St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-09-15
| And So They're Engaged
The Romance Of = Midsummer
Luncheon in Town.

Luncheon in Town. q
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE head waiter pressed a button
in the wall and rose-colored cleo
trio bulbs blossomed like flowers upon
the ceiling. filling the great dining
room with soft, still radiance and show
ing the white tables surrounded with
ornate high-backed chairs, now elo-
gucntly empty. The air from the av-
enue stirred the lace that screened the
open windows and made the blooming
marguerites in great high tubs about
the room move on their fragrant stems
s. 1t was barbarously early for dinner,
but ridiculously late for luncheon, but
it had suited the MOOD of the man and
the maiden who had met by accident
and had been spending delightfully."-
unchaperoned day in town. Besides
that there were trains to be taken back
to a fashionable resort, where break
fasts. luncheons and dinners made such
informal meetings as this quite impos-
sible. So, as the girl said. it was all
the more fun. They were not even
dressed for dinner and the head waiter,
who was punctilious in such matters.
glanced somewhat disapprovingiy at
the girls linen shirt waist and her
bamboo hat with pouf of blue, tilted
down over her brows. The man was
well-dressed, weH-tubbed specimen.
!. The room was almost deserted except
Tor those two and the occasional cackie
of q waiter was all that broke the ST
lence except their own discreetly-low-
cred voices. A small East Indian man
pieturesquely turbaned and robed in
white came toward their table bearing
= chafng dish upon silver trey from
which he served them noiselessly with
rice and chicken while waiter poured
wine into two pale greenish glasses.
The service had all the dignity and
Importance of a rite.
The girls face took on a look of in
tense satisfaction as she tasted the first
morsel. As her sun-kissed hands moved
over her plate the man thought that
she was one of the few women who ate
gracefully. As a RUE. they were too
Eonchalant or too enthusiastic. But
this girls appetite had all the repres-
sion of Duse.
"Isn't it funny?" she said.
~Funny?"
s@Why. of course, it's too funny for
anything! To think of our meeting,
by accident, of all places, at church.
Tell newly do you go to church,"
ITO kill time, l suppose. Then the
music there is admirably good and the
sermons-"
admirably short!"
''Exactly! Why did you go?"
81 always go. It's become a habit
with me. But it is the Tery last place
/ should have expected to see you. 1t
is remarkable coincidence THAT we
should have drifted there. Don't you
think things happen oddly at times?'
.Nhat kind of things?"
sCoincidences-for instance?"
"Please don't call our meeting mere
coincidence. l call it the result of an
educated mind wave"
Mind wave?"
"Yes-a brain current. You know
In India"
That's where you go hunting lions,
isn't it.a
.No-tigers in India"
"But you hunt lions. too-don't your
.Never have. gave one run once,
though"
..oh, how perfectly lovely! Tell me
about it,
1T wouldn't interest you. You see.
/ was running first"
'.Ha. ha! hal"
Funny, wasn't it? Well, in India:
where they live on this sort Of thing
rice and chicken
aAnd sauterne?'
.Er-well-no animal food-you un-
derstand-they get their souls culti-
waited to such an extent that they can
communicate with each other across
long distances
ANYBODY can?"
..Oh, you must be educated up to it.
An American doesn't take to it as
quickly, but the natives believe in it.
1t is part Of their religion. They can
perform all sorts of magical tricks.
have no doubt that the man who cooks
fhis-the little chap in the turban-
talks without words"
Il noticed he didn't speak. And do
sou know-as he moved about so still
and quiet felt-felt-"
"Jarred?'
.No-chil,ed-just as though l were
under a. spell. He has such mysterious
eyes. Did you notice?'
.Never notice mems eyes. Waste OF
time
-.Ha. ha. ha! / wish he would come
In again.'
He probably WILL"
"Hush."
/. a.What?'
.oh-here he comesl He has another
dish
..Good."
.Don't let us pretend to notice. Yes,
as YOU were saying, quite agree with
rou, thxt the day has been q pleasant
one-bnt what would people think il
they came in and found us dining to-
rether-at five o'clock. ], in sailor
hat-you-"
In ssi!or bat ssso~