The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-07-03
On
Inspection

"Pity me-" pleaded the newly en-.
gagged girl. "I'm going next week to
visit Toms family! It's an inspection
visit, Of course, though inasmuch as
we are really engaged l don't know
what they can do about it If they
don't like me, do you? Still, l dread
1t from start to finish, across and back
again! If had realized that I had 1t
to go through l never, never would
have become engaged"
"Pooh!" said the girl who had been
married a year. That's nothing, alb
solutely nothing! If you want to go
through real torture as with pins and
needles go visit the family of the man
you aren't engaged to, but suspect
that you are going to be! You might
not break your heart over losing the
man if the family made him throw
you overheard, but it would hurt your
pride. It is a sort of matter of honor
to win out.
II don't suppose there Is one man
In 10000 whose family thoroughly and
enthusiastically approves of the girl
he picks out to marry, because ms
mother and sisters always have the
perfect one already selected, and all
the rest of their lives they cherish
grudge against the girl who has upset
their carefully laid plans. Never shall
forget the first visit paid to Dicks
family"
Were you engaged to him." asked
the newly engaged girl, breathlessly'
81 was mott" said the girl who
had been married year. "Dick al
ways declares that I was, but 1t isn't
so. He may have been engaged to
me, but wasn't to him! He insists
that came to inspect his family, but
it was the other way round.
Frankly, l was scared to pieces"
related the girl who had been married
a year. 81 did want to make good
impression, because, even if decided
that Dick wouldn't do, it would have
been comforting to have had the fam
lily eternally regretting my loss.
wanted to make them feel that If all
the girls they had ever fancied for
Dick were combined into one the prod
uct couldn't begin to equal me. l had
just got back from year and a half
in Europe, and had the latest things
in clothes and hats, so I had some
reason to hope that I should make
hit.
81 arrived late at night and beyond
the impression that the house was
huge and the family numerous reach
ed no conclusions. The next morning
at breakfast I began to distinguish
myself.
"While I had been abroad they had
invented several things in the United
States, among them one particular
breakfast food that was stranger to
me, and when l found the maid Offer
ing me a fine assortment of little
bales of hay l took one at random be-
cause I seemed to be expected to do
so. l took it nonchalantly and depos-
tied upon the plate before me. Then
l was offered cream and sugar.
$50 l began with cream. l poured
and poured, and the cream disappear
ed from sight. Where it went, cant
imagine, but l know l did begin to
think the thing must be sort OF
sponge. ~.
cat last whan I ceased to pour on
cream perspiration was standing on
my brow. Then it was that l saw all
the members of Dicks family solemn
ly engaged in tearing their mattresses
to bits. They faxed the stuff off and
made airy little mounds of it, amid
which the cream circled. as it should
have done with mine and didn't. They
were trying to look. no more panied
than they could help at my display
of ignorance. I nearly choked on the
stuff, but I swallowed It. .sEHsatz
when we arose from the table !
dashed to the piano to relieve the ten
sion and burst into particularly lively
ragtime. could play, and l played
until / found the whole family lined
up most apparently waiting politely
for me to finish so they could proceed
to the business of the day.
"Dick was nearest to me, and he
was terribly embarrassed.
"'Would you care to join us? he
stammered when paused, startled
Father always has Scripture reading
after breakfast I was much inter-
ested after I got over my perturbation
until it came my turn to read-and !
got come verses filled with the most
complicated proper names in the whole
book, over which l stumbled and
choked and disgraced myself.
IT had to have air after that, so
put on some things and rushed out
for a walk-and I stumbled and fell
the full length of the steps!
''They carried me in and stayed In
bed a week with a wrenched ankle