The Chilhowee echo. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1899-19??, 1900-01-20

comes in the gate with your pa. Oh,
there they are, across the street. Yes,
it's your Cousin Lewis, so he's coming
here and all we had for dinner was the
little bit of meat and potatoes left from
breakfast. Oh, the inconsiderateness
of men! Wipe your eyes, Billy, and
tell your pa to take Cousin Lewis in
the sitting room, that ma is next door
and you'll call her, and mind, bring the
children around to the kitchen so can
tell them about Bobby Mercy knows
when We'll get dinner! Stop that cry
ing, any one would think it was your
own little sister was going to be served
up for dinner, though I feel it myself,
Bobby's been around so long," with
which Mrs. Brown went into the kitch-
eli. While in a few moments walls
from the front of the house proclaimed
that Bobby's fate had been made
known to the children playing on the
porch. Sally most unwillingly took her
arms from the tub and was soon rum
ming a rather ancient, but plucky roos-
ter, around the yard with grim deter
mination. To his frightened cawking
was now added a chorus OF five sobbing
voices, calling in every key, 80, Bobby
Bobby! Bobby"
"Children, come here this minute,
and stop your noise" called Mrs.
Brown, from the kitchen door-and as
the sobbing group trooped in-"We
must kill Bobby for Cousin Lewis din
ner, we have nothing else, but if you
are good you shall have a funeral for
him this afternoon, and if one of you
say anything about him at the table,
you shall go to bed at once, without
any supper. It's hard on me, too,' she
added, as through the door she saw
that the act of sacrifice was completed.
Now all of you go up stairs, and,
Mary, you wash your own face and
hands, and the other children's, and
then go down the front way and speak
politely to Cousin Lewis, and say I'll
be in, and wink at pa, Mary, and say
dinners late, and mind you, don't men,
ton chicken-there you 60 again, l de-
clare I'll go wild, if you don't stop this
crying. Go right up stairs"
J Mrs; Brow Elfssd sswaxs z e. r..
self, but thinking of the grimy cloth,
she hurried back into the dining-room
to make the table more presentable,
while poor Bobby, still warm, was
plunged into boiling water and denud-
ed of his feathers by the sulky servant.
How can we cook him quickest" sigh
ed Mrs. Brown, hell have to be fried
though | don't believe we can ever eat
him, he's so tough, but it would be two
o'clock before he'd get done any other
way, and none of US could eat Bobby
any way" she reflected.
Before the table was relaid the fumes
of frying lard We'd for supremacy with
the soap suds, and Mrs. Brown, very
uneasy as to the conversation in the
sitting room, as she had heard the chill
dren trooping down the front stairs
some little while before, wiped her hot
face on the kitchen towel and tied a
white apron, far from fresh, around her
ample waist. Last directions were CIV
en- to the cook to ring the bell when
she thought Bobby was done, and hav-
ing deposited some soda biscuits on the
table on her way through the dining
room, she went in to receive the guest.
cousin Lewis, why do you so seldom
drop in for meals" she exclaimed, 1--WE
never would treat you like company,
pot-luck is my motto I am sorry din
ner is little late, but this has been
such short morning How are your
folks? | am glad they are we'll, you
must bring them along next time you
come. Haven't our children grown?
They are awfully red from the sun, and
their eyes are kind of weak to-day"
my dear, what is the matter with din
ner," broke in Mr.. Brown, "are we new
er to have it? expected to find it on
the table. Are we going to have very
grand spread that it is so late?" "Oh,
my Bobby sobbed the youngest
child" "What are you crying for, my
dear" said her father, "do you want to
show Bobby to Cousin Lewis-you
can "There's the bell" hastily ex-
claimed Mrs. Brown, come in, Cousin
Lewis, we've made no company of
you" Poor Mrs. Brown led the way
into the stuffy little dining room with
sinking heart. She had made it as
dark as possible, in order to hide the
mating, which showed the marks of
dirty little feet. She might have saved
herself the trouble of pulling down the
blinds, for Mr.. Brown, man-like, ex-
claimed, "Why it's like night in here,
let in the mercless light to the full ex-
tent of the windows. For what we are
about to receive" he commenced, then
catching sight of the skinny form Of
Bobby on the dish before him, sat in