THISTLEDOWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1285, 15 October 1886, Page 3

THISTLEDOWN.

[By the Ceiel.] ' No, lI— AFTERNOON TEA TALK. ' We often hear and read a lot about s birthday parties, surprise parties, whist j parties, and a host of other parties, all of y which carry with them an influence for T good or evil, and afford an amount of p'ea- , sure to the folks who attend these gather" t ings, though outsiders cm too dull to see , anything pleasing or prolitablein them, and t consequently are apt to term them “ silly ” i and such like. _ ] One of the most absurd of these parties a is a Women’s Afternoon Tea Party. The , mode of iis organisation is its greatest pecu- j, liarity, the slightest pretext is sufficient to c call forth a gathering. A contemplated a mission to the heathen, or an improvement f in the present style of dress, is quickly , followed by a meeting called by Mrs Fisher, who induces her friend Mrs Harriss to prepare for an afternoon party, and then pro- j needs to invito the guests on her own r account. . r She is very generous indeed ; and know- 8 ing that her own larder will not ■ suffer in j any wav hy tire party, she invites an nn- q limited number of guests, and at the speci- g fled time, vtith a punctuality almost a mao- c ing, which gives the ho to the statement a that women are always behind time, and j whieb it would be well for them to transfer t to Church services, these worthy ones put r in an appearance. Mrs Hunter and Mrs \ Gamp*. Mrs Palavar and Miss Knowail, 5 Essie Sirapsr and Clara Brainless, and other ; small fry. , , . • It is supposed to he a women s tea party ; pure and nucule, but because it is one of j special importance Messeurs Pecksniff and c Buddie, who are admittedly eo much like j iold women, an a mark of the great esteem , which they are held, have both received , a cordial inv.tation, ami are,_ cn appearing, E heartily welcomed to the social cucle, Mr Buddie can drink tea with as much , delightful appreciation as any old char- ] woman but then he is pious, and -this , restrains him from indulging in anything y father would have liked his | son to have been a doctor, and from the , scientific knowledge he deuved from , this desire of his father’s, he has a very , decided objection to drinking tea owing to , its effect upon the nerves of the human , system ; however, as he’s not pious, Mrs Harriss can suit him and its Danville. , When at last they are all comfortably ( seated “ round the social board," another ] visitor of the Pecksniff Bnddlo type-Mr , Pettffogger—puts in an appearance. Of , course he does not intend staying; he , merely called to aslc his wife concornu g , something he had forgotten hut as the company is so pressing, notwithstanding he is somewhat inclined to think unkindly of Mrs Fisher’s action in neglecting to invite him he reluctantly consents to remain, and is speedily made one of the number. They have a kind of free and easy after thenown peculiar fashion, anyone say just what they like, present company and members of tho circle excluded from the application of general remarks. , They chat awav about this.lhat,and everythin" bat Mrs Hunter touches on a topic of very" great interest to the company when she speaks of young WctchfnVa matrimonial engagement. . , Miss B- ainless ventures the first remaric, and thinks the match a very undesirable one. even though the name of tne intended bride has not yet been mentioned and when Miss Knowail annennees that the daughter of Old Honesty, the merchant over across the way is tho brvle-elect, Mrs Pettifogger—poor thing ; always on the alert for favorable opportunities for getting her daughters off her hands—visibly pales at thn dreadfn' information. Miss Simper’s face wears a perceptible J crimson, and her friends are at a loss to • understand her quietude for the rest of the evening as she chews the hitter end of disappointment and in her mind calls Jane Ho-'est-y “a nasty, mean, se'hsh tiling. Mr Buddie is pleased to inform the company that he has succeeded in what Mrs Pettifogger has failed in, and has just given awav his -‘dear daughter”-ves, dwe*r tainly, even in a gift, as the poor deluded fel'ow who gets her will shortly I' rove - Matrimony i« not in his line * O .J® somewhat troubled just, at present as to the welfare of his pastor Ca.eb Faithful, ho 4 has actnaVy dared to preach from that % mistaken ond nninsnired text of Senptu. Faith without "JOrhs is dead. lie is sorry for him. and sadly afraid that the preacher shows signs of heterodoxy of a dangerous and ma-ked type; he shall show his s wrow r by comp’aining t" the deacons about it. Miss Knowail doesn’t think he ought to he a minister because of bis irreligious practice of riding on horseback instead of dri ing in a buggy, ns other parsons do. Mrs palavar turns the tide of abuse ajainst Scripis by calling attention to a iecant Press rejxirt, in which bn ap'-ke 01 too inkers and lawyers as being tne superstratum of society Tho idea of stiob a thing; if be ever does it again, shell give up taking the paper. Ability, the lawyer, drops into hot water hee.mse he p’ninly told Pettifogger that hi» dog k.iew more about law than ho (Pettifogger) did. Tlry Goo’s, Kip. and Harlwood, all honest hard working fellows, each supnly in turn the subject matter of a social ccnflab, whilst “The Cliiel ” should he turned out of the place because of what he wmte about their good friend Mrs Orur.dy. _ But all things come !o *n and as Jyt; *na

bo does Mr* Harris*’ cakes and tea, sod the little party think it about time to break jp; pious Mr Buddie suggests prayer as being a fitting conclusion to their very pleasant gathering, but Pecksniff, who makes no pretensions to being religious, and who rather dislikes Buddie, strongly hnt firmly protests, and whjjpt these two quarrel as to whafher they shall _or shall not, the women quietly put On thefr things and slip away home in order to get their husband’s teas.

Note.—“ The Chiel” has used in this sketch several fictitious names borrowed from the writings of others—he aoknow ledges them.