Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-12-01


self presently-she could not entertain
as she had been used to in her fathers
house; neither on such a scale, mol
with such lavish hospitality.
She fretted a little, at first quietly,
then she conhded her woes to her hus-
band, for she told him everything. and
he, good fellow, took il very much to
heart.
Beng q lawyer without any consid.
cradle practice, for he was a young
nan in his profession, he did not sec
his way out Of it in that direction. But
the idea suddenly struck him that he
would try TO get some kind Of an of.
fetal position. They had influential
friends In the political world, and it
appeared quite clear sailing.
The plan met with his wife's prompt
approval and she concluded on the spot
TO begin the siege by giving a Thanks
giving dinner. Some people might
have thought it wiser to first get the
desired position and then give thanks,
but she looked upon IL differently, from
the point of view OF the almanac as il
we're.
a presidential candidate had just
been elected and would take his seat
the following March. The minister OF
the church they attended was also the
pastor and intimate friend of his ex-
cellency-elect, and it seemed very
fitting and suspicious that he. together
with his wife, should be honored
guests. There was also a certain dis
,aut cousin OF the successful candidate,
u very pompous old lady with a terrible
prediction for her neighbours affairs,
whom il was considered wise to ask,
and TO entertain her there was young
Mr.. de Post, who led cotillions and Cos
sip with equal facility.
While Mrs. Grimm had very pretty
glass and china, in keeping with the
rest of her modest establishment, IL
did not seem grand enough for such a
distinguished and critical company, so
she borrowed her mothers service,
from the silver soup tureen to the nut
cracker.
This plan was readily feasible, as
her parents ooh dinner with an elder
sister upon that day. No sooner was
this arrangement completed than il
seemed very OUT of place to let Fanny,
the colored maid, wait at table with
such accompanying magnificence-they
ought to have a butler, They got one
In the person OF Fanny's father, who
had come uu from Manassas Junction
10 spend the day with his family and
that was where the trouble began.
He was an ~eminently respectable old
man, and when lac had gotten himself,
! altar much-aroapiE1-an -aS@i.i-
as il he knew the proper thing To do
which was far from the case. His
wife had been doubtful from the first.
ale kin drive a kerrige just lovely,
Miss Maria" she said, but he doan
know nuthin' bout wsitip.'"
Bat reDHy can a.ill him." Miss
Maria had said, airily, as she set out to
Thanksgiving services in company
with her husband.
Fanny, dressed in a new gown and
with a huge white cap on her very
black head. admitted the guests with
a gravity of countcpance that would
have befitted IA servitor Of fifty years.
Fanny had woeful misgivings. Jupiter,
her father, had not proven IA very apt
pupil. lie asked many strange ques-
tions after he had insisted that he knew
everything. The buffers pantry was
too small to hold them both, or she
would have remained by her parent
during the ordeal; but she stationed
herself at the foot of the dumb waiter
TO admonish In stage whispers IL neces
sary.
Jupiter wiped the perspiration from
his brow with "A red bandanna and car
ried the silver tureen With the excep
ton that he put his thumb in Mr.. dt
Posts soup and then wiped IL dry with
bis bandanna, that portion of the ban
quet progressed favorably. But wher
the raw oysters were served he took q
plate Of macaroons from the sideboard,
and, doubtless installing them for 6
new variety of crackers, gravely OF
fered them. The hostess flushed vic
lently and tried 10 distract attention
from her husband. who. though he SAID
only a few words to Jupiter, Trad looked
such unutterable things as to caus
him TO drop the dish on the ideboarC
with IA bang. Presently he barely
grazed the ministers head with the
turkey platter. Feeling that energy
might compensate for the vacuity ex
isting in his mind, Jupiter proceeded to
ply every one with the dishes on the
table. Sailed almonds and bonbon'
careered about the board with light
ming rapidity. He even grasped the
macaroons again, but a sudden mis-
trust seemed to seize him and he
dropped the dish. He was breathing
heavily and each moment his unwontec
apparel seemed to grow smaller fol
him.
The hostess strove bravely TO appear
as II this was a daily occurrence II
every we'll regulated household, an'
that a stream of gravy extending across
the cloth aud down q breadth OF heI
best gown was merely au adjunct o
Thanksgiving. The host forgot all tn
speeches he had intended to make II
praise Of the president-elect and all thu
subtle antenne of diplomacy that m
was going to put forth to the ministel
by way of starting affairs. lie couit
only feel rather than see, for he scarce
dared look up. That Mr.. de Post ant
the executive-elect's cousin were stor
ing a fund of anecdote that would re
gale many q dinner table-he hst
caught suficicnt of their exchange o
chances to rest assured OF.
As 1OT INC uniuiStct, hn
heart was as proven bal as was his sense
of humor. IL he laughed rather more
heartily at his own stories than wa
his wont both host and hostess were
thankful to him for diverting some
small degree of attention from Jupi
ter's aimless and comical gyrations
"Jupiter, you have not served the to
matoes," said Mrs. Grimm. MIR. Grimm
felt the perspiration start out on the
back Of his neck. He was wondering
what new catastrophe was IL. store.
As for Jupiter, he smiled blandly
Here at least was something he could
engineer. "Tomattussss," he ordered
of Fanny. A great Whispering ensaed
then came a pounding in the dumb
waiter that set ali thu glasses ant
crocksry on the pantry shelves to jung
ling In unison.
A family alteration was In energeti,
progress. The guests looked NJ saci
other aud the hostess tried to chatter
II dswn. But not n human throa
was powerful enough for that
sand Up then temsttussa"
y