The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-03
Al Az AFTERNOON TEA,
How Mrs. Tanniu Gained the Ear of
the Company.

San francisco Paper.
This is the season OF afternoon teas
form Of entertainment which every one
gives and every one abuses. Yet the So
c!al entertainments of san lcranGsco
.ecm TO be slowly resolving themselves
into weak tea-or teas--lor even the
comparatively mild form of dissipation
known as the afternoon tea is being d.
luted and divided into number OF sep.
ar4te afternoons. rlus the number OF
guests is spread oul hin, Ike nursery
bread and butter 'dtteuuated, as The
eOpathists would aay--and the teas
are mado more iepid, IL not Inc Yea,
Whether this be an uumiXed evil or no,
only hardened tea-socrs can tell. Even
those addicted TO tc5-going do, at times.
| VIC are told, bcmoan their fatal habit. be-
wall Their unhappy lot They depict with
tea full and fearful el0quence-tbol eyes
swimming with tears, thetr sy5 ems
swimming Win tea me SORROWS OF The
tea-g oef; the gallons OF tea they are
J obliged to imbl0c, The deadly cakes ana
/ indgestible sandwiches which they con-
sumo; the ruin OF their dinners, and the
wilhariug scorn Of uon-tcs going hus-
[ bands al the aforesaid dinners; the
wreeking OF heir nerves. not only by
I tannlte OF tea, bul Dy me CHATTER OF tea
/ things and the Gang and clash OF
J TONGUES and blhel ccntending fcmi-
I nine voices ltoT NJ seems TO oe ia IN
written law at teas shat, al tho toa-
( soers sh4ll talk in different keys talk
I az the tops OF their voices. and tax at
the same time.
Another grievance Of the hsbltual tea
gcer is that the other tea goers never
listen 10 what she has 70 say. The ono
tlons OF mere man al one OF these po-
Cullar functions, when interrupted IN the
middle Of seuteuoe~as he continually
is-are not unlike ;he feeling experienced
when one Is suddenly switched off while
taking through telephone. a chronic
teagoer--we WILL call her Mrs. Tannin-
! IrrHated al this feminine fashion OF heed
lessness al teas determined last week
10 make the other tea soers pay alton
ticn TO what she esd. she secretly
nemorlzed striking sentence. OF which
her conversation should consist entirely
When SIC went TO a tea that afternoon
she tried it on her hostess. who thus "a
luted her:
why. Mrs. Tsunin, how do you do?
II is ages since nave seen you!"
Yes" replied Mrs. Tannln. Pm 90
glad 10 see you HOW well you are look
! ing. I killed my husband this morning
and his body is now
Bnt the hostess did not hear She was
gazing toward the door with a far-away
/ look. and repeating measuredly and me-
Chemically:
Thanks very much. SO good OF you
to come, Don't mention n. Arc you
reslIyg Not az all. Thanks awfully.
I How very nice.
The murderess moved on. With the
next acquaintance whom she met Mrs.
| Tsnnin only got as far IS Il killed my
1 husband this morn Al that mo-
ment the look az intelligence slowly
/ faded ont OF her friends eyes. and Mrs.
| Tannin saw that she vas not listening
1 The murderess recited her dreadful tale
/ 10 half score Of ladies. ali OF whom re-
eeiyed Il with beaming smiles, with
| frank hardclasps-yet each Of them had
the same strange far-away look as they
gazed over tho murderess' shoulder at
! the newcomers.
Suddenly all the heads in the room