TlfE ALLIANCE INDEPENDENT. CHUKCH SOCIABLES. Yes. I am going to hare tbe sociable next Wednesday, and here it is Thurs day. Well I shan't do nothin' this week; but Monday 111 sweep, 'n' Tuesday make a mess o' cake, and prob'ly a little bread; and I'll have to cook some meat vittles or old Al miry Fawkes '11 think it's awful, I s'pose. Yes, I know 'tain' t none o' her business, but she makes it so. an' land! you might just as well say don't notice a streak o' lightnin.' She' dreatful inquisitive." And having delivered this long speech, Mrs. Abbalinda Bassett wiped her hands on her aproa and settled herself to entertain her guest Mrs. Jonathan Charles, who had "drop ped in" for a friendly chat in the afternoon. Don't you dread it awful Abba lindyP" asked her guest. Them church sociables had ought to be well I don' no' what hed ought to be done to 'em, but they're enough to make the hair turn grey. I hed it a year ago. an' such a lookin' house you never did sea Looked as if there'd been a hog-rasate. I tell Jonathan that if ever he has a sociable when I'm dead, I'll turn in my grave. Speakin' o' graves, reminds me of old Mis' Tubb's fui'ral last week; you wasn't there, was youP" No, I wasn't an' I've been dret ful sorry ever since, for they said the corpse was very lifelike. She died very sudden, didn't sheP" Yes, ruther; but they knowed she was dead, and wasn't buried alive, the way I know Samanthy Bliss was. Why. she was warm round her back bone, an' I told old John and the doc tor. But John, he said. 'She's dead fast enough,'- says he; but there, I alius felt's though she was buried alive, " "You don't say soP" said Mrs. Bassett. "But who was out to the fun'ralP I hain't heard nothin' about it yet" 'Well Elden's folks was over; V they arst us to stay to supper after the fun'ral. 'n1 Sarah Ellen an' Mar thy did; but lookin' at the corpse kinder turned my stomach, so I didn't stay, but afterwards I wisht J hed. tor the girls sed they hed a real good supper baked beans 'n' hulled corn. But the tablecloth was dretful soiled. Why, Sarah Ellen said she never see sioh a nasty tablecioth. But 'Land!, sez I, what can you expect? Old Mis' Tubbs was sick nigh onto six weeks afore she died, and Jeem's wife wasn't never a notable house keeper." Well what kind of an address did tbe parson give you?" inquired Mrs. Bassett. Pretty good; but to tell the truth, I didn't hear half of it for I was lookin' at Mis' Gideon Abbott's new bonnet" "Did he praise the corpse a gre't sight?" asked her hostess. Oh, yea ruther; he allm wus a marster hand to praise and proclaim the virtu's o' his p'rishioners when they was dead. But there, I tell Jon athan rd a good sight druther he'd praise us while we was livin'. I think he's kinder" "Yes. so do I; of course I don't want to say nothin' ag'in' the elder but he k kinder priggish. Why. one day larst spring, durin' house-clean in' time (an' you know what that means, everything topsy-turvy), I arst 'em here to luooh 'twas one Sunday, an' . they had to go right off to meetin' at the Centre so I hurried an' got 'em some bread an' meat vittles', an' clean forgot to ask the elder to ask a blessin'I Of course it was Inexcusable o' me, but I was so flustered gettin' their lunch, an' the coffee wouldn't git done nor nothin'. Well he would 'a' passed it over. I guess, but Mis' Stevens she cocked her head up an' shut her eyes and sez. Uosiahl' she says, as if the heavens was fallia' But I was dread ful mortified. I don't think she had any call to do that " No, she hadn't' replied Mrs. Charles. -She hain't so dretful good but going 'thout say In grace once'd hurt her. There goes Marthy Tubbs now. Oh. she reminds me. You'd ought to heve seen bow she took on at the fun'ral almost had the hys terics, an' had to be carried out!" "Do tell!" e claimed Mrs. Bassett "Hut did Jeem's wife take on very bad?" -She hadn't much chance, for her four children was climbin' all over her. Well 1 must be goin'; I've got to get a hot supper, for Jonathan. V Caleb alius oomes home hungry I'll be up ter the sociable." Yea I'll bait you will" said her hostess, as the door closed behind her; un' all ready to make remarks about the tablecloth V everything else. Seems ' sif this sociable would kill me. I've got so much to do; for I know old Almiry Fawkes '11 find a speck o' dirt under the spare-room bed, if it ain't no bigger'n a pin head." The night of the sociable bad come at last; the house was in good order, the children (who had been kept in the kitchen all the week) arrayed in their Sunday best were sitting sti31y on chairs in the sitting-room. At five o clock poor Mrs. Bassett with trembling fingers, put on her best alpaca, There was not a speck of dust anywhere except in John's room. "But there." she thought nobody' 11 ever think to look in that out-of-the-way place, way under the eaves.'! John was her grown son, and his room generally had the appearance of "chaos and ancient night" for it was very dark, with only one window, very near the floor; a box served for bureau and washstand. with a cracked piece of m rror hung above it Bows of hooks ornamented the walls. But John was not particular as to whether his clothing was on the hooks or on the floor. But poor Mra Bassett hurried on her dress and prepared to meet her guests. She gave a few touches to the "best room," as she passed through it straightening a t dy here and a rug there. The room looked decidedly like a sepulchre opening to receive a new occupant The air was very chilly, though a fire burned in the soapstone stove, for the room had not been opened since the April ho ise cleaning. and it was now nearly Octo ber. The horsehair chairs were set at regular intervals round the room. Several ova. frames hung on the walla containing photographs of the de parted Bassetts; and also a silver coffin-pi ate bearing the name of Abraham Bassett framed very care fully. On the large center table were a few bookd the Bible, "Life of General Grant" Fox's "Book of Martyra " and a rarely used diction ary. A very stiff silver vase, con taining some fresh flowers, stood ex actly in the middle. On the mantlepiece, which was very long, and could not boat of a cover, were two more very stiff vases, some china figures, a squirrel colored a hideous brown, cracking nuts, and some more photographs that looked as if they might have baea brought there from the Egyptian oatacombs. The carpet was of very bright red and green, with circles and hexagons about two. feet in diameter. Alto gether, the room had a most cheerless look, as if the chairs and rugs were afraid of being moved an inch from their proper place. Soon the guests began to arrive, among them Mrs. Charles, in her best black silk, with her knitting work; and presently the hum of voioes arose, b oken now and then by sounds of laughter. But now the odor of strong coffee began to pervade the house, and then came supper; men. women and chil dren passed the food to those sitting around the rooms huge slices of bread and butter, coffee, cake and doughnuts. W ith supper the trouble began to brew." as Mra Bassett said after ward, for Caleb Charles dropped a pan containing the sugar bowls, re sulting in the breaking of one bowl and the spilling of the sugar, which was speedily trodden into tbe sitting room carpet by the maay feet hurry ing over it In the midst of supper. Mra Bas set had occasion to go upstairs for a clean apron, and hearing some one moving in John's room thought, Oh. land! there's John hiding up here, he's so bashful! Well he's got to come out that's all" She opened the door and was horrified to see old Almiry Fa wkos" examin ing things! Poor Mrs. Bassett glanced from the unmade bed to the - bureau covered with every speoies of mascu line attire. She stood for a moment speechlesa and then, (in her own words. ) my temper riz; oi' Almiry raised her spetacles, and she sez, sar castically, sez she, 'Whose room is this, prayP In the calmest of tones she said this, an', as I said, my tem per riz, an' I said. 'I hain't aware as it is any o' your business whose 'tis, an' you walk straight out " "But that wasn't the worst of It" said poor Mra Bassett to Mra Charles two days after, "for when I oame down stairs I stumbled on Elder Stevens and his wife a-looking very horrified. Ah.' sez the elder. "I b'lieve Mis' Bassett at such plaoes as this it is customary to to say somethln' before proceedin' to airthly things. I hain't been requested to ask a general blessin'." Kin you imagine how I feltP I'd told Timothy ter be sure an' arsk the elder to arsk a blessin'; an' then, after what I'd told you 'bout the other time, my forgetting the same thing. I guess he'll think we're pretty heathen. But land o' Goshen! if ever I have another church sociable I'll be a little older than I am now that's all!" Daffodil in Transcript Monthly. For Sale. Lord Lambert English Hackney stallion, winner of first prize at Lincoln state fair 1890, and Imported Shire Stal lion Stonehenge. now owned by the Greenwood Horse Co.. Greenwood, Ne braska. Wilt sell cheap or exchange for land or live stock. Address, C. D CUR YE A, Sec'y, Greenwood, Neb. Nebraska SavingsBank 13 ar d O St., Lincoln Capital $250,000 GIVES ABSOLUTE SECURITY. Write Us and We will Prove it. 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DINING HALL, 138 S 12th St., Lincoln. OE.A.I-iS' 25c Firm clans table and attendance l-,nnfh- ut I1 hour I M.f OSCEOLA STAR NUBSERY L. A. BELTZER, Mg'r. PAIR PKICE8. HONORABLE DEALING A GENERAL LINE OF FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL STOCK.ETC. Send In orders for Bprlng. AgenU wanted. Osceola, : : : Nebraska. PUBL1C SALE THOROUGH BRED DRAFT HORSES. MOO, NEBRASKA, DECEMBER 7, 1892, AT 1 P. U. Finest Offer Ever Made in the West. I will sell to the highest bidder a draft of Imported and Ameri can Bred full blooded and recorded PERCHERON and FRENCH DRAFT STALLIONS, MARES, COLTS and FILLIES. No res ervation, everything goes. Two year's time at 8 per cent. 5 per cent off for cash. Send for catalogue. JA.V1EO 8CHULZ, COL F. M. WOOD, Auctioneer, Yutan, Nebraska,