'n' I hope she'll know when she does need
it, though I don't expect it.) Now we'll try a few things ter see how
they'll go! Mr. Clement, do you eat cramb'ry sarse?"

"Bet yer life!" cried Clem, who in the excitement of the moment had not
taken in the idea exactly and had mistaken this for an ordinary
bosom-of-the-family question.

"Clement McGrill Ruggles, do you mean to tell me that you'd say that to
a dinner-party? I'll give ye one more chance. Mr. Clement, will you take
some of the cramb'ry?"

"Yes, marm, thank ye kindly, if you happen ter have any handy."

"Very good, indeed! But they won't give yer two tries to-night,--yer
just remember that!--Miss Peory, do you speak for white or dark meat?"

"I ain't perticler as ter color,--anything that nobody else wants will
suit me," answered Peory with her best air.

"First-rate! Nobody could speak more genteel than that. Miss Kitty, will
you have hard or soft sarse with your pudden?"

"Hard or soft? Oh! A little of both, if you please, an' I'm much
obliged," said Kitty, bowing with decided ease and grace; at which all
the other Ruggleses pointed the finger of shame at her, and Peter
_grunted_ expressively, that their meaning might not be mistaken.

"You just stop your gruntin', Peter Ruggles; that warn't greedy, that
was all right. I wish I could git it inter your heads that it ain't so
much what yer say, as the way you say it. And don't keep starin'
cross-eyed at your necktie pin, or I'll take it out 'n' sew it on to
Clem or Cornelius: Sarah Maud'll keep her eye on it, 'n' if it turns
broken side out she'll tell yer. Gracious! I shouldn't think you'd ever
seen nor worn no jool'ry in your life.--Eily, you an' Larry's too
little to train, so you just look at the rest an' do's they do, 'n' the
Lord have mercy on ye 'n' help ye to act decent! Now, is there anything
more ye'd like to practice?"

"If yer tell me one more thing, I can't set up an' eat," said Peter
gloomily; "I'm so cram full o' manners now I'm ready ter bust, 'thout no
dinner at all."

"Me too," chimed in Cornelius.

"Well, I'm sorry for yer both," rejoined Mrs. Ruggles sarcastically; "if
the 'mount o' manners yer've got on hand now troubles ye, you're
dreadful easy hurt! Now, Sarah Maud, after dinner, about once in so
often, you must git up 'n' say, 'I guess we'd better be goin';' 'n' if
they say, 'Oh, no, set a while longer,' yer can set; but if they don't
say nothin' you've got ter get up 'n' go.-