Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-10
RUB: RyFRE3 II The HIGH TEA


Nr..tAE ~ 5a1AG.s -. 4atsrzsL
Isl: pas4st.s y5a We never seea Rute
E1Ezsr. WY Ae cGnEs OVER every
L1N III. :t.s1 70 sea ne aud i the lion
u he tGE1 Ehe1sTEr lake him cut
All q ms frisais want % meet hin 20
44Esys tase hin EaereTe. / 70.
We ven; % an zfiasncon tsz few
weeks ago Rlbs E4t jus: been tiite5
az ID 1r4a lsw dress silt By one q
gG. swell. tzi.1rs here, z1i he was s.
! ID crazy e wear that suit that We
came aez- lzT41E : row over l. .tDi11t
zen :yy u make me wear one Of your
ali le4sley mlsats, last time ! went 10
the iaz.2yie.: And now I'ye got tirs;
c.zss new style suit II my own you say
he. % wear H. finally i.ducsd Rube
70 see Tie Inference between afternoon
AMI evening and we sailed forth, going
down Delaware avenue. Rule was
showing me now he would walk when
he g3t iat9 his rev suit-2ud as Rlbe
!sa,i . success st walking when he don't
put on .ay fti.ls, he attracts some atien-
ton HLen he begins 70 show on. People
though. Be were making Qp crowd for
ding museum, lGt.l finally induced
him u tslIeye inst / meant what | said
when used the word fol. RUDE said
! ougA; 10 laugh when | called hin
3 fool q he wouldn't feel insn.ted.
told him the other people were doing
enough laughing u satisfy a comic
opera ard mat couldn't enter into
competition as long as | was haudi-
capped.
When We got 70 the house where the
tea vas being given, felt like asking
tie land y play as it does Just before
tae performance begins. l introduced
I RUDE to the receiving ladies-they were
expecting Aim-and we were welcome.
RlDe finally got his rheumatic arm up
!. z tie dizzy altitude required by the
modern haad.shaking fad, and when
1 kube got his hand into that shape il
I shook If its own accord and saved rim
some Inconvenience, though il necessi-
tated some violent eXertion on the part
I Of the lady to catch il. | told Ru5e to
bow during the rest of the evening. He
| resented this by cold, naughty look, IS
if to say he might break but be would
never bend. As he grew accustomed 10
the violent exertion Of getting his arm
into shape he succeeded better. until hi
eventually got 50 he could SHAKE hands
at sight.
His neglect Of my advice, however,
caused lin mtsAap during the pro.
gress Of the tea. One of the girls whom
he had previously met was bringing
him some frappe, in her left hand, and
Rube seeing the other one empty wished
TO continue his practice, so he made O
wild grab for tina. other hand Just a:
she transferred the frappe TO it. RUDE
never could stop anything ut tile rignt
time-he tried 70 stop bull once-ou
as Sir. kipling would say that's another
story. Anyway the hands and til,
frappe coilided, after which, there was
collision Of the frappe and the floor
Rubc expressed num6erless regrets, bu
if he had sent them by freight tht
charges would have been the same.
During the rest of his stay Rube oscil
lated between refusing frappe and ask
ing me if it would be right to senC
them one of his china cups from hom
in place of the one he broke. At las
some dear girl got him cornered AM
begged him to tell a story Now Rub
is good at telling stories; he knows on
or two tirst-class ones on me, and TO
that alone I'd have tried 10 shut him Vi
but sometimes he gets iuterestin' an
talks the rear end out of .hree or fou
hours, so interfered and insisted ii wa
time to 60. Rube looked at me in mil
establishment. He had been a forlor
hope until that moment and the vista o
pleasure had suddenly opened up befor
him. He had expected 10 spend TIL
, eyenin' and set awhile into tine night
and to be rushed off like that WASH
! fair. ! showed him that great man
who came after We did had gone, an
, finally induced him to consent to
/ early departure. He told the ladies h
+ would call some time and tell his storie
and reluctantly said good evening.
+ did not notice RUDE in the dressing roor
, until he got into some boys oyercoa
. that made his arms stick out as thong
they had suddenly become ossifiet
= "Look here" he said excitedlS, NV
! shuck hands that new tangled way S
i much that I've parylyzcd my arm.
! Weil we managed TO get that coat o
r Of him before the women came, but W
Z ripped it in two places.
|. As we went home together Rube toll
me that ne didn't see the reason fc
!, some things, more especially teas. H
+, NoldeIeu u they suOOh MINUS SO mig
+ on account of its being high tea. Il
acknowledged there were great man
q things that he didn't understand insid
Il of comic sections and sanskrit, and /
v was perfectly willing TO class societ
f fads among them. He said at his hogr
they always had sociabe time at tea
they always allowed a man to sit dow
with his friends and tell stories-and
it was bad night the folks often spel
J., it with their hosts. But" said Rul
i in concluding, "there must be differel
n kind Of teas, jist like people, and d
/ more of EN- you see the less you kno
!. about the rest OF EN-"
Ie