Mr. Perriwinkle's Party

Rfeo have been acooMomed ia loseta ui DOolize literature, and bave igreed sk roaniniously to oarioalart (romen, that ie u liif.'li time the sax look op tlieir own uau?e. From Mrs. Caudle dowo to Mra. Sniiih Jooeü, ilicir foibloa liavc lieen beid ' í '" créate amtuement. Asan agrieved fe mle and a m&rried one, 1 dcsire to painc the other side of the piotura, and to sketch "tlie lords of the crealioo," not as thcy seein 10 tUeir MtUfied lelyes, bal u they really ara. Mr reríwiakle ía as irortby, I have no doubt, ni igt of liU sei ; but, as I often lel I hini, he ii "neuher ospired nor iniallible." He seemí t.i tbiok, í'nr sataooe, iliat all the troablêi al the matrimonia] oonneotion ara ooneaatnted on his liead, and t lia t in oonaequenoe lie alone lias tbe rífht lo ursmble or be oross. matter how moofa tbe terraata bare vorried nie durini: the day, do uiatter Iiow vexaliousthe baby bas been, J'eriwinLIoex! ¦ n el bitn with suiíIhs when he eomei home, and if w ía in a bad humor talk hito nto a good one. 1 am not, 1 believe, nuturally unamiablp, but he of'lcn niakes my I. lood boil, 1 own, hy ,-ucli beliavior, 1 tliank lieavt n, I lell liini at tlieso times, that lilis isnotTurkey, and that wouien are noi tlavefn Hiere ia nothing Pertwiakle batea m mach as an eTening party. He is always croM hen hs huto aoeompwy me toone, and would never allow uie (o receive my Irienda in ün way, il' 1 were not duly Beosible .t' whut 1 owe to society, and therefore lirin. He also tt ils me that he is tired out at niülii, tliat Le don't care fot dancing, and tliat re romen do DOthing hut talk die gossip all the evening. 1 rerfy that wives, wbo are kept at boma all day occupied in theit deuiestio dnties, need sume recrealiou ; and they rarely obtaia it exeept at ¦ ta party or ball ; and I aild that if our m'x talka gossip, bis talks politica, which is Last wii.ter 1 tiied to get l'eriwinkle'.s consent, for once, togive a party. Always before 1 had i.-sued iuvitatioos ou my own retpomibility, and, when everything was ariannl, had lold liim what I had done. Kul wi-hing io gee if it was possible for a maa to beaaything bntabitof ooocentrat ed selfisbaea, I determmed to make the experiment of obtaininghisoonsent. It was, bowever, ia vaii). And all I got ibr my paina was the general laugh ol iny teníale ai ii:ii ntaiu-i's, to whom 1 had told my plan, and who Iriumphed over its failure, lor they predioted it. To these, hoirever, tbere wa.s oneexception. Ka(e Kras e, a wi'd slip of' a thing, and own DÍeoe (o Períwinkíe, rcsolutely maintained tbal we did injustice to beruncli', that be wa only pJaguing me, and that lie would givc a dashlDg party helbre the ¦eai in was orer. She wentso far as to bet a ;iair of glores that ha was right aud I wrong. Aa ifshe kntw l'eniwinkle bettt-r thaa I did ! I, to wliom every cranny ol' his mind aud corner of liis oharacter wa as Tiiible u tpeoka of dust in my parlor earpet. Coneeited thincl Uut concuit runs in the Periwinkles. One night, aa Periwipkre and I .-at in the lüiiiiijr room, hereading, and I sewing, I thonghl 1 would make a last effort, quite forgettiDg that if] succecded, I shonldlose B pair ofgl ¦l'triwinkl,'," Isaid, "about this party irheo .-hall it be?" " Hang the party," hentorted, throwin down the newspaper. "Am I ncvertohear rhe last of'it ? 1 thought I told you, long ago, Iwouldn't consent to auy such thinir." I ilarcd up, as u woman should, at such lttnüuagc. Be had been testyall the evening, and 1 had borne it nieekly ; bul this pa-scil the Luim i)t'endurance. "You nce.iu't tnakesuch a fus1," Isaid, "and loso yonr temper, nor will I allew anybody to talk to me in that -let me teil you that, Mr. Periwinkie." " Hoity, toity," he bogan, but stopped abruptly, lor at that instant (hu bell rung with a violence that threataned to pull down the house, and direelly [ heard feet running up the staircase, and thejvoiees ui sereral of my boqaaintai 1 ttapped U the ooorofth ditiing room jn-t in time to meet my friends. They nodded and went up to the chamber, as if all rigbt, I fullowed them in amaseoient, for I notioed that they were dressed in hal! attire. When they saw my pJain gown they leemed a littlo diaeoooerted,aod a in niieiit ader, noticing that no lighu wi'rc lit in the chamberí, they appeared more so ; hovever, Kate, who was one of tin in, saitl : "1 thought I'd come early and bring Jane and Harriet with me; thcre, I'll llght the gas if' yoft'll help the girls off with tluir hood and things." She took it so naturally that I saw all at '¦. The httle vixen had evidently uado u pi. a ith Periwinkle, and together they had v"t up a party, keeping me in the dark about it tï II the schetue was actually ezecuted. 1 had half a mind to be augry, luit ih.iught 1, etter of it, detertuining to receive tía oompany u il' I had been at the bnttoiii of it all; for this, I knew, would be the best way to annuy Kate. Only I resolved that after toe goeets were gooe Periwinkl Bhonld baai a bit of my miod. Anl dow. oarriagea begao to daalt to the door; the bell was rung incessantly ; visitors arrived in a continuous streatn. Hurrying into a spare chamber I hastily changed my dren; then ordered a room to be arranged for the gentlemen, anJ, in five minutes, all told, ran breathlessly down to reeeive my eumpany. l'eriwinkle was already there, in earnest OOnversation witli K:iir, bat pretettdiBg, as soon u h aan me, to be more llhumored thati over. 1 look do notiob ot' liini, bowever, but d: vouil myself to uiy guests. Ie was hard work, lor there was no niusic. And wlion tlie refreshwents were brouglit in, I saw huw little men know of such things, for l'eriwinkle hadn't ordered liad enough ice creatn, and had bought twice enough HTS. I held in, finu to my resolution, till the last guest had departed. It was Kate, wlio bade Periwinkle and me '"good-niglu," witli a deuiure look, as she tripped froiu the door witli her lover, Rarry Cousios. Then my indignation burst forth. Turning to lViiwinkle, I pushed bim in, and lias¦iied the door rioleqtly. ¦" 1 hope you're satisfied tiow,"' I said, and N pretty mess you've made of il, to be sure. hittle you know about giving a purty. The next time, I tliink it would be bette r to teil me, ir, and not inake a fooi of yourself, when you t'atiey you're fboling me I" " Give a party - not teil you - t'ooling you," stammered IVriwinklc. " I don't know what you mean. It'sjou, madam, ihat's deieiving- ' - " "Wliai1" 1 eried, amazod al suob l' frontcry, "diilirt you and Kalu uiake up a plot between you? - didn't Bhe issue the invitatioMs and you Order tbe entertainment? " " V"ii :ii.:iih lm,-," ae cried, starting back, "didn't you, let me uk, issue ilie Mrda and leave me to Ket the eaUtblea, at the elcvt'tith hour? . Kale told me so." I did not belicve a word he said, and na aluut to reply tartly, when the doorbell rang again, and suppoeiog aotuebody had l'orgotten soinothing, 1 turned to open it before I answered. It was Kate who liad relamed. She did not enter, though my eyes ak.' i br, aa plainly as cyes eould, to make hasle and get wliat she had left behind; but .standing on the door step, she lojked past mr :li Periwinkle, and said dctnurely: 'I nole by tht-bj I bad furgotten. What 's ihe day of the month '!" The day of the mooth? The lir.-l .if April, to besare' It flatbed on uu' and Periwinkle niuultaneoasly. Kate had invited the guesta in our name to make Api il lools of' bothof us. I looked at bim; Be lu iked at me. We both had hálf a Miind to bc aogry ; but Kate's ringing mer rioteot, as she tripped off again, was infeetuous, nnd we tood ihere laughinc at each other till the tears rao down uur cheeka, To this day Kafe tt aes bolh of U9 about Mr. l'eriwinkle's party, and akra it is the onlyone we have never (juurreled over.