New-York tribune., 1907-07-28
HOSPITALITY.
Inc0nSiderate Guests Not the Least
of H0stesSeS' Trials.
BY NJ. w. Mount.

Midsummer entertaining is at once the joy
and the despair of the woman who has coun-
try home. House parties and week end visits
from friends give the life in the coun-
Try without which ii would be dull in the ex-
treme But every hostess has her troubles in
the summer time Sometimes these are the in
eVitable result of entertaining in the country
and sometimes the result of ignorance of cOun-
try regulations the part of those who are
new to country housekeeping
Perhaps the most serious affction of a coun-
try hostess is the incOnsiderate woman. She
leaves indelible remembrance of her visits
behind her, and her name is legion, TO Judge
from the gossip about her INDUCED in by sum-
mer fancy work class hotel piazza
Il don't like to talk about my guests" OBJ
served one woman. laying down her crochetng
impressively, but last summer occupied our
place at the seashore-We'Ve shut it uD this
season-and I invited a number of friends to
spend a week with me. asking some Of the most
intimate to remain for two three weeks and
promising to make things pleasant for thera
with week end parties, driving and especially
boating. we had steam launch. sailboat and
rowboats and those of our friends who liked
boating found these sufficient temptation TO
promise us the visits asked.
Among those who wrote saying how they
would enjoy two weeks of boating with me
was a girlhood friend whom I had not seen since
her marriage and who to bring two children
and a nurse with her. When she arrived she
greeted me with all her oldtme enthusiasm.
The children We're dears, but they had no sooner
entered the house than both began to cough
and strangIe. l greatly alarmed oh.
don't worryr exclaimed Adele. It's nothing
but whoopng cough. l knew you hadn't any
children to catch it, so I did not mention 1t,
and the doctor says nothing will do them as
much good being on the water constantly.
When your letter came l thought, Now, there's
the very thing for my darngs." and I came at
once
But I've never had whooping cough
reminded her and Of the others staying
here have not
Adele waved her hand airily. My dear,
grown people never catch Whooping cough. she
assured me. and II any children out here catch
it, why. they couldn't have It in a better season
than summer. They're all over the cough by
winter
There weren't any children, but some of my
other guests found sudden excuses for cutting
short their visits, Adele came TO me in tears
one day TO say that people staying in my home
had neglected her and even rudely walked away
when they her approach them.
Maybe they afraid Of whooping cough
I venturcd. She secuted the idea. In spite of
the dismal failure Of my disorEanized house par
ties during the two weeks when she was with
me she remained until the last day. and said
more than once that the children We're benefit
ing so much by their visit that she wished they
might remain there all summer / was obdu-
rate. however. / told her that 1 had put of
other people so as to get her for two long weeks
and invited guests We're then awaiting my tele-
gram to tell them to come. She looked hurt.
SO did some friends Of mine the following week
when I developed whooping cough. heard
that it was said It was a perfect shame of
Mrs. B. 70 ask people To her house while she
was suffering with whooping cough. Well. the
end of the story IS that my cough was so bad
that I was ordered to spend some months in
these mountains"
Another woman had also had experiences.
u had n friend once she said. whose child
was learning o write. She proud
Of this accomplishment. and when the family
came to spend a week end with me the little
girl carved her name on my best piano and on
sundry pieces Of furniture, besides WriJHg II
upon the walls in Il style that was more
source of Joy than shame to her mother We
haNen't been smch warn friemds sincc."