CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-05-19

"ffs my spoORP' cried Mrs. Gears
by herself ten days before to substan.
TALLY the present company, when she
came to collect her silver. with a view
to washing and putting it away with
her own hand. as her careful custom
was. she found spoon missing. on"
Of her holly sprig spoons.
Nobody attended much, for Wampler
was really doing very neat job. None
Of the men of the circle was bad
carver, and all of them would have
deemed 1t a shame beyond words to
have been, but Wampler had rather
the deftest and surest hand. In rivalry
with him Mrs. Gears was but beg
ging performer. At the conclusion of
her recital two or three ladies' murmur-
ed perfunctory THAT was too badr'
and DR.. Dudley asked in his blunt way,
what Is holly sprig spoonT' But
he gave no outward sign Of listening
to Mrs. Gears explanation that holly
sprig was the design and that the
loss was especially grievous because
II occasioned the first break In q set
given her at her marriage by her moth
er. who had brought 1t at an early day
out from New Jersey. sewed up for
safety In her petticoat, a gift to her at
her marriage from her own mother,
Mrs. Gears grandmother. and to the
latter previously at her marriage from
her mother. Mrs. Gears great-grand-
mother. for whom II had been express
ly made by London sllversmith. the
only set Of Its design ever seen or
heard of. At the words "grandmoth-
er'' and "great-grandmother' the doc
tors head nodded slightly. but his eye.
like all other eyes at the table. even
Mrs. Gears. was on Wamplers knife.
wampler shaved away the last bit
OF breast and raised his instrument for
the master stroke through the fiank.
The guests dipped forward little far
ther. The knife descended, pierced,
then stopped abruptly. wamplers face
grew red, like burn. Mrs. wampler's
grew red. too. out of sympathy. You
must have struck a tough turkey,
mother" said he,
"It's young turkey" protested Mrs
Wampler. 'nnd It seemed very tender
when was dressing It."
Then you didn't cook 1t enough"
urged wampler.
81 had it in the oven four hours"
said Mrs. Wampler.
The other ladies averred that II the
oven was right four hours was long
enough.
BY pushing and saving like an am
ateur with dull blade wampler final
u ont 90 I'll On
himself by q special dexterity on the
other side. But again the knife, after
entering keenly, came to a sudden halt
and had to be driven on by main force.
Wampler finally wreuched of the
breastbone and resumed his chair In a
sweat and a pant.
There was perhaps more than the
usual movement Of relaxing interest
around the table as he finished. but
there was less than the usual outburst
OF talk. The serving OF the plates be-
gan In comparative silence. In the
course OF this office wampler thrust a
large spoon deep into the mound of
stuffing. There came metallic click
which everybody distinctly heard and
again fixed eyes on the host. Then. on
bringing up the spoon, he turned up
with It the handle OF another, a smaller
one. which every body saw. Since there
could be no concealment, Wampler
sought escape from the misadventure
by jocularity, and saying. "Well. well,
mother. you must have run short of
breadcrumbs for your stuffing." he
drew forth the spoon and held 1t up In
full view.
'Its my SPOON" cried Mrs. Gears,
fairly shrleking. '.the one I lost. my
holly sprigw And she stretched out
her hand as II to recover It, II need be,
BY force.
''At any rate, IT'S not mine." said
Mrs.. WampIer. Out Of sheer confusion
she spoke curtly. She looked as II In
another moment she must collapse.
"Oh. It's mine, It's minel I should
know Il anywhere" persisted Mrs..
0sars excitedly. and wampIsr handed
tie spoon over 70 ~.
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