Smyrna times., 1896-08-12
THIRTEEN AT TABLE.
BY EDWIN A. OLIVER.

These superstitious people try my
patience" said Emily Gay to her
friend, Marie Carter, as they sat one
afternoon in the formers cozy little
room.
Whats wrong now?" asked Marie.
knocking the dust from her bicycle
leggings.
"Why, Mrs. Bacon, over the wav.
gave little dinner party last night.
and when the time came to sit down
there were just thirteen of us, and the
hostess declared that she would not sit
down to the table with thirteen. The
consequence was her poor husband had
to go out into the highways and cor
raj one of his clerks in order that we
could get our ratiOns." "
"Well, said Marie, with a laugh,
"that wasn't so bad for the clerk" "
Il think it was, for the poor fellow
looked uneasy the whole evening, and
l guess he would have given a weeks
wages to have been somewhere else"
Il can't say that blame Mrs. Ba-
con. l am myself superstitious about
sitting at the table with thirteen. Now.
aren't you just little bit?"
mot particle. would rather sit
down with thirteen than l would to
have fourteen at table, and only
enough to eat for thirteen!"
you're funny girl, Emily"
Funny, because I'm not silly?"
"Well, you know you often read of
thirteen sitting down to the table, and
one Of that number is always sure to
die within the year.
"Where do you read that? In the
fairy tales?"
"No; you can read it in the news
papers"
"Well, l know l have often sat
down to the table with thirteen, and |
have never died yet-nOr even nv
hair. "
"But, perhaps, some other one of
the thirteen has died"
"That reminds me of little story,
as the end man in the minstrels used
say, remarked Emily, as she passed
the box of chocolate creams to her
friend. 'DO you see those thirteen
cards tied together with blue ribbon
on the wall?"
eyes; quite artistic, aren't they?"
'Well, those were the cards of my
college chums. You notice there are
just thirteen of them. There were
fifteen girls in our graduating class,
and before we separated to go to our
respective homes 1 thought it would
be jolly to have class dinner, and the
arrangements were made. Two of the
girls were called home, unexpectedly,
by sickness in their families, and
when the time came for us to sit down
to the feast there were just thirteen of
us. Some of the superstitious ones
made the discovery, and declared that
they would not sit at the table with
thirteen. L compromised by suggest
ing that would give my pug dog a
seat at the board, but after search
Pinky could not be found, and we
finally succeeded in laughing the girls
out of the superstitious idea, and the
dinner proceeded. We had a most ex-
cellent dinner, and some jolly good
after-dinner speeches, too. That Oc-
CURED a year ago last month"
''But notice three of the names on
the cards are scratched, said Marie,
beginning to look apprehensive
Eyes, " replied Emily, with a sad ex-
preston on her face; ''DIiss Living,
ston, Miss Jamison and Miss Letter;
we'll never hear their names again.
''Dead?" came from Marie, sorrow
fully.
dead? No; married." exclaimed
Miss Gay, bursting into merry laugh.
''And have none of the thirteen died
within the year?" asked Miss Carter,
when she had recovered herself.
''It is reported that two of them
have, said Emily, looking thought
fully at the cards.
Sad, isn't it?''
''Sad? No"
''Why, Emily, how you talk"
''Well, it depends upon ones taste. -"
''Why, Emily, what do you mean?
Didn't you say two of the girls had
died?"
'"That's precisely what said. They
used to be blondes. It is said that now
they are dashing brunettes'