nner was a very great success, and Flora
Clark said to me that if people a hundred years ago ate those hearty,
nourishing victuals as these people did, she didn't wonder that the
men had strength to found a Republic, but she did wonder how the
women folks who had to cook for them had time and strength to live.

After dinner the speechifying began. The Rev. Henry P. Jacobs made
the opening address; we had agreed that he should be invited to do
so, since he was the minister. He asked the blessing before we began
to eat, and made the opening address afterward. Mr. Jacobs is
considered a fine speaker, and he is never at a loss for ideas. We
all felt proud of him as he stood up and began to speak of the state
of the Linnville church a hundred years ago, and contrasted those
days of fireless meeting-houses with the comforts of the sanctuary at
the present time. He also had a long list of statistics. I began at
last to feel a little uneasy lest he might read his poem, and so rob
the guests who were to speak of their quotas of time. Louisa said she
thought he was intending to, but she saw Mrs. Jameson whisper to her
husband, who immediately tiptoed around to him with a scared and
important look, and said something in a low voice. Then the minister,
with a somewhat crestfallen air, curtailed his remarks, saying
something about his hoping to read a poem a little later on that
auspicious occasion, but that he would now introduce Mrs. H. Boardman
Jameson, to whom they were all so much indebted.

Mrs. Jameson arose and bowed to the company, and adjusted her
eyeglasses. Her jets glittered, her eyes shone with a commanding
brightness, and she really looked very imposing. After a few words,
which even Flora Clark acknowledged were very well chosen, she read
the Governor's letter with great impressiveness. Then she went on to
read other letters from people who were noteworthy in some way and
had some association with the village. Flora Clark said that she
believed that Mrs. Jameson had written to every celebrity whose
grandfather ever drove through Linnville. She did have a great many
letters from people who we were surprised to hear had ever heard of
us, and they were very interesting. Still it did take time to read
them; and after she had finished them all, Mrs. Jameson commenced to
speak on her own account. She had some notes which she consulted
unobtrusively from time to time. She dwelt mainly upon the vast
improvement for the bet