Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

The red of Miss Laura's face wag deeper than rose, as she went forth to the interview with MT. Gumms's whiss pered entreaty that her absence might be made short.
 What is to be done about dinner p said Sophronia, her face in quicker.
 Why, it isn't dinner time," said Miss Laura, in a tone of injured surprise and remonstrance
 Its nearly 12," said SophroHia.
 Miss Laura was pestered to the tear point.
 Cant you put off dinner?' she said, with unusual meekness. Have it about o'clock. I'm not particle hungry"
 But am." said Sophronia, shortly, discerning that for once she had the vantage ground usually held by the elder sister. I've been at the wash tub all morning and haven't had any love to feed ons so I'm ferociously hun gry."
 Well, you can just take a piece,'" said Miss Laura, in soothing tones, and preparing for a return to MT. Gumms.
 But" said Sophronia, with detaining insistence of tone and manner, there's not q bite in the house for a piece,' and beside. pas in the back yard come for his dinner."|
 Well, what is there?' demanded 1 Miss Laura, with tears in her eyes. Nothing but quart of corn-mea1." Then make some mush," said Miss Laura, turning suddenly serene, as ii | earth ad no more sorrow and glided away to the spot of her felicity.
 The next interruption was one min | ute before 12, when again Sophronia's head appeared at the parlor door, and again an interview was solicited in Irishy- English.
 What is it now?" demanded Miss Laura, when she had shut MT. Gumms in the parlor and herself in the kitch- en-
 Her face was very, very red and she famed it very fast and looked vexed. 'I want to know if your fellow is coming out to dinner, so as to know whether or not to put on the decalco- mania things"
 "Of course he isn't coming out to dinner. Do you suppose that l could ask him out here to eat mush?"
 Well" Sophronia said, with touch of vehement scorn. T think it will be sneaking mean to eat dinner while he's What do you suppose he'll think of y you in the world"
 He needn't think there's eating go- ing on. He'll think we dine at or 5 or 6, like city folks. can hint to him that we do.''
 "But he1 hear all the dishes rattle," said Sophronia.
 "No; you can set the table in the kitchen and keep all the doors shut"
 Well" said Sophronia, snapping, ''pa'u scold at a great rate about eat ing there in the middle of tubs and wringers and wash boilers and the heat, and about having only mush. I shall put all the blame on you, wish you to understand. It's your business to order and provide things
 'But how could I, in such peculiar circumstances P said Miss Laura, hum- ply.
 f MT. Gumms wasn't 8 gump," So- phronia said, 'she wouldn't have come cut here on Monday. He migai have known that we'd eaten up everything O Sunday.
 "But you know" Miss Laura apolo- gized, "he's always been a bachelor, poor fellow! Hell soon learn better Pacify pa as well as you can, Phrony, dear: put the blame on me if it is nec- essary to defend yourself I shall not be here long to bear fault finding. Now, please, Phrony, dear( don't call me out any more, and please, please, don't rat tie the dishes, and just hint to pa the situation; tell him that probably my fortune is hanging in the balance, and ask him to eat quietly"
 "A1l right" said Sophronia, cheerful ly, I'll do my best. Perhaps l may persuade him to eat with his fingers, and mush is a noiseless kind of food"
 Sophronia had a sense of the funny, and, besides. felt cheered at the pros pective addiction of the family.
 Miss Laura again departed to hap piness. Sophronia began tiptoeing about the kitchen. Why she did this is not evident since she was still with out shoes. (Upon the writer's honor, the wit of the last remark was unin- tentional.) The father came in soon. The situation was explained to him. For some time he had been reckoning on the convenience of having son. in-law to get a loan from when the wits should not produce well. He readily fell in with the whist idea, and joined Sophronia in tiptoeing. He had two hundred and thirteen pounds to keep quiet; his feet had never been sub- mitted to Chinese treatment, and his boots queaked. When he whispered that he'd help set he table Sophronia was alarmed
 I'd rather, pa, that you'd sit down and keep quiet; your boots are so noisy" she whispered.
 That's a fortunate thing" he whis- pered back; ''their noise will drown the rattle of the dishes.''
 Home Happiness.
 Probably nineteen-twentieths of the happiness you will ever have you will get at home. The independence that comes to man when his work is over and he feels he has to run out of the storm into the quiet harbor of home, where he can rest in piece with his family, is something real It does not