Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-27
Story of the Elastic Dinner.

1t Is convenient for National holi-
day to come on Saturday. Especially
if one happens to be a householder.
For the groceries close at 10 or u
O'Clock, and in hot weather, with only
an ordinary sized refrigerator the prob
lem of housing provisions for Fourth
of July dinner, Fourth of July supper,
a Sunday dinner and Sunday tea.
becomes questions of inches and ice.
And the problem is complicated by the
arrival of kilograms and unexpected
guests.
Last Fourth of July morning Mrs
Wilcox welcomed two guests, one of
them expected and the other one not
Still. a dinner prepared for six will do
for seven. Shortly after they came she
received a telegram from some presum-
ably dear friend. announcing their ar
rival in the city on an evening train,
and giving the name of their hotel. The
telegram required some sort of an an
swer. So Mrs. Wilcox called up their
hotel that evening, found them there
and asked the two of them out to Sun
day night tea before she found that
they had four in their party. Of course
she stretched the invitation to include
the other two, which gave her eleven
super guests.
Early Sunday morning she was called
up by the same friends. They We're so
delighted to have run across in the
hotel rotunda Mr.. Freshing and Mr..
Smythe. The men had spoken so kind
ly OF the Wilcoxes and wanted to call
there as well, So. In short Mr.. Fresh
ing and Mr.. Smythe We're coming out to
the Wilcoxes' to Sunday night tea, ana
Mr. Freshing had a brother visiting
him and was going to take the liberty
of bringing him along.
Mrs. Wilcox dropped the receiver
with a slam when she received this last
bit of news "Fourteen!" she gasped.
With so many strangers the con-
venient and ever-obtainable Dutch
finch would neyer DO. The leg OF
lamb was fairly large. Perhaps II NJ
Wilcox were suitably impressed with
the horror of the situation he was fac
ing he would for once carve economic
ally. II he did there might be plenty
of cold lamb left. She would give her
dinner guests plain sucumbers and
save the lettuce and tomatoes for the
evening. She would make some sort
of pudding for dinner and mix the red
raspberries intended for dinner with
the black raspberries meant for tea,
save the cream for whipping to serve
With them, likewise the cake.
So she sat her two guests and her
family down to most moderate Sun
day dinner, a dinner over which an air
of constraint lowered. from start 10
finish. Mr.. WilcoX's feelings We're hurt
by the extreme detiniteness with which
his wife had pointed out his deficiencies
in the matter of carving. Tommy AMI
Elsie and Bernice had been so EN-
phatically Forbidden TO ask for more
lamb that their little souls We're filed
with fear OF imminent starvation.
About o'clock Mrs. Wilcox's house
guests came to her just as she had
finished setting her table for fourteen
and declared their intention of going
over to the north side for the evening,
for they knew none of the guests who
We're coming. Just then her sister
came in from Evanston, insisting on
taking Elsie and Tommy home with
her. So Mrs. Wilcox packed up their
SiIlull saw lllSHl oll wren q
sigh and went back to the kitchen to
slice the cold roast. Bernice came
rushing over from neNtdoor. She had
supper invitation which her mother
CURLY allowed her to accept Then tbs
telephone rang.
I'VE can't come tonight, dear Mrs.
Wilcox" came over the wire. we are
so sorry, but we have box at the
theater tonight and you are so far out
and it's so late to start for your house
so Mr. smythe won't come, either. nor
the F'reshing boys
Mrs. Wilcox dropped the receiver and
went out to view with flashing eyes
her table, set for fourteen, the huge
platter of cold sliced lamb, her salad,
her fruit.
Half an hour later she and her hus
band sat down at the kitchen table and
had an interesting little meal.
Modern Methods of Travel.