The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-12-03

hard days shopping De11nd US.
Have the things come from the
grocery, Mary3' mother asked, more
out of habit than anything else, as
the maid opened the door.
"Shure, mum p replied our Mary.
''Well, don't care what we have.
nor how we have tim so tired r.
well, just lave it TO me, mum.
l know how We loike things, and ye
go lay down. and I'll make ye a hot
cup o. tay.''
Mary" I said, as we got off our
things, you're an angel, and you'll
get your reward in Heaven. ("
Dinner at the usual time, mum 7"
Mary asked, when she reappeGred
with the 'tay."
YES" said mother absently.
Then we got into our lounging
robes. aud on our beds, and became
obvious to all things, until father S
key and the sound of laughing
awakened us. There seemed to be
some whispered conference in the hall,
and then dad appeared with bland
smile on his face, and announced :
Whom do yon think I've brought
home to dinner ~
Iheard mother groan, and few to
the rescue. "Well, tell us. !"
Guess he said, tantalizing.
"Oh, Edward W., President Roose-
velt-who is it?" I cried.
why, Jackson Crittendon r. he
declared.
Mother sat up. her face q study o.
despair. Jackson Crittendon 7" she
repeated after him.
"Uncle Jack Caittendonf" l reit-
Grated.
"The same, :" said dad. HE
dropped into my Office just as / was
coming home, so of course, I brought
him right out. Now. don't ask me
why I didn't telephone you," he
added, reading mother face +; "there
was no time nor opportunity for
that"
"Great Scott /" mother gasped.
We've got the worst dinner1
Maxine and / have been in town all
day"
"Well, never mind now; we'll
take what you've got," said father
soothingly. jackson is going to
take the train for New York at ten
thirty, and I promised we'd give him
a bite and get him back to the city in
time"
"But I'll have to order another
dinner-we can't ask him to sit down
to plain meat and potatoes"
Telephone" / suggested.
"He'd hear me-" said mother.
"Grocery's closed" said father.
We've just got to make the best Of
it. You'd better get dressed as
quickly as you cam
We began to rush into our things,
and l rehearsed a line of effective
jests to be used later, at the expense
of our poverty stricken hospitality.
Uncle Jack, you see, was our most
aristocratic and proudest possession
Our swell New York bachelor
nncle (twice removed who lived like
a prince and treated us royalty when
ever we went to New York.
Maxine" mother whispered
sepulchrally, 81 remember now-we
have an awful new, hamburg steak.
and onion recipe cut out of last
Sundays paper"
'Great Heck /! Probably smells tc
high heaven. Well, make a joke oft
mother /; we've got to pull it through
somehow" )"
Arrayed in our best clothes we hur
ried in to meet Uncle Jack, and ther
for FIVE minutes forgot our woe in the
real delight of seeing our guest. JUS
as mother rose to fare forth and war;
Mary, that functionary appeared, fresl
and neat, and announced dinner.
I'VE have a guest. Mary, so put OF
an extra plate, said mother with he
roic calm.
'Shure, mum, did," Mary an
swered with an astonished glance.
Then / began some family tales ol
ours about similar occasions, wher
guests had been treated to pot luck,
with humorous complications a
mother led the way down "the chute,
as we called the hall.
The table was astonishingly pretty
with its clean napery, our best cut
glass and silver, and I saw mother
heave a sigh of momentary relief a
we sat down to the table.
Weall precipitated ourselves into th'
conversation, Ralston almost hysteri
cal with suppressed mirth, and vii
say for the family that we shone
Shock number one came when Mar,
entered with blue points on the half
shell. Father cast an accusing glanc
at mother, as if she had made hin
suffer unnecessarily, and mother coult
not have appeared more astonished
her plate had been heaped with pearls
The oysters were succeeded by clea
soup, and when after fish came quai
on toast and asparagus you could hav
swept the whole family over with
feather.
We cast bitter glances at mother
Hamburg steak and onions-really
was too much But our mother didn'
seem to be herself at all. Her cheek
were red, and her laughter frequen
and there was a suppressed nervous
ness that grew as course followe
course.
Mary, armed with champagne in a
ice bucket, was the last straw. Uncl
Jacks appreciation knew no bounds
If this was pot luck" he was we
satisfied that he had not announce
his coming. We all tried to ae