The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-09-06
APARTY OF HORRORS
tk~ HE'S GOT out regular invitationsp
shouted Ida.

long on is KS. He's particularly short on e's
| He's got only three When they re gone and
he comes to place where the spelling book
says use e he has to put an * To prove
that, just look at the invitation Read it,
mamma"
Mrs Shaw took the sheet of folded paper
! from Lida's outstretched hand and looked
at the invitation that was causing such ex-
element among the small members Of her
family This invitation was printed very
neatly in ordinary type and read as follows:
Miss Calle Wells
| requests your prXsXncx at thx
Party Of Horrors
| to bN givXn a hXr homX
Saturday Afternoon,
JUNK g. 1899
| 2to5.
"There," said Ida and Bob in concert,
what do you think of that
isn't it hne?' added Ida.
isn't it tough?" said Bob.
"Rob," said his mother, with a reproving
gesture, chow often have | told you not to
apply the word tough in that slangy man
ner Pm sure it doesn't fit this invitation in
the least, for with the exception of the ks,
whose prominence certainly does spoil the
looks of the card little, it is very nice, in
deed. But don't understand it, A party
of horrors it says. What in the world is a
party Of horrors? | never heard of one"
"Callie has her dates mixed, laughed Bob
"She meant to invite you to take a peep at
the chamber of horrors
"She meant nothing of the kind, retorted
Ida, stilly. Don't you pay any attention
to him, mamma. He's mad because he is a
boy and can't be invited, that's ALL Calhe
knew perfectly well what she was doing.
She says that everybody who has to do
chores around the house and yard and go to
school has some one thing that she particu-
larly hates to do. When we come to the
party of horrors we are to bring an example
of our special detestation and tell why We
hate it and try to find out some way to make
it easy"
"Wish | was going" said Bob. 1T
wouldn't take me long to make up my mind
what I'd take"
"Oh, we all know" laughed Ida Kind
lings. Everybody knows you hate them and
would rather take whipping than to make
them"
ooh, no, Lide, you're mistaken there"
corrected Bob. "Kndlings are not nice, but
they're better than a whipping. That's why
/ make EN-"
Cables party is certainly a novelty"
said Mrs. Shaw, referring to the invitation
again. What are you going to take as your
particular grievance"
"a dishpan full of dirty dishes and dish
rag said Ida, promptly. 81 don't think
there's anything on earth quite so mean as
washing dishes"
"You say that only because you've never
split kindHng," put in Bob. 1T is only by
comparison that we know whether anything
Is good or bad"
"You may compare dishwashing with any
| fbipo MIA - oaiI I "a, Jnh; 4
I'm quite sure it will come out of the contest
the most disagreeabe thing in the ot-n my
opinion Everybody doesn't think SO,
though Daisy Allen is going to take torn
apron to patch, Belle Holman a block of her
album quilt, Angie Robinson a pan of pota-
toes to peel, Sylvie Rush broom, Annie
Dolan garden hoe, Jessie Little an armload
of stovewood, and Hattie Kahn a fatiron.
A good many of the girls are going to take
their arithmetics and grammars, and some
of them are going to take their music les
sons"
"O-o-oh, what cong lomeration," groaned
Bob. GIVE never wanted to be girl, but
would like to have on skirts that day so l
could get in and see how you all look. You'll
be regular circus
Robert Shaw was much given to exag-
geration, but he was right in predicting that
Mrs. Wells dining-room and kitchen would
be the scene of unique assembly on Satur-
day afternoon. There were some 30 girls
present. Ida was there early with her large
pan full of dirty plates, cups and saucers,
milk pitcher and knives and forks Mrs
Wells had evidently expected good many
OF the girls to come armed with this particu-
lar aversion, and she had prepared two long
tables for the accommodation of the dishpan
brigade Plenty of hot water and nice soft
towels were provided them, and they set to
work on the dreaded task in the midst of q
general clamor. There were low chairs near
the windows for those who disliked sewing
The piano and an old organ were at the dis
posal of the girls who had a grudge against
music. Just beyond the garden fence were
a number of flower and vegetable beds
where all who despised gardening could hoe
and weed to their hearts content.
, Notwithstanding the disagreeabe charac
, ter of these miscellaneous tasks the little bee
hive rang with the laughs and jests of the
workers. The hilarity reached climax
when, the horrors having all been performed
the girls were invited to sit down to the
dainty luncheon prepared for them.
Mrs. Wells prepared all the little dain
ties that she knew by experience girls wer,
fond of, and in every way tried to max,
had given themselves as pleasant as possible
In this way she added much to the enjoy
ment Of the novel party.
"This little party" explained Mrs. Wells
r when all were seated and grace had beer
, said, was gotten up not so much that you
, might relieve yourselves by airing YOU
grievances, but that we might devise som,
} plan of tightening your burdens. At each
girls plate there is an envelope containing
r a written recipe which hope will cure tn,
/ distasteful features of the work she most dis
r likes. These recipes have been placed since
, you came, and each, think, applies to thu
individual case in question. prefer thai
E you do not open them until you get home"
whats yours, Lide? Look quick anC
/, see" said Bob, when Ida, still holding thu
pan of clean, shining dishes in her lap, begaI
. to relate some of the amusing incidents o
l the party of horrors.
j Ida opened the envelope and read:
] "To make dishwashing easy, soften tn
r water with the soap of patience, rub will