The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-04-28
THE ONE EXCEPTION.


cinating blue silk tea gown. with half
blown American Beauty, which I had
brought up from town, caught in the laces
at the shoulder. We had been married just
six weeks.
''I'm awfully tired, Dicky,' she began
after the butler had gone.
''Tired?'' echoed. ''You don't look it,
sweelie grill" (This last is a contraction
of ''sweet little girl'-a honeymoon fan
tasy quite my own.) Wasn't the tea
party a success?''
"Diok," my wife said tragically, sit
was horridl''
"Reallyl And just six weeks ago Claire
Haughton was your maid of honor and
Angie New and Vera Sweet and Daisy
Meadows were your dearest friends OF
course, they were there?"
sob, yes, but, Dick, I never realized
until today how one idead and faddy and
tiresome and absolutely selfish girls can
become. They chartered incessantly-each
of her own particular fad. Such tr1H1ng
affairsl I hate people with hobbies. l
thank my stars, Dick, that you came along
and married me and saved me from taking
such narrow gagged views of life. -
bowed my thanks. 'And what did the
girls talk about?'' 1 asked. "What is Vera
Sweets fad just now?"
Alicia made pretty pretense of jeal-
ousy 81 always thought you rather fam
cied Vera. Well, she was tremendously
tiresome. She has just fitted up new
music ROOM and when she wasn't talking
Roman drapery and oriental touches and
busts of Beethoven and Paderewski, she
was humming amateurish arias from the
operetta she's just written or quoting
Leschetiszky's method or plying me be-
cause I've not heard Melba.''
"And Angie New?"
"Oh, Angela's stagestruckl Saves all
fOy-x
and keeps theatrical scrapbooks and a col
lection of stars photographs. I think she
once had bowling acquaintance with a
very minor actress. Angie is always dy-
ing to tell you that your matinee hero
beats his mother, that the lovely leading
lady is 55 and has been divorced three
times and that the heavy villain used to
keep butcher shop-such stupid detailsl
Think of such things making up ones in
terest in life!'
"Dreadfull'' cried and shuddered.
"And there was Cerise Lovelace, who
only talks dress-it's 'Virot says this, my
DEAR or 'Doucet and Felix say that, quite
all the time I'm glad my brain isn't put
on the bias and fiounced like hers
"You grow savage, sweelie girl. -
"Wasn't it enough to make one SO?
Selfishness is always reprehensible. "
''Miss Meadows seems rather the right
Sort
"Oh, but Daisy is so given up to hospi-
tai and flower mission work she can think
of absolutely nothing else. And even dear
Claire never had particularly large way
of looking at things"
Alicia reached for a wafer and nibbled it
daintily. Marriage" she sighed" mar
rage, my dear, would simply be the sal
Walton of those girls"
''Perhaps," / answered. 81 suppose a
woman must have something to love and
absolutely devote herself to. Weren' t there
any other married women there, sweelie?"
''Mrs. Harley Everett Work and Mrs.
Jeune-M Mere But someh ow even they were
tedious-one complained of her servants
SO vulgar, 1 think-and the other told us
all about her baby"
$50 they are selfish and one idead in
spite of marriage?"
"Oh, but, Dick, they have such stupid
husbands"
''Poor little womanl'' I sympathized.
'tWhat an afternoonl Did you really have
to listen to all that and never get in a
word with the blooming, self conferred lot
of them?'
ooh, 1 talked, of course That's what
5 O'Clock teas are for. But I'm very sure
my conversation was along broader lines,
for, Dick, really am growing more seri-
Gus, and couldn't bear to have the whole
afternoon spent in worthless chitchat."
'Of course, your remarks were edifying,
dearest-a merited, if severe, lesson. I've
no doubt my wife proved herself the gilt
tering exception. What did you tell them?"
'tFirst I spoke of how you hate gossip
how you like awoman to speak sweetly of
the absent of that little joke of yours
about the best tea being the chari-tee that
covers a multitude of SINS
"Great Cesarl What a pompous prig
you made of mel'
''Not at all, Dick. told them how you
let me play cards for prizes, though you
disapprove it; of your selling the mastiff
you had at Princeton just because he
barked at me once of the roses and violets
you bring me and how you stay at home
evenings to read to me unless we go to the
play or are dining out, and''-
Anything else?"
"Yes, proved how superior you are to
other men-how noble, true and generous
and wise and how good looking, too-for
you are, Dick-just sometimes, you know,
in evening dress or in that lovely gray suit
with pink shirt, and I'm glad you have
such a strong chin, and a straight nose,
and that dear dash of gray on the tenn
ples"-
''How," I interrupted, blushing to the
roots of the aforesaid dash of gray, chow
did the tea party take all this?''
sob, when I took my first breath they
their narrow eXistences. But what can
one expect from people with hobbiesp'
"What, indeed?'' 1 traced a design on
the damask with my dessert spoon, mus
ing; then I looked up and laughed, COR
hubbiesY''
"Now, that's unkind, Dickl Just when
I've spent the entire afternoon making
myself perfectly odious to the girls by talk
ing of nothing-but youI''
"And that, my sweetest sweetie girl, is
just where the joke comes in.''
And then the butler brought in the
bisque glace, and I shiyered over the first
spoonful and the look Alicia gave me.
Nor was she Modified until by and by I
rose and, slipping round to her chair, said
meekly: ST want to smoke. How can /,
sweetheart, unless you come into the IL
brary and sit on the arm of the chair and
choose my cigar and lend me the light of
your eyesf''
Then she laughed, too, and kissed me.
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
What Makes Them Feel Uncomfortable.
Sunday School Teacher illustrating the
still, small voice What is it, dear chill
dren, that makes you feel SO uncomfort-
able and unhappy after you have done
something which you ought not to dor
Dear Child-A lickin.-Roxbury Ca
zette.
Manufacturing Gpido~as VUahz