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THE TEA PARTY. 43
Mrs. W. A falling out? so they had! They were taking
a sleigh-ride, long about Christmas, and got talking pretty
high avout some matters, and didn’t mind.wbcre they were
driving, and the sleigh run against an old stump and upset
; : , Up
and they pee out. Partington took his death-cold in that
snow-bank. :
Mrs.-B. Ob-h-}il thet’s the way, is it? I knew I’d heard
~ something about it. Of course I supposed it was a domestic
difficulty—they re so common. _Now, Broome and I never’
have any; I won’t let him.
- Mrs. ‘I. I sppose you take a Broome-stick to him.
Tue oT#sx Two. He! he! he!
(Re-enter Ang: Partington.) Dear me! I’m in such a
diploma! .
Mrs. B. In what?
Mrs. P. In such a diploma!
AL. What’s the matter ?_
'
Mrs. P. Why, you see, I’d got my table sot, and my waf-
ak
fles all. nicely ed and buttered, and maple molasses be-
tween cm, and I sot the covered dish in the oven a minute,
while I took the teapot to the table, and when I came back
for the wafiles, they were gone! I could scarcely credit my
sensations. I looked under the stove and all about, but not
a trace of them could I see—not even the cover of. the dish—
and there sat the cat as innocent as ever you saw a quad-
ruple in your life. I saw a glimpse of Ike's coat-tail in the
wood-shed, and I stepped out to see if he knew any thing
about ’em. He was playing leap-frog with half a dozen boys,
and they all opened their mouths and stared when I spoke
to them about the waffles. Ike said the cat must have taken
?em. I said the dish was too hot for her. Ike said: he saw a
her walking off through the yard with the dish, cover and
all, between her paws. He winked a little when he told it,
and I saw a streak of molasses about his mouth, and the
boys’ mouths, too; but Ike’s a truthful boy. I never doubt
his-voracity. I’ve always held the example of George Wash-
ington, who never told a lie, before 1m, No! no! Ike
wouldn’t procrastinate !—especially about waffles. So the
cat must have took ’em! Walk out to tea, ladies. You'll.
hare to excuse the catastrophe, and put up with such as there
is. That cat shall be drowned to-morrow. She’s beer guilty
of plagiarism, and must suffer the consequences. Wal’ -ut{
walk eut ! : (Exit all, Guests laugnino.s
Lo ema, Re A cee