The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-11
THE TEA BOARD
CONVERSATION
What Women Say at Their Afternoon
Gatherings.
INVESTIGATION BY TWO MEN.
they Attend One of These Functions
for the Sole Purpose of Dis
covering the Topics of
Conversations.
INVESTIGATION BY TWO MEN.
..What do they talk about2" said the

What do they talk about?" said the
first man.
He was in a cab with the other man
and they were being driven past a house
with striped awning leading to the
carriage block
..Ar the Sign of the Striped Canvass
said the other man, meditativeiy It's
the old tap-room habit, modified and re-
fined. Every hostess her own tap-room
.,proprletress.
Eyes, but what do they talk aoout?"
persisted the first man.
A :bevy Of bright plumy hats and beau
tifully sorsd skirts showed In tue LOBBY,
and some more were lingering about
the sidewalk entrance to the awning
And every pretty race under every uEoopy
hat was alive with ANNA ton. And 1t
sounded-of course they weren't-but it
sounded as if they We're doing concert
ed selection at the time
Heaven knows" said the other man,
Senrentiously.
Lets find OUT said the first man.
.Really I mean it,. I've watched them a
lot at this sort OF thing. DO You oe-5
Iteve women are bright among them
selves2 Do they say clever things tor
one another? What sort OF SORES 90
they tell? And are they really inser-sar-5
castle? Had you cards there to,aay "a
denly.
It had Why?''
me first man called up to the. driver.
and they wheeled sharply about.
What are you going to dog inquired
other man in some alarm.
why" said the first man, we are
going to drop in here, you and !, and
find out what they talk about
AMPLE OPPORTUNITY.
The other man grumbled as he step
ned out, and laughed and followed. Now
tney were among the few men hidden
that day to Mrs. Tudor Templeson.s tea.
There should. therefore, argued the hrst
E man. be ample opportunity to nEd out
what "they" talk about. In the doorway
+ they met smart black coats with Vio-
lets pinned to them and fluffy 2poas and
wrIggling p,umes. In the nail taey met
/ others. And as they assembled the stalts
togather altllosh they naa a ..si ca.lrd r..
member were passing sfatchsS it.se these:
Beautiful seats in the second ro".
Z middle aisle
why, my dear. her hair used to oe as )
dark =.
such stunning essay on the In
fIuence Of color upon
meant by that
The two men smiled into each others
eyes and charged into the drawing-Fooms
The little tired hostess may or ma no. nor
have smiled when she saw them having
been smiling for two consecutive hours
preceding. it was hard for an npreiu-
d1ced onlooker to say whether she Re
Erewed ii Of not. But her little thiss.
cordial VOICE took on a new assortment
3cf selected intonation- How good Is was
sos them Il, have come!
The first man. In a H1inut was under
Ia Bagdad curtain canopy with the oldisn
young woman. who had begun to put put
: her hair low In hes neck again IN conses
Z quences Of the first adjective
Doesn't the supertc of contact
this at teas madden you? she asked.
The man could see her soul in her. eyes
ready to he snapped. He retained e =
& soul He said some thug 70 the enese thas
IL was refreshing 10 be superb cia !.
fresh uttered ss tsIe os0sssl
I young intensely. s But sat
1 else IS stnere but: ins most sof
one meanings S. 1,S
sPnses,s said thes nlen- ssa
"a sAaps shots " a. AZ