Show A FE FEW ly WORDS ABOUT VISITS the poetry of the world is fast dying efty 0 ve means abood a good bargain de di means eans going to church in the morning on ca comfortable sundays and hospitality well welly we are forgetting what that does mean it is a tradition the rounding period of our grandmothers epitaphs iam maiden ar lady a little ancient yeu yet et not old oid I 1 teach all the year round except in vacations last winter a married ar schoolmate living in N L wrote r 0 t e me a pressing invitation to visit her r come any time she said we are always wa s delighted to see you only be sure ang and come dear M I 1 am not credulous jn in the matter of invitations having certain horrid examples of imposition ever before my eyes but this I 1 really thought I 1 must accept the summer vacation came and a bright june day brought home of my friend I 1 spied h her er as leamen Icamen earthe house draw drawing ingher her baby in the yard looking very fresh and pretty in her bright pink dress I 1 hurried a little all ready for a warm embrace lo 10 the ti tips ps of her fingers a tiny kiss on one cheek and im very happy to see you margarer lf 7 in a tone that means to sensitive ears I 1 1 I will be polite but I 1 wish you were in joppa 1 I 1 my heart sank but there was no help into the house I 1 must go and there must I 1 stay ten mortal days the invitation mood had passed off j I 1 resolved to make myself useful and be began bean an vigorous embroidering embroider ing of baby housa hoods a of baby sacks but I 1 soon made the pleasing discovery that all this was calculated upon beforehand these were the things that visitors would be likely to do I 1 did think in time to refrain from adding to the washing and ironing and 6 expressed the utmost indifference to certain rides and excursions which were proposed in the evident hope that I 1 wish to go the price of provisions was discussed at the table in a way that made me afraid to take a second cup of tea or piece of cake though the basket was always passed with the gingerbread side towards me the ten days came to an in end I 1 racked packed jed led my trunk with a lighter heart thant athani had felt since I 1 had unpacked it stretched my conscience woefully to say what a pleasant time I 1 had had and sped d away with unutterable reflections after riding five or six houssin hours in cars and stagg stag ethe the reflections were somewhat dulled by a decided sensation of faintness for you must know that the custom of putting up luncheon for departing demartin guests gueits is quite ob selete obsolete yo igo batterr matter if f you are well aware they iii lii ill have no chance to get even coffee and ca cake ke before night ask them no ques questions eions bid them tham goodbye good bye with a smiling smiling face urge them to come again very soon andray and say this has only been beena a eail call we want a long visit next time then shut the door and give a sigh of relief that thal that is over at last there whelo are myths about sharing the last crust with a friend there was certainly something in the geography about savage ravage tribes who reverenced reveren ced even evion a mortal foe under the title of guest alas for the romantic faith of childhood d they had probably reck on edthe value of the venison steak they had eaten after they had gone dont be too indignant on the general subject you know very well you dare to ask your old friend george white home to dine with you yesterday though you seen him before in a dozen years you like to risk the storm with madam it in her plan to haye have kompany to dinner that day chels sheb a v e ra housekeeper I 1 told you iwas avas an an old oid mald maid but I 1 did aid onee once have brothers and sisters and a home like ilke lik ilk other eother people so im not so unpractical as you think I 1 know the hidden mysteries of housekeeping the biscuit made in a hurry for unexpected company ny the tirado tirade from bridget bridgit who w wont imir amir tir a step to carry wather wathen up stairs af rik aih lre lie all this daysi I 1 know to finish sewing before the arrival of guests and the hurry after they have gone to make up the lost time but to grudge all this effort was enot I 1 was young to tell lell you the truth trute I 1 think it was the religion in our little home that made it so ao L easm easy to entertain guests bests in season and out of season the mothers cheerful self forgetfulness only emphasized the fathers serious voice reading aspray at pray prax ars ie hospitality without wi phout grudging grudain 9 if ra ea y occurred to us to thief think of the troubie trouble ro ubie uble of company if we did we were abon uon bon ashamed of it and as for the visits oteal f il friends they were vere the great delight of the year how unsophisticated hobold fashioned we were after all it is a fancy of ours that we twive just to have bave as easy a 11 time me as possible and that 1 generous hospitality be confined to the rich it reflects ho rio great honor on our common nature if the struggle to make small means meet high prices must blunt our amme affe affection won cool our ardor and change the genial graceful courtesy of hearty enship friendship fri into a mere calculation of of trouble and expense no matter mattel on what namely fare we din or how often the 11 hodden gray has be to made over do let us welcome our friends with simple old time sincerity to share it just as it is if we cant have all the new magazines on the table or many pictures on the walls we can te be so truly affectionate so thoughtful of our sisters comfort so thoroughly hospitable in the true old sense of the word that there will will always be in their memories a halo round our plain quiet home if we can havela have aall fill il li 11 these comforts for ourselves it arga argues s a miserable indolent selfishness not to sharing them with our friends we want another adoth er T mrs irs opie ople to writer a new chapter on white lies the lies of 0 invitation and a new apostle apostal to td preach on ilie lile the beauty of ministering springfield P republican rep bep pub licali |