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Thirteenth Day

"I think of inviting some friends to lunch to-morrow, Jane," said Mrs. Vernon to her sister soon after the birthday party. "May we depend on you and the girls again?" "With all my heart," answered Mrs. King. "Just tell us what you would like to have, and we'll do our best to please you, ma'am." "I think you might better tell me what you would like to make," said Mrs. Vernon. "I'm very humble.

I'd put up with anything that was good." "We musn't have any of the dishes we made for Aunt Carroll's lunch, because we want to try some novelties. Broiled chickens are good, but the girls are hardly old enough to undertake those, and I want that the cooking should be bona fide their own. What do you say to a dish of sweetbreads, a nice salad, and potato croquettes?" "I can't imagine anything better; but do you know what you are undertaking?" "Oh, yes, perfectly; you don't know how skillful the little things have become, now that they have their heart in the matter. All I do is to look at them; they would feel quite hurt if I touched anything." "I am delighted to hear it. I had no idea that the fancy would hold out so long. What do you think would be nice in the way of sweets?" "Peaches are tolerably plenty now, and I should like to show the girls some ways of using them. An open pie in puff paste would be very handsome." "Elegant! Anything else?" "A chocolate meringue makes a good variety, and we might have coffee instead of chocolate, so as not to have too much of the same thing, and some light cake, not very rich. Rolls are the best thing in the way of bread, but as they are out of our line, we will make some biscuit instead. And you must not forget that the children have the promise of setting the table, so we must do what we can to-day to give them more time." "Arrange everything just as you please," said Mrs.

Vernon; "I'm only too thankful to have it off my hands." Then Mrs. King brought her little army together and explained the bill of fare to them. They found the prospect of getting up such a handsome lunch very exciting, and wanted to begin at once. "We must ask Rhoda to have plenty of mashed potato ready for the croquettes," said Mrs. King, "and, I think, the peach pie and some jelly cake might be made to-day; I don't see what more we can do. Grace, you succeed very well with pastry; you may go directly into the cellar and make your handsomest puff-paste, and we'll prepare the fruit for you in the mean time."