Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-29
LIVNCSTONS ATHORSE SHOW
Modest Grocer and His Family Plunge Out
in Real Society Style,
PAPA WEARS CONVENTIONAL FULL DRESS
Mamma and Children Considerably
Perturbed when Head Of House.
hold First submits His Plans
of the new Life.

Henry Livingston attended the Horse
Show Friday evening in a full dress suit
and silk tile. Tho event marked a new
epoch in Henry's life and came as some
thing OF a surprise to those who had known
the man for a decade as a plain honest
merchant who showed his stability by man
aging an outside dry goods store at the
same location for twenty years and sue
ceeding by treating his patrons with cour-
tesy and selling reliable goods at reason
able profit
That Henry should attend the Horse
Show in evening dress was something least
expected by the mans neighbors. II was
noticed that the Livingston store had been
locked up earlier than usual Saturday even
ing, the patroman on that beat taking
notice Of the fact when an S-year-old girl
tugged at the store door in a vain attempt
to gain admittance for a spool Of 44-black
thread for her mother, who wanted TO
mend some garments for the little girls
brother.
Henry-everyone called him Henry with
out fear Of undue familiarity-first con-
fided his intentions of attending the Horse
Show to his wife at the dinner table Friday
evening. Had a stroke of lightning struck
the Livingston barn and killed the COW
Mrs Livingston could not have been more
surprised than she was when he husband
said:
I'm going to the Horse Show in full
| dress and silk hat" with which remark he
rendered the mashed potatoes to Henry, jr
who was Of an age when letting cats slide
down a bannister was more interesting than
the Horse Show.
No Room for Doubt.
Not having been in any way prepared for
! such information the older members of the
Livingston household looked at the father
and husband to detect. II possible, some
facial indication that he might not be in
earnest but knowing the manner in which
he always presented the truth and on his in
herent determination such doubts were
quickly dispelled.
The Livingston household was brought to
a sudden realization that Henry Living
ston was to attend the Horse Show In a
fun dress salt and silk tile.
After abstractedly placing a bite of meat
/ in her mouth and then withdrawing it,
/ Mrs. Livingston managed to assemble I'm
| her mind such words OF English as she
thought would express her feelings, while
the older children looked at their father in
| a new light.
| Henry" spake the good wife, I'VE have
] AANNA AoBtllltI THESE twenty-five years
and never have had a cross word, and
/ for the childrens sake I would not begin
now to question anything you might
! think OF doing. We have had our little
store and have succeeded in that, have
reared our children in the fear and ad-
| monition of the Lord, have earned the
! respect of our neighbors and friends and
! have held in good repute at all times the
name of Livingston; but. Henry. tell me
! what possesses you at this time of life
to want to go down to the Horse Show
in a full dress suit and silk hat?"
Florence Livingston, aged IS, placed her
| arm around her mothers neckI thinking
her mother might break down and cry
and would need the comfort of her elder
daughter on such a trying occasion.
Papa, me wants the wishbone," cried
! Willie Livingston, aged years. Mr..
| Livingston handed the wishbone over to
the youngster and then replied to his
wife:
Reply of II. Livingston
MY good wife, all you said of our
lives was true, and with the help Of Him
who knows our every need / hope never
! to do anything which might cause even
/ the finger Of suspicion to be pointed to-
ward the name Of Livingston. But 1 am
/ going to the Horse Show in a full dress
suit and silk hat. You asked what pos
sessed me to think Of such a thing.
have been thinking of it for twenty years
/ I have earned the privilege Of attending
the Horse Show i'm clothes which may
not have been associated with the name
Of Livingston, but which 1 believe the
good Lord Himself will approve. because
His records will show 1 have worked for
them and have waited twenty years for
them Not that / could not have bought
them before, but / wanted to wait until
such time as 1 might go out in them with
| a feeling that / was not showing off
know you will not be cross when L tell
you the facts"
! Mrs. Livingston showed her relief with
a deep sigh, while the children resumed
their victuals with a feeling that the
danger of their father and mother sep
arating forever had passed and that no
calamity was imminent
Family Views the Uniform.
Il always trusted you" replied Mrs Liv-
mgston.
Henry led the way upstairs and was fol-
lowed by Mrs Livingston, Florence Will
lie, Horace and Jane, the four children,
and Fido, the family dog. Spread out on
his bed were the Horse Show sartorial
effects ordained for the occasion by Henry
1 lue ruiz uIesS sull5 nat ana Otnef articles
spoke for themselves. Willie, who carried
his greasy wishbone upstairs, wanted to
place his hands on the coat TO see whether
it was real or not, but Mrs Livingston
quickly restrained the boy. The Living.
stons began to feel a modest sort Of Ella
ton over the prospect Of the head OF the
household going to the Horse Show I'm a
full dress suit and silk hat. Mrs Living
ston, always practical and thoughtful,
found consolation in the thought that her
husband had worked hard for twenty years
and never once had INDUCED i'm anything
she would call extravaganza aud while
she had a lingering suspicion that his
present plunge into fine toggery might be
a trine giddy on such short notice, yet
she did not think it fair to question his
Judgment, inasmuch as he had been right
for twenty-five years.
After showing his wife and children the
clothes Mr.. Livingston explained it was
his intentions TO go to the Horse Show
r that evening alone, so as to become Horse
Show broke himself, and then escort the
wife and elder daughter the next evening
, with better feeling Of ease
Something Doing That Hour.