Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-14
TWO PUNCHES OF VIOLETS.

nelgnD0r can Ivy any chance be congenial
oh, no. Il just put them where and by
whom | consider the enormty of their
social sins toward me merits, she says,
judicially, when her husband puts in the
plea for sorting the poor souls a trifie
better, my dear" Consequently Van
Cortlandt dinners would not be successes
except that Jacques, the chef, is the
grand master Of his craft, and so the
guests come simply to eat-and go home
TO curse when they remember their i'll
selected companions.
This dinner is to be no exception to the
rule, for when Jean, the butler, comes to
| say, The table is all ready and will ma
dame come and Iut the cards at the
places: madame rises up from the couch
! where she has been resting and sweeps
Alba PurveS along in her train 10 assist
| in mapping out future annoyance for the
coming guests The hostess stands. in the
subdued light of the lowered gas, at the
| diningroom door, surveying the most
| beautiful Of vlolet-bedecked tables with
| approval
1T all looks very pretty she says, as
she hovers around it, number of little
| white cards in her hand. "Of course /
sit here and Harry at the foot. OF course
Gen. ToWnes take me III, and Harry Mrs.
| TOwnes. Clotilde Fay shall sit next the
general, because she never says a word,
and consequently won't distract the gen
! erals attention from your humble SER
want, who wishes to make herself partic-
ularly fascinating in that direction as she
| has an axe 10 grind Herbert Hall next
| Clotilde; he is as deaf as the dead, and
| won't hear a word ClOtilde could say,
even if she could be persuaded TO talk.
! Next, Jessie Lawrence. That young
person was pleased to interfere with
some of my most cherished plans for the
| Children's Home, so here she shall sit for
her sins, the stone-deaf Herbert on one
| side and Capt. Horrows on the other,
who would rather eat unmolested than
| talk to the archangel Gabriel. Jessie
may have had her way at the last meet
| ing, but now, to put it vulgarly. | get in
my innings But my beloved Alba, /
| will make an exception in your favor;
you shall go unwhipt of Justicc-hehold!
against my dinner principles to allow it,
you shall sit by Harold Vane!'
| Miss Purves, who has been following
her hostess about and watching the train
laid for the future boredom Of the revel-
ers, hurriedly grasps Mrs. Van Cort-
cards down. "Oh, Mary, no! Please put
me by anyone else. beg of you--even
Capt. Horrows. | detest Mr.. Vane," she
says vehemently. Mrs. Van Cortlandt
turns and surveys the girl with an as
tonished look.
| Anu MHy lulS SuuQtn dNCISIOHs may 4
inquire? Last winter when you were.
here you two were such good friends that
really thought something interesting
was coming of it. Come, tell me all
about it. What has happened between
your
I'VE have quarreled," answers Alba,
briefly.
"Quarreled. Nonsense! At your age!
How undignifed What about. pray?'
The young girl Pushes an angry pink.
Then after moment of silence, she says
dehantly:
You shall see | had good cause when
| tell you why | dislike Mr.. Vane. You
are right when you say Mr. Vane and l
seemed to be good friends last winter.
We understood each other perfectly, so |
foollshly thought and when l went away
in the spring he asked me if he might
come to Baltimore to see me. and, of
course, | answered yes. You remember
my little fox terrier. Trick. that father
gave me the day he died? Yes! But you
cannot realize how l love the little fell
low-because he was dear papas last
gift" pause. Then in a trembling
voice: 'One day he escaped from the
house and was struck by passing car
riage and his foot crushed. No human
being could have had greater attention
or better medical skill than my poor little
Trick had, but it was useless. After a
| week of awful suffering, when he lay
most of the time in my arms, they told
me it was useless to try and cure my lit
tie dog; he must be put out of his mis-
cry. So he was chloroformed. and | was
heartbroken and positively i'll with my
grief.
The same day" her tone hardening.
Il received note from Mr.. Vane telling
me he was in town. and might he call
that evening? / answered | was too i'll
to see any one that day. and would he
postpone his visit until the next? And.
t.Nh a ~ al. / 1.
could have been so heastless. so cruel for,
in reply, he sent me the silliest poem
about the death of my dog, making fun
of my grief, in q bunch of violets. Angry
is not the word for my feelings, l flung
his horrid flowers into the box and sent
them back to him with a short note say
ing he had hurt me more than words
could express, and that | would not be at
home the following evening. That's all.
| have not seen him since"
Mrs. Van Cortlandt sinks into n chair
with n gasp. My dear Alba" she says
briskly, 'if You will excuse my saying SO,
you and Mr. Nane are a pair OF young
fools. and ought TO be ashamed of your
selves, And, after all, l shall carry out
the idea of my social punishment dinner
even in your case, for nothing you can
say will prevent my making you sit beside
each other; it will be good discipline for
you both"
So this is why Harold Vane finds him
| self later eScortlug in to dinner a very
pretty girl who wears NOT only black
hespangled gown. but a most downcast
and forhidding look. For few moments
they sit in gloomy silence; then Nane rap
idly comes 10 the conclusion that good
manners towards his hostess demand that
he shall try TO make himself agreeable 10
his neighbor. even if she refuses to re-
spond in kind.
1t seems 50 natural 10 see you once
more in New York, he begins lamely.
Yes frigidly, lit seems very natural
for me to be here again.
Anger flashes up in Nane's heart for
moment, and a feeling of "Confound it!
I'll turn my back on her and leave her
severely alone" comes over him; then.
too comes remembrance of what
friends they have been in the past and
how cougenal they really are. so he
smiles as he answers Miss purveS' for
bidding sallieS.
DO you know | had great idea of
lGnng one Of these numerous parties
That have gone lately to discover the
North pole. hut the memory of how I
\ suffer from winter cold. even in This