
the dining-room and have some dinner?"
Maria smiled. Tomorrow" she
wrote.
At the tea table they had small paper
pads, instead of states, and an extra
Bpoonholder containing a supply of lit
tie fancy pencils occupied the position
of honor. Very little was written,
however, except by Stephen and his
father, who carried on an abbreviated
conversation in this way:
~ saw D Jones?"
(Nod) He'll plumb Tus."
"?s."
80 Bill later"
Fowl slain?
(Shahe) Before 0 p. m"
Trade good?'
"Av."
(To the uninitiated be it explained
that the water pipes had burst the
evening before, that Deacon Jones was
plumber by trade, that % is higher
mathematical sign designating an in
definite quantity, and that the Tucker
family kept hens.)
Friday was rainy day, and Satnr-
day was even worse. People rather
wondered why the minister's daughter
didn't stop at all after the Friday eYen=
ing meeting; but they consoled them
selves by talking all the more ito the
minister and his wife, who, truth to
tell, We're not ill-pleased to loosen their
tongues from their bondage of silence,
Maria alone had determined to make
the pledge affect outsiders, and she
walked home with a heroic, do-or-die
expression of squntenancet
On Saturday evening Fred Struthers
arrived earlier than usual, directly
after tea, indeed He did not notice
Maria's silence at first, for he was in
tent upon telling her what had hap
pened to him that morning.
Mr.. W called me into his private
office and asked me how soon l could
take charge of branch office. l said
that it would depend upon where it
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