El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-16

! she broke off suddenly. 1T sometimes
| wish David wouldn't take so much in
terest in making my work easy"
But Davids interest kept right up.
He urged the use of the code with un-
firing zeal, and one day when pretty,
black eyed Nora actually came and
filed the water glasses in answer to
three short rings he glowed with IN
speaka bic pride and declared that they
must really give dinner.
Eight is the proper number for our
table, he told his wife. And then he
began to plan the menu.
Mrs. Blakey was a cheerful, gay lit
tie body at the time of her marriage,
and the sparkle isn't entirely gone.
She looked very pretty on the night of
the dinner. The table was perfect; the
cut glass blazed with rainbow hues,
the silver dazzled and the floral cen
terpiece was a credit to Mr.. Blakey's
taste. The feast was to be rather more
pretentious than anything Mr.. Blakey
had heretofore planned, but he had no
fears about the service. He relied OH
the code. Mrs. Blakey, on her part,
was determined to please David by ap-
pearing quite unconscious whenever
she signaled Nora. The consequences
was that her smiles and attention to
the man on her left during the soup
course half turned his head.
How delightfully."- clever; do tell me
another Mrs. Blakey was saying to
him, brightly. as her small foot pressed
the button and telegraphed Nora to
clear table for next course
Nora appeared-a dream Of delight in
a black dress, an exquisite apron and
a brand new butterfly cap that Mr..
Blakey himself had selected and
brought home for the occasion. She
waited for the cue. She never SO much
as glanced at Mrs. Blakey, who in her
turn kept her eyes determinedly away
from the maid as she chatted on with
the man at her left. Nora fitted about,
deity removing soup plates.
Suddenly Mrs. Blakey felt herself
pierced by her husbands gaze. Great
heavens. What was the girl doing7
Finger bowls after the soup! Had she
given her the wrong signal7 The
guests were looking puzzled and
watching their hostess. Mrs. Blakey
rose to the occasion and desperately
dipped her fingers. while she peremp-
torily gave the signal for next course.
Away went the finger bowls. and Nora.
with a wild look in her pretty eyes.
began to bring in black coffee.
"Horribler' CALCULATED Mrs. Blakey
to the man on her left, who had just
finished quoting her little quatrain Of
his own. Then she apologized. with
one eye on him and another on Nora,
who was floating past her. all uncon-
scious Of appealing glances and furt1ve
nj, ell hA 81
signals was eddying like a whirlpool
in Mrs. Blakey's mind. The coffee was
finished and something must be done.
She gave one long, continuous ring,
and watched breathlessly to see what
would turn up. A cold perspiration
started upon her forehead. Another
round of finger bowls! And while they
were using them, Nora, with a face
like a lobster, passed the bread.
1t was a long dinner-the largest and
most indigestible that either he or Mrs.
Blakey had ever eaten-but it came to
an end at last. The guests had de-
parted, and Mr.. Blakey stood with his
hands in his pockets looking reproach-
fully at his wife as she sobbed it out
on a sofa pillow.
Suddenly she sat up and gave a
shrek of laughter. Then another and
another.
Eleanor Eleanorr cried Mr.. Bla-
Key, in alarm. whats the matter? Is
t-hysterics
"Hysterics-no!" she echoed, with
another burst of laughter. 'It's-it's
masculine brains and business meth
ods!'
And that was one time when Mr..
Blakey spelled out a new page in his
primer of life.-Chicago Record.