The Lamar register., 1911-12-27
Summer
Parties

Soh boy tuht ieci Tcbttu Iou Sec
l had to work SO hard lodging par
ties!
When frst settled down at
Cumagen Woods l thought ! had
breathing space ahead of me. Every
woman and girl there said things like
this: Isn't 1t perfectly heavenly to
get out of doors and be close to ma
ture and drop all the rush and worry
and social doings that one has to suf
fer in town. Then some one would
answer: Perfectly grand! am
5000 tired of 1t ALL
"'AhaH l said to myself. I have
found the place | have long been seek
ing And | was innocent enough to
believe that had.
Then in about a week l observed
that Mrs. Fink next door was moody
and restless. Finally she burst out
with her troubles. She said she had
decided that she ought to give
party because she hadn't done SO for
two seasons and was indebted to all
the old residents. She said It was
such hot weather that she just dread
cd 1t. but It had to be done and she
might as well get II over.
so she walked two miles up and
down the lake front inviting people.
and II was 80 hot that when she got
home the family had to put her to
bed and keep ice on her head all
night and the DOCTORS bill W. about
ten dollars. Mrs. Fink then used up
two days in driving about cajoling
farmers into promising to deliver let
tuce and parsley and chickens and
things for her salad and another
whole day in making the salad
She nearly had nervous prostration
over the lettuce because. as sne said.
the farmers didn't care whether they
did as they SID they would. They
regarded the desire for lettuce
merely As one Of the silly vagaries
Of the summer residents and she
know II the lettuce farmer took It
into his head TO 70 on a picnic or
drive to town that day he'd do It.
and then what should she do with
forty women coming?
I'VE were all 30 worried over Mrs
Fink's lettuce that we distractedly
walked the porch the morning of the
party. and when We saw the lettuce
out loud in our relief, He didn't
bring the nice. crimpy. curly kind
that she had ordered
1T was about 40 degrees In the
shade that afternoon. and II you
walked By any house in the place you
could hear mutterings and grumblings
from the unhappy women within who
were trying to curl their hair and get
into their party clothes. All Of them
were wondering what Mrs. Fink want
ID to give q party for. anyway. and
wasn't II horrid having to GOT The
Precipitation rolled OF Mrs. F1nk's
faos - she told her guests how glad
she was To see them and then every
body sat and crocheted and mopped
her face and ate three times more
than was digestible and said what .
beautiful time she had had and then
rushed home to get into q kimono and
to feel thankful that It was over.
Then Sally Casey arrived one day
and asked me to an afternoon bridge
party. The weather was perfectly
ideal, the kind that makes you want
to run bareheaded through the woods
and shout because you're alive. But
We sat all that glorious afternoon IN
DOOR quarreling over cards and I
was sick two days from the stun !
ate. and . woman who didn't get the
prise said that the woman who did
cheated.
by that time every woman in the
place caught the entertaining fever
There were Invitations out for nearly
every afternoon and evening. because
every one was afraid that II she didn't
give q party she wouldn't Be asked
to the others. and. Of course. no mat
ter how much you hate to 90 you
nearly die II you don't get the chance
to 70. Nobody had any time to do
anything but whitewash her shoes
and press out her dress-up dresses
and shampoo her hair.
There were sewing parties and
card parties and luncheon parties and
corn roasts and watermelon parties
and teas. and people got thin and bag
gard and dyspeptic and Cross and
quarrslsome. and above It all rose the
wall at each party: Why did she
take It into her head to give q party
and make me climb out Of the ham
rock ana rat into ffGhf oIothaa auh