Families -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Older people -- Fiction
“I guess you’d better give me some of that that you gave me yesterday,”
the elderly lady suggested; “what do you think?”
“Yes, indeed,” said Janice—and went at once and brought it in separate
glasses on a tray, and mixed it by pouring, while Aunt Mary looked on
with an intuitive understanding that passed instinct and bordered on a
complete comprehension of things to her hitherto unknown.
“They’d ought to advertise that,” she said, as she set down the empty
glass a few seconds later. “There’d be a lot of folks who’d be glad to
know there was such a thing when they first wake up mornin’s
after—after—well, mornin’s after anythin’. It’s jus’ what you want
right off; it sort of runs through your hair and makes you begin to
remember.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Janice, turning to put down the tray, and then
crossing the room to seek something on the chimney-piece.
Aunt Mary gave a sudden twist,—as if the drink had infused an
effervescing energy into her frame. “Well what am I goin’ to do
to-day?” she asked.
“Mr. Denham has written out your engagements here,” said Janice,
handing her a jeweler’s box as she spoke.
Aunt Mary tore off the tissue paper with trembling haste—lifted the
cover—and beheld a tiny ivory and gold memoranda card.
“Well, that boy!” she ejaculated.
“Shall I read the list aloud to you?” the maid inquired.
“Yes, read it.”
So Janice read the dates proposed the night before and Aunt Mary sat up
in bed, held her ear-trumpet, and beamed beatifically.
“I don’t believe I ever can do all that,” she said when Janice paused;
“I never was one to rush around pell-mell, but I’ve always been a great
believer in lettin’ other folks enjoy themselves an’ I shall try not to
interfere.”
Janice hung the tiny memoranda up beside its owner’s watch and stood at
attention for further orders.
“But I d’n know I’m sure what I can wear to-night,” continued the one
in bed; “you know my bonnet was run over yesterday.”
“Was it?”
“Yes,—it was the most sudden thing I ever saw. I thought it was the top
of my head at first.”
“Was it spoiled?”
“Well, it wouldn’t do for me again and I don’t really believe it would
even do for Lucinda. We didn’t bring it home with us anyhow an’ so its
no use talkin’ of it any more. I’m sure I wish I’d brought my other
with me. It wasn’t quite as stylish, but it set so good on my head. As
it is I ain’t got any bonnet to wear an’ we’re goin’ in a box, Jack
says,—I should hate to look wrong in a box.”
“But ladies in boxes do not wear anything,” cried Janice reasuringly.
Aunt Mary jumped.
“Not _anything?_”
“On their heads.”
“Oh!—Well, then the bonnet half of me’ll be all right, but what _shall_
I wear on the rest of me? I don’t want to look out of fashion, you
know. My, but I wish I’d brought my Paisley shawl. I’ve got a Paisley
shawl that’s a very rare pattern. There’s cocoanuts in the border and a
twisted design of monkeys and their tails done in the center. An’ there
ain’t a moth hole in it—not one.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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