Mr. John Darling, a worthy and intelligent mechanic, who has been, for two years past, a resident of our town, was somewhat surprised and considerably gratified one day last fall, at receiving an invitation to dine with Colonel Philpot, one of the aristocracy. Mr. Darling enjoys that respect in our community which mechanical ingenuity and integrity united are always sure to command everywhere. These qualities, and a more than ordinary degree of information, acquired by the employment of much of his leisure time in reading, have given him an almost unbounded influence amongst his own class. Though the invitation to Colonel P.'s created some surprise in his mind, he felt more disposed to be pleased at the honor than to question the motives which prompted it; for his nature is wholly free from suspicion and the petty feeling of jealousy which those in his station sometimes indulge towards the "upper ten"--feelings with which, we are sorry to say, the bosom of his better half was frequently agitated. "We have been neighbors for some time, Mr. Darling," said Colonel Philpot; "it is time we were better acquainted. You must come and dine socially with me to-morrow. Mrs. Philpot and the children are out of town, and I am going to have a few friends to enliven my solitude." So John Darling "saved his appetite," dressed himself in his best clothes, and, at the appointed hour--a somewhat later one than his customary time for dining--repaired to Colonel Philpot's. He met there several of his associates--had a "fine time and a grand dinner"--the utmost hilarity and good feeling prevailed; and Mr. Darling entertained his wife with an account of it at every meal for several weeks. "Hester," said he one day, as they were seated at a codfish dinner, "did you ever taste a potato pudding?" "Potato pudding! No; I never heard of such a thing." "Well, I wish you could, for 'tis delicious! We had one when I dined at Colonel Philpot's." "I wonder what you _didn't_ have at Colonel Philpot's," said Mrs. Darling. "I declare, I'm tired hearing about it." "Well, I'll tell you one thing we didn't have--we didn't have _codfish_. But, that pudding--I wish you'd learn how to make it; it was superb!" "I presume so; and I guess, if I had half a dozen servants at my heels, and a thorough-trained cook into the bargain, I could have things superb, too. But, as long as I have everything to do myself, and very little _to do with_, I don't see how I'm to get up things in style. I wonder you can expect me to." "I don't expect you to, Hester. You always do things to suit my taste. But that pudding was excellent; and, being made of potatoes, I thought, of course, it must be economical, and"-- "Economical! That's all you know about it. What gumps men are! I'll warrant it had forty different things in it, and less potatoes than anything else. I'm no hand to fuss up. I like plain cookery, for my part."