The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
THEIR CONFIRMATION.
Investigation Carried On by Two Men
Among Won en- mt an Afternoon Tea.

olher man, medlIhtNely. rs the old taprpOm
habit, modified and refined. Every hostess her
own taproom propretess"
Yes, but what do they talk about persisted
the first man.
bcyy Of big plumy hats and beautifully gored
skirts showed In the lobby, aud some more were
lingering about the sidewalk entrance to the
awning. And every pretty face under every
droopy hat was alive with animation And IL
sounded OF course they weren't but 1t sounded
as " they were doing = concerted selection al
the time.
Heaven SHOWS" said the other man, senten
,iously
Let's find out, said the first man. Really,
] mean it, I've watched them a lot at this sort
OF thing, DO you believe women are brig hi among
themselves DO they say clever things for one
another? What sort OF stories do they tell? And
are they really inter sarcastic? Had you cards
there to-day, at Mrs, Tudor Templeion's?" he
asked suddenly,
Il had. Why"
The first man called up to the driver, and they
wheeled sharply about
What are you gong TO do" inquired the other
man in some alarm.
Why said the first man. soothingly. we are
going 10 drop in here, You and !, and find ont
what they talk about"
The other man grumbled as they stepped out,
aud laughed and followed Now they were
among the few men hidden that day To Mrs. Tudor
Temple,on's tea. There should therefore. argued
the first man, be ample opportunity to And out
what they" talked about. In the doorway they
met smar, black coats with ylolets pinned to them
and fluffy boas and wriggllng plumes. In the
hall they met others. And as they assembled the
stairs together, although they had listened their
keensst, oil they had her I'd and could remember
were 's4 D% a;'inf s se.!s rs like +. 's ssssos ,ox. n,d1,.
Why, my dear, her hair used to be az dark
Such a stunning essay OH the influence Of color
What would you have thought he meant by
that
The two men smiled into each other : eyes md
charged into the drawing room. The little tired
hostess may " may not have smiled when she
saw them. having been smiling for Two conspcI.
tive hours preceding, It was hard for an %unpreju
ulCcd onlOoker to shy whether she renewed il or
not But her little thin. cordial voice took on a
new assortment of selected intOuatlons. How
good II was of them Ia have come,
The FIRST man, in a minute, was under a BagdAd
curtain canopy with the oldISh young woman,
who had begun 10 put her hair low in her neck
again IN consequence Of the first adjective.
Doesn't the superiiclaliy, Of contact like this
AZ teas madden you'' she asked. The man could
see her soul IN her eyes ready 10 be swapped
lie retained his own soul, lie said somethinY
Ia the effect that II was refreshing To he super
iicial
Refreshing" uttere the oldish young woman.
intensely Blu what else is there but superfciality
in most Of ones meetings
Poses, said the man, brutally,"and a striving
after snap shots at inner consciousness. 10
you come 10 teas To be intense" he asked
Then the gin who was assisting stood next
him.
Don't you love teas" she twiltered TO the
man, do say you do. want 81 see a nan who
really says he does Though I'm sure you don't
IN tie least need I" say a unique thing To be-
uniqne!"
What is unique murmured the man.
means delicious, sad the gil who was
assisting, with frankness, We were lust
saying
So they had been saying something, The
man turned u listen in a food Of genuine relief
oh, cried the girl at the punch table, do
have something with a cherry in it. I have act
ualiy been talking TO that last dear. funny thing
for hours Aren people funny? But I'm glad
they are. ] love them funny"
The man started a subject
What do you think Of people who poser' he
asked, conscious that IL was a threadbare but
still a subject
The gil at the punch bowl filed a cup and
mink well Of them Il they pose we'll" She
said, 'oh, and posing reminds me. have
been asked to st for, my picture really. !
Nhhll rave To give up the gymnasium IN find the
time for the sittings, but I'm going to do ii"
y an only surprised that you pretend being
asked IS a novelty" said tie man, ~abSently, feel
ing ms way - another subject "Dd you say
gymnasium" le said
Yes" SIZE said. and We lunch downtown ON
tle way home every day Don't You love u
lunch downtown"
" for the man, he vanished from the punch
bowl table as II lie had melted Meanwhile the
other man was doing his best \ blonde girl
was before him, and he was trying to hear what
N" was saying, or II indeed she were saying any
thing at all ABOUT every soft third word was
drowned in the buzz and babel Of everybody else's
words. II went Ike this.
Inst summer, in kennebunkp port. said the
hl ,ndc girl, Y was being sketched, and
I'lace Is much better than ice" came from the
right,
though even if the artist hndn I been So
cl,il %ahuutit " from the blonde girl
d.. n9N plated skirts having quite gone by in
he actually ca me in n irDch Goa, and Isabel
said from tie immediate foreground
Don't YOU think SO t1o'' asked tie BLONDE
beg your pardon" said the man, Simply
knew YOU agre" with me said the blonde
Tlrl, ia 20 for the sake II the voyage # had
T. come straight back again"
vow how did she get from the Maine woods
to sea sickness" asked the man. Stupidly. Of him
self. He only inclined his head with the absorbed
look that made him a tete a trte idol
l said me club had no right to put her IN n
do something Outrageous" came from the left
again, the group had changed, he saw, and the
ponderous woman in a great deal Of jet wa,
talking.
II was She who made us vote for that ,ours.
in parliamentary practice" said the brisk littl-
woman, snanpily.
TOh, no, Paris will no, I've Pa ris At all vbil,
the Exposition is on" came from somewhere
y ShOuldn I care 10 go over
Its such AN intense book said the blonde
gin. Don you think So
The man made an Hdleu II may have been
several, lac was not sur" Ia the blonde girl and
others ana moved 10 the door. lie threaded
his perlluiI~ way past snatChes and watts and
murDuTS oi conversation, and mechanically
gr0ted Tor the living end Of the connection. And
at the door he met the first man Together they
went down the stairs and one held up a finger
to the AMMAN,
Such a nice time" quoted the first man ,h.
sently.
Good Lord said the other man.
FUNNY, WASH IT. said tlp first man II haven't
been 10 one OF those since was beginning here,
and thought that sort of thing meant social rrcog
milton and helped me on But, nov. take these
same women at n dinner table or in a ballroom,
or even tee a teie, and they would be well, other
women quite Now why is IT."
! wonder how the club would seem To an allen
Ia a woman, for Instance said the other man.
show up very well side of this afternoon. Sa, f,
shat you like, however, trIta or conventional |
NJ artificial II all may have been; still at the sane
lime there WASH n hint IT anything"
"\n, ASS"ntrd the first man, there wasn't"
Still, | don't can" about going again said
he other man, II ! did have nice time
They stepped out lu>t then Al the door Of the
huh, and the first man laughed.
We'll. what did they talk about he asked
he other man.
RAVENS or THE CZIRTNa.
Jne IL for Wonderful Russian Lace and
Anpther for Rlack Rnsa