The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-05-04

VIZ high, open bridge
IL 0o you saw the canal
No y stretching far up
and down, level
trench of snow, its wilderness EN-
pbasized here and there by a
patch OF brown earth showing
from some underwash in the
banks. In one corner of the
mill pond on the morrow, if the NOR.
row CHANGED to be Sunday, in pool
relieved OF ice for the occasion and
hedged about by throng of specta.
tors, there would be baptism of the
latest converts OF the winter REVEALS.
In milder seasons the prevailing
form OF social entertainment was even
ing teas, but now there was apt to be
q round of rather stately dinner
PARTIES. The ladies came in carefully
treasured black silk gowns, of the
richest and stiffest material, with wide
collars OF white lace, aud lace. edged
white lawn undersleoves. The men
wore coats OF black broadcloth, no less
carefully kept and no less excellent in
: uality, and high, stiff collars, swathed
- black silk or satin neckerchiefs.
he dinner, cooked mainly by the
| ostess's own hands. was served in two
lurscs, but cut of it's abundance
! peht easily have furnished forth
we've or fifteen of the daintiness
= hieh courses acquire when they are
J la,le particular point of.
The company came to table for
&c dinners with certain hesitation
ewkwardness, and for a little
I" SiI' G after they were seated CONVEX.
I Ton tagged. First there fell sharp.
, Slectant silence until the minister,
- present, as he usually was, had in
~ ed blessing. Then, as the host
look carving knife and fork in hand
and rose from his chair with a certain
confidence, every eye and all attention
fixed intently on him, and remained
% fixed.
1t was almost doing violence to Gus
tom when, at dinner by Mrs. Hamlin
Wampler, Mrs. Luther Gears began. in
the very height of the carving, to tell
a story of the loss of a spoon. She
told it in n plaintive tone; how, after
a dinner given by herself ten days
beEore, to substantially the present
company, when she came to collect
her silver, with view to washing and
putting it away with her own hand (as
her careful custom was), she found a
spoon missing lone OF her holly-sprig
spoons.
Nobody attended much, for Wamp-
Ter was really doing very neat Job.
At the conclusion of Mrs. Gears's rsci.
IaI two OF three ladies 80, .au. ! q
-srse----sssfory esuss was too bad" an
DIR. Dudley asked in his blunt way
what is a holly -sprig spoon?" Bu
he gave no outward sign of listeuin
TO Mrs. Gears's explanation that holl
rprig was the design, and that the los
was especially grievous because it oc
Casioned the first break in a set rive
her at her marriage by her mother
who had brought it at an early de
out from New Jersey, sewn up 70
safely IN her petticJat, n gift to he
ut her marriage from her own mother
Mrs. Gears's grandmother, and to tb
latter previously Mt her marriage fror
her mother, Mrs. Gears's grent.erand
mother, for whom it had been ex
pressly made by London silyersmitb
he only set OF its design ever seen o
heard of. At the words "0ran5
mother" and "groat-graudmother" IN
DOCTORS head nodded slightly, but hi
eye, like all other eyes at the table
wen Mrs. Gears's, was ON WampIer'
knife.
Wampler shaved away the last hi
OF breast and RAISED his instrument 70
the master stroke through the flank
The guests dipped forward it'll
further. The knife descended, pierce
then stopped abruptly. Wampler'
p grew red Mrs. Vampires gre,
.Eit too, out Of sympathy.
'YOu must have struck tough tur
,key>1mother," said he.
ts young turkey" proteste,
H Wampler, "and it seemed YER
pr when ] was dressing it,"
LMThen you didn't cook it enough.
isd Wampler.
F5 had it in the oven four hours.
G a Mrs Wampler.
rel, h other IN lies ayerrc4 that IL YOU
) " lwag right four hours was lon,
y wdb.
a anlpushiug and saving like m anna
III ith dull blade, Wampler fnall
fnesfougb, and sought TO roiriev
We si4 BY special dexterity on TN
lf 10 Rnt a~ain the kpirr. MT,
u actH.y, came TO sudden halt
hfI ~ to be driven on by main force
pofasNr finally wrenched on tn
ard llNone and resumed his chair.
ssa& Vcourse OF this Office Wamplel
-onA b9Arge spoon deep into tht
~ tad Tdine. There came mo
~ IN iieh everybody distinctly
III 70 fixed eyes on tho host
~ VsAek pug mp the spoon, b,
Que Aweae handle of another
atiis ~ cich everybody saw
al .lct v be no concoaiment
ln, h.e 'scape from the mis-
larity and saying