Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-23

clatter of six pairs of
boot heels coming
over the veranda floor and in at the wide
French window by which 1 was sitting
trying to get breath Of fresh air.
Sara" cooed Bobbie, laying the whitest
of small hands on my shoulder. Sara" you
dear. good thing, you will put your eyes
out: don't you know this is blind mans
holiday? Come, listen to our plans for
picnic"
And thus was the cat let out of the bag!
A picnic! Do you suppose turned to face
those girls with any pleasurable feeling
yelling up in my heart? My dressmaker
has found no symptoms of wings yet, and
I'm sure 1t would take full-grown ones and
a crown to sweeten one sufficiently to en-
dure the idea of girls picnic with equa-
nimity 1 have been to a few picnics In
my time, and 1 have acquired varied and
valuable knowledge of these rural affairs.
Somebody says: Never bear more than one
kind of trouble at time. Some people
bear three kinds-all they have had, all
they have now, and all they expect to
have" Excellent advice. and truth terse-
ly told. The mention of prospective pic
mic developed In me the germs of all three
troubles at one fell swoop.
I'VE have just got back from the White
House grounds, where the Marine Band
was playing" remarked Nora cheerfully,
as 1 turned around, and we thought how
perfectly lovely a picnic would be-" And
then she went on to relate how this
Machiavelian idea originated. You see.
Elaine has never been at Mount Vernon
yet, and she wants to go before her return
to the west, and unless we go soon we will
not get to go at all, because there Is so
much to take up our time just now"
In AnOther's Place.
IT'S to be pullet' picnic. of course"
volunteered Dorothy. feeling somehow that
l was not as hilariously in favor Of the
proposed jaunt as 1 ought to be. I did feel
relieved. will admit. find that girls are
not nearly so unmanageable when there are
no men lurking around the horizon to
wheedle me into consenting to all sorts of
hare-brained schemes. to which they are
instigated by the girls; before l got a
chance to say anything-and 1 was on the
point of discouraging them because of the
heat and trouble and general annoyance of
such a trip-they wandered OFF into an
animated discussion of the evenings per-
Torrance and its Incidents. which gave me
time to reflect on my intended reply.
don't know whether they did 1t with malice
aforethought not. Dorothy is perfectly
capable of 1t, and she knows me and my
idiosyncrasies, and may have purposely left
me to think over what the refusal of such
a request would have meant to me If
were twenty years younger.
Do you know, l believe that this putting
ourselves in other peoples places is
mighty good idea. / have taught Dorothy
to always try doing that when she Is about
to decide hastily some question that may
initiate against the happiness or interest Of
others, particularly if the question she is
called upon to decide is one that will bring
regret to them, through her own selfish de-
sire to escape trouble or discomfort. Life
has enough shady places at best, where
sunshine Of love and good fellowship seldom
natv nd iS ntir duty ,,1ay ,hor Of
one great family to avoid giving pain, even
II we do not always afford consolation or
comfort Selfshness never makes US any
happier; it seldom pays for its own greed
and 1t renders less valuable to our
friends, because one selfish person can
destroy the pleasure of whole party, and
rather than have such a dampener along,
Mr.. Selfshness comes, in time, to be left at
home to amuse himself Even old Solomon
said. Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds
before they are whithered," and with the
advice of the "wiseSt man.. as the old
catechism puts 1t, ringing in my ears. con-
cluded that one of my rosebuds would
wither and waste its sweetness on desert
air If did not proceed to pick it,
Like n Cowboys Work.
when do you intend to put this brilliant
idea into action?" l asked. the first instant
there was lull in the fusillade of small talk
about the dresses and the dudes and the
men who had been down to hear the band.
"Just as soon as you can find time to
chaperone u.s." replied Jennie and 1 recog
nized the relief that was i'll concealed in
her reply. 1t made me feel ashamed of my
self. l have been right crusty to them for
the last two or three weeks. l had inter-
ests Of my own to look after, and l could
not be running about with them all the
time, SO they had missed a good deal Of
pleasure, because there was no one to chap
perone the seven of them together, and one
could not think of going without the other.
Il do not mind taking two at once, Marys
mother said, when suggested that she take
them once when 1 was i'll. and had promised
them a trip down the river but seven of
themi My dear Sara, l assure you, in the
language of your distinguished friend. Mr..
Redtop, I am no herder.'"
Well, the upshot of 1t was, I was left to
make all the arrangements, decide on what
we would carry for lunch. and everything
else. because. as Bobbie said, with one of
her loving kisses. Sara seems to get
through things easily, and satisfac-
torily."
The getting the lunch together was no
small matter, for there were six tastes to
please, no two of them alike. But l let
them suggest to their hearts content, and
then prepared just what 1 pleased. because
/ never saw a delicate appetite at a picnic
in my life. L have seen confirmed dyspep-
tics eat hard-boiled eggs and pie and fat
ham and bakers bread, and never once sug
gest that they were not the very lightest
and most delicate foods for a WORKOUT
liver At home they would have raised the
roof off the house If a harassed wife had
intimated that anything half as satisfying
was all that the larder afforded for lunch.
Men are great frauds, but then they have
some very good company to keep them from
being lonesome.
Girls Mt Mount Vernon.
Nora said that she would furnish the
sandwiches, Jennie decided to attend to
the egg part of the lunch, Dorothy. who is
a famous hand at cake, took that dainty
for her own, and Elaine selected fruit for
her share The salads fell to Louise, who
makes boss ones. according to Redtop,
and I prepared all the rest.
The day we selected was simply perfect
and it was with the lightest of hearts that
we entered the historic shades of Mount
Vernon, and leaving our lunch baskets
with faithful old Moses-an-Aaron, began
to explore the house and grounds. Elaine.
who was the only one who had never
been there was very much interested In
everything. She rather shocked the no.
lions of veneration held by some Of the
others, particularly while gazing on the
high tester bedstead upon which 1t Is said
that Washington died
rs 1t stated for truth that Washington
slept on that thing?" she asked. l assured
her that 1t was.
We'll l wonder that he lived as long
| as he did. If he habitually slept in bed
| where his legs hung over the foot. l should
| think he would have frozen in winter in