Page:Peterson's Magazine 1842, Volume I.pdf/64

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THE MINISTER’S DINNER.

BY LIDIA JANE PIERSON.

Tus Reverend Mr. N- was a man of excellent temper, generous feclings, aud well cultivated mind, but he was eccentric even to oddity. He was a powerful preacher, and his ministration was blest to the reforma- tion of many in his parish, At the age of thirty-four he

duaghter to one of hia richest parishioners, and who imogined that to refuse the lund of the minister would be a sin bordering hard upon the unpardonuble. Well, the marriage was consummated, the bride's fut portion paid; and the husband, as husbands in their firat love are apt to do, gave in to the humor of his wife, and accompanied her to several festive parties given hy hie wealthy neighbors, in honor of his marriage.

‘The happy couple were sitting together in their com- fortable parlour, one evening toward spring, the reverend gentleman studying the Venerable Bede, and hia wife equally intent upon a plate of the latest fashions, when she suddenly louked up with an expression between bopo and fear, and thus addressed her companion,

«My dear husbaud I have @ request to make.”

“Well, Nancy, any thing consistent.”

You do not imagine that I would make an inconsist- ent request, surely ?”

“No—not a request that you considered inconsistent. But come, what is it?”

“Why, my dear sir,” and her voice trembled a little, “we have been to several parties among the neighboring gentry, and now I think that to maintain our position in gocivty we should make @ party too.” ‘The minister looked blank.

« What sort of a purty, Nancy ?” he suid at length.

“Why,” she replied, “auch a party as those we huve attended, We must make an elegant dinner, and have dancing after it.”

“Dancing! in a minister's house!” ejaculated Mr. n—.

“Why, yes, certainly,” replied his wife, coaxingly. « You will not dance, the party will be mine; and then we have been to similar purties all winter.”

“True, true,” he muttered with a perplexed air, and sat silent for some time as if considering. At length he spoke, “Yes, Nancy, you may make a party, give a dinner, and if the guests desire it you may dance.”

“Thank you, love,” she cricd, putting her arma around his neck.

“But I have some stipulations to make about it,” he said, “I must select ani invite the guests, and you must al- low me to place some of my favorite dishes upon the table,”

"All sa you please, love,” she answered delightedly, but when ehall it be?”

“Next Wednesday if you please.”

But our furniture and window draperies are very old fashioned. Is it not time we liad new ?”

“I xhould think it hardly necessury to re-fumish our rooms, Nancy, Ail our fumiture is excellent of ita kind."

«But our amooth carpets, white draperies, and cane chaira have snch a coll look, do consent to have the rooma new fitted, we can move these things to the an- furnished chambers.”

« And of what use will they bo in those rooms which we never occupy? Besides, it is near spring, and to fit up now for winter is superfluous.”

« Well, I would not care,” she persisted, “only people will call us parsimonious and ungenteel.”"

“Oh, if that is all," he said gaily, “I will promise to expend a thousand dollars on the evening of the party, not in furniture, but in g manner which will he for more grateful to our guests, and profitable to ourvelves, and which shal} exonerate us from all imputation of parsi- mony ; end you may expend in adress, entables and dessert just what sum you please, and do not forget the wines.” ‘And co the colloquy ended, He resumed hin studies, and she gave her mind to the consideration of the dress which would be most becoming; and the viands that wero most expensive. ‘fhe next day she went busily ahout her preparations, wonilering all the time how her husband would expend his thousand dollars, but as she had discovered something of the eccentricity of his cha- acter, she doubted not that he meunt to give un agreeable surprise; and her curiosity grew so great that she could burdly asleep during the interval.

‘At length the momentous day arrived. ‘The arrange~ ments were all compiete, und Mri, N— retired to por- form the all-important businesa of arraying her fine person in fine attire. She lingered long at the toilette, relying on the fashionable unpunctuslity of fashionable people, and when the hour struck, left her chamber arrayed like Judith of old gloriously, to allure the eves of all who should look upon her, and full of sweet smiles and graces, notwithstanding the uncomfortable pinching of her shoes and corscts, Her husband met her in the hall.

Our guests have all arrived,” he said, and opencd the door of the reviewing room. Wonderful! wonderful! What a strange asscmbly. There were congregated the cripple, the maimeil, and the blind; tho palsicd, the ex- treme aged, and a group of children from the alnshouse, who rogurded the fine lady, some with wide open mouths, others with both bands in their hair, while some pecped from behind furniture, to the covert of which they had retreated from her dazaling presence, She was petrified with astonishment, then a dash of displeasure cronsed her face, till having ran ber eyca over the grotesque assembly, she met the comically grave expression of her husband's countenance, when she burst intoa violent fit of laughter,

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