The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-08-22

hEeaAaHt tHtHHo sAHoHr
I'd had ali the rest An 50, Elviry,
I've made up my mind that there ain't
any earthly reason why I shouldn't
have a silver weddin', an I'm a-goin' to
have one"
Whatever misgivings Elvira might
have felt when the project was first
disclosed had melted away in the
warmth Of her auns's feeling; and.
knowing that the slowly matured re-
solves of a placid nature are hard to
shake, and trusting to the real regard
of the neighborhood for the kindly,
helpful widow, whose social and pleas
.ure-loving temperament had before now
exposed her to the criticism OF her
friends without really affecting their
liking, she offered no objection, and,
yielding a ready assent to the plan,
was soon in the midst of a delightful
discussion OF details, in which Aunt
Hannah's too often r~epressed love of
social functions found full express
sion.
Early on the following afternoon
Aunt Hannah started out to give her
invitations with a faint flush on her
cheeks, by way of tribute to the con
ventional usage she might be trans
crossing, but with a little formula
prepared, which included no explana-
ton and permitted no comment. The
invitation to be present at the 25th
anniversary Of her marriage with Mr.,
Jedidiah Rounds was as carefully word
ed as il she had studied it in the pages
of the Home Manual" as she prob
ably had; and only waiting to add that
she should be dreadful disappointed
if they didn't all come" she hurried
from house to house. This unwonted
haste on the part of leisurely Mrs.
Rounds might have made her neighbors
suspect that she was a little uneasy
herself as to the impression her invita-
tions might produce, but she gave no
other grounds for such a suspicion;
and, indeed, when she reached home,
after having made the circuit Of the
neighborhood the pleasantstir of action
had taken possession of her, and she
set about her preparations for the great
event with as untroubled a mind as
if she were planning for a church
"sugar party" The momentous ques-
ton now was whether the "entertain-
ment' should be confined to the ele-
CANT but unsatisfying ice-cream and
sweet cake, or should boldly cater to
the tastes of the stronger sex by adj
hitting the golden doughnut and the
iaky pie.
u1o 5~or c,4-,5o- 4ha 1a1,
when the Corners went to the village
to do its trading" It was well that
Mrs. Rounds invitation had been al
ready given-that is, it was well for
| those who did not wish to o empty
handed to a silver wedding. Who shall
say that she had foreseen this diff
Guilty, and provided forit?
1t was also the day on which the sew
ing society met; and to-day, for the
first time in many years, Mrs. Rounds
was absent.
"Gittin' baked up for the silver wed.
dim, I suppose?@ said thin little Miss
Prindle, the village dressmaker, with
a snort of disapproval. 'Most ridiculous
thing 1 ever heerd of; why, / might as
well set up to have a silvcr-I mean g
wooden weddin' myself"
"Well, why notP Amt you expect
in to, some timer" asked Mrs. Bas
com, the minister's wife, in her mos
c~onciliatory tones.
At this Miss Prindle preened hel
ruf1ed feathers, smoothed her blacl
alpaca apron, and ceased from further
troubling for the moment, in view O.
future possibilities.
what do you s'pose Deacon White'1
say to it?' asked Widow jenkins
giving a careless air to her question
by stopping in the midst of it to shake
out the garment she. had just com
pleted.
"Es Hannah Rounds amt troubled
herself about what Deacon Whites sait
all these years he's been a-runnin
after her, faint likely she'll begil
nowl" responded Mrs. Abijah Rounds
who, though she was severe enough il
private, on Hannah's easy-going ways
pink roses and pink cheeks, yet il
public never forgot that she had beef
Abijah's brothers. wife.
Mrs. jenkins pursed her lips an,
was about to make a retort, when Mrs
Rascom bethought herself Of asking
who was Mrs. Rounds grandmother Of
her mothers side, and in less than fv
minutes the company, led by two o
three of the older women, was Launches
ON a sea Of Renaissance and gen
ealogical discussion. in which Aun
Hannah and her party were soon los
sight Of.
The men at "the store" had thei
say, too, but they were accustome'
to let their women folks settle mat
ters of etiquette; SO the question passe
with a joke or two, mostly Ieveled a
Deacon White, who, balanced on
bench on the little stoop that ran acros
the front of the store, his shoulder
propped against the wall and his ha
pulled well down owe his eyes, receive
them in silence. as one who could a.
ford to let Others laugh.
Wednesday morning Aunt Hanna
was up with the dawn, and by fs
o'clock, when E1vira came hurfyin
from school, every room in the It'll
; house was not only spotless, but ha
A. - 49,