The Idiot at Home Author:John Kendrick Bangs Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: n A LITTLE DINNER TO SOME OLD FRIENDS Ten days later all was excitement at the Idiot's new home. Tommy and Mol- lie were in a state bordering upon frenzy, ... more »and gave the cook a great deal of trouble, requesting a taste of this, that, and the other thing, which she was preparing for the dinner to Mr. and Mrs. Pedagog, the Bibliomaniac, and the others. Inwardly, too, they were somewhat wrathful, for they could not understand why they were not permitted to dine with their parents as usual. " I guess maybe it's your manners that keeps you away, Tommy," said Mollie. "Hoh!" said Tommy. "It can't be that, because pa says I ain't got any. It's because you're too young to be intro- doosed into society, and I've got to stay up-stairs and look after you. If you weren't a girl!" Here Tommy clenched his fists and looked unutterable things. Mollie shuddered and was glad she was a girl as she imagined the awful things Tommy would do to her had she been a boy. " Neither of 'em's it, Tommy," she said, in.a conciliatory manner. " It's because they ain't got enough dining-room chairs, that's why. I know, because I counted 'em, and there's only eight, and there's nine people comin'." " I guess maybe that's it," said Tommy, pacified somewhat. " And anyhow, I don't care. I saw that piece of paper ma gave Jennie, and she wrote down all the things they're goin' to have, and it's goin' to be two hours between the soup and the ice-cream. I couldn't ever wait that long for the ice-cream. I don't see why they don't begin with ice-cream." " I guess maybe we're better off as it is," said Mollie. " Popper and mommer ain't likely to forget us, and, besides, we can talk." And with this comforting reflection the little ones retired to their nursery contented in mind and spirit—and they did...« less