Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-04-08

COucu au 20 WIN Gil 1rOu IlTsG 10 lasC.
They was all that cranky an fustered
all the time. There was no hot water an
nobody to see to the fire, al somebody
took the teakettle that was full O. cav
fee all he'd poured half O. it into her
dishpan afore she seen what it was, for
it was dark, an there warn't enough
lamps, an nobody's business to get any,
an, oh, laws, what rattlin time they
did hcv to he sure! I don't know how
they made out with tho ice cream, but
the supper didn't amount to as much as
they expected. You see how it is. All
the workers was grabbin for themselves
an skinnin everybody they could for
their own credit, an they all want to do
everything but the dirty work, an they
won't spend dollar to hev a, couple O.
wimmin to attend to the fire an wash
the dishes, for tn" boiler has to be KEEP
full an the tea an cawfee hot. Miss
Saunders, she undertook to make the
cawfee. So she tied up five pound O.
cawfee in meal bag an put it to soak
in the wash boiler full o. cold water an
set it over on the stove to come to
scald. An it tasted O. the bag" shifted
Mrs. Ferret contemptuously. "But,
laws" continued she loftily, ''they
don't do nothin right in the start!
There's no head all no management.
Now, would you believe it, there was
no tongue at the supper, except what
was waggin, an when it was asked for
everybody thought somebody else was to
hev brought it, an they didn't, so what
was overybody's business was nobody's
business, an that's how it was!' con-
cluded Mrs. Ferret scornfully.
"They he'd some quite nice things at
tho fancy table," remarked Mrs. Sharp,
"but they was too dear. There was one
tidy there l would hev bought, though
the only reasonable thing l saw. 1t
was made O. white Grape, hand painted
just elegant! There was bough, with
apple blossoms All two little birds settin
Oh to it close beside each other as lovin
as you please an lookin down kind O
scornfullike at another bird what was
settin all it's lone on to tho lower branch
an eyin them awful jealous, an merit,
right along under the two top ones, was
'Twos company and underneath the
bottom one, 'Three's crowd Oh, it
was just too cute for anything! And
when asst for it they said it was sold.
Just my luck! was awful disappoint-
cd And Mrs. Sharp heaved an ample
and regre:ful sigh.
"Sally Simper al Mamie Startup he'd
the fancy table, says Mrs. Ferret. "An
between you an me I don't think them
two girls knows beans. You know the
cake table was alongside O. their table,
so l could see an hear considerable O.
what was goin on. l was at that end
too. OF course their table was decorated,
an themselves as much as they knowed
how. They he'd made lot o. pink pa.
per roses an stuck 'em in letters on q
piece O. white paper muslin stretched
acrost the top o. the poles over the table,
an this is what the letterin was: Come
an buy. Well sell you cheap.
II could see the folks laughin,"
laughed Mrs. Ferret, when they looked
up, but didn't know what it was at
till bunch O. young men came along,
MI Sally, she jumps up on begins topin
mp somethin an talk to Mamie at
great rate an smirkin an pretendn she
didn't know they was there. Come
along says ono O. the fellahs, AN I'll
introduce you. don't want to be sold
cheap, says the fellah, GRIMM an look
in up at the pink roses. Then they all
laughed, while the other one pulled him
along by the sleeve an says: ALLOW me
to introduce my friend Mr.. Cad. Young
ladies, Mr. Cad; Miss Simper, Mr.. Cad,
Miss Startup. An Sally an Manic both
stood up as stiff as sawdust dolls an
made bow, with their eyes on the
ground all the time, an says very prim,
Mister Cad, happy to meet you'll An
he holds his hat right III front O. his
shirt buzzum an bends hisself for all the
world like barber 8 pole an says as SOL !
smn as an undertaken eyin corpse, I
Miss Simper, Miss Startup, happy to
meet you.
'It was for all the world like play
sctin. never seen such manners. An
then they all began gigglin an foolin an
talkin the silliest stuff-enough to make
anybody sick. An that Cad fellah want.
ed to be jockey. So what does he DO but
takes up Bible that was for sale an
opens it at the first page O. the Psalms
an reads out loud, The plaster of Da-
vid.'" And Mrs. Ferret looked the very
picture of disgust as she slowly rocked
herself back and forth.
81 think it's great shame, said
Mrs. Sharp, with an aggrieved air,
"that they didn't hev benches for peo-
pie to set down on. know lots O. peo-
pie would hev staid longer eff they'd
he'd anywheres to set. I got seat on
q soap box an held on to it as long as l
could. The baby was that heavy l
couldn't keep luggin him around all
the evenin. was settin near to where
they dished out the ice cream, an there
was q gang O. boys stood there watchin
them real greedy, an every time their
backs was turned they dipped their
hands right into the freezer al ct all the
cream they wanted to-, an there was all
colors O. 'em. Did you ever hear tell the
equal O. tbat?' =:
"They're dreadful, an no mistake"
assented Mrs. Ferret, can amt sorry
the whole things over an done with. l
went over this morniu to help them
clean up. I took my own broom an a
basket for my dishes that loaned them.
1t was dirty job, tell you-banana
skins, an peanut shells, an orange peels,
on bits o. cake; scattered all over All
trod into the floor. We swep' up, but
they're to hev a couple o women there
this afternoon to scrub. I draw the line
at that. My piety hain't gone that far
yet. All I'm real glad were through
with it. don't know what's in church