The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-09
COUNTRY FOLK LAUGHING row.
The City Golden Geese Have Gone Home
and Bucolic Outlaws Break Loose.

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The City Golden Geese Have Gone Home
and Bucolio Guhaws Break Loose.
Up In the frosty mountains and down along
the sandy seashore the country folks are hav-
ing IAN awfully lovely party' now. They are
talking us over. All summer long they have
managed to keep reasonably sober faces over
the freaks OF city folks. Now they are having
their laugh.
City folks are not always so eonslderate.
They don't wait TO get back to town before
talking over their country neighbors. They
have a cheerful way Of acting as II they were
visiting q 200" and they make remarks
about the milkman and the vegetable man aud
the rest OF the inhabitants OF the countryside
as II the latter we're rhinoceroses or hippopota-
muses.. But there Is a tradition to the effect
that no who laughs last laughs best. and that
gives the countryman the better Of it. It Is his
turn now, Even during tho summer tho coun-
try folks can't always keep the twinkle out OF
their eyes. They are as respectful to the city
folks as one Is apt to be to the goose with the
golden egg. Nevertheless. they are very sure
1t 10 q goose.
A young woman, who built n cottage up the
State" q few years ago. celebrated its COM
pletion by giving a housewarminR. She in
vited every man and boy that had driven a nail
or done a stroke OF work about the place. and
she told them to bring their wives, children.
sisters, and sweethearts. The day OF the
housewarming arrived. In the course OF the
morning the young woman met various OF her
invited guests on the road. and to each one she
addressed q genial inquiry.
Coming up to my house tonight ?" she
called.
oh" very carelessly. II don't know"
The prospective hostess spent the day in the
greatest doubt as to whether a soul would be
present at her party. However. her fears were
unnecessary. At the timely hour of Z the peo-
pie began to arrive. They all rode. no matter
how near they lived. They all carried lanterns.
and they all took the horses out OF the wagons.
as II they intended to stay a week. The women
and babies came In at the front door. The men
all skunk around the house and went in by the
side door. They seemed to want to put Off the
evil hour Of their arrival just as long as they
possibly could. The babies were accommo
dated in hammocks out on the porch.
This left their mothers free to inspect the
new house. which had been built on the very
original lines laid dow by the young woman.
The women were politeness itself. They did
not laugh once. and they made a great effort
not to show that they thought it was the fun
NEST kind Of a house they had ever seen. Said
0@ @%ef Tne | could s1 TG most Ss l h1tc here " myself y as If
praise could no further go,
Said another. condescendinRly:
We'll, / s'pose you git so tired bein' all fixed
up In the city In the winter that you Jest like to
have things kind OF queer like this In the
summer"
The party was really q success. however. One
old fellow played the violin and the bled
company, most OF the babies excepted. danced
o Virginia reel. The hostess danced with the
hackman or the garbage. boy; she seems u lit
tie uncertain about the identity. but It Is safe
to suppose that the ordeal was a worse one for
him than 1t was for her.
There were refreshments. too. special food
having been provided by the thoughtful host
this foresight was all wasted. The babies were
fed on cocoanut cakel Th hostess paraded
the special infantile food before the eyes Of the
mothers. but mol They said the babies pre-
ferred cocoanut cake.
Now all the city folks screwed greatly be-
cause they were not invited to the house
warming, and their grief was the kind OF grief
they would have felt at missing, a dime mu;
scum or q side show; And they laughed
became public property. That is the yay they
about It as II there could not possibly be any
But the country folks know better. They
bide their time and, when the goose has mi
grated for the winter. they slap their faded
knees and have more fun than anybody telling
about the durndest queer lot o folks you
Up in the frosty mountains they are laughing
about us till the valleys echo and re-echo with
the sound of it. And down along the sandy
seashore they. are doing the same thing with
so much Rlee that the very waves gurgls along
the beach In sympathy.