Middletown transcript., 1902-01-04
Mrs. Lawton's Little Dinner.
BT CAROLYN WELLS.


ious subjects.
"What is your opinion" she said, turn
ing lcr5 beautiful eyes toward Mr.. Gilling-
han "of The spatial Threshold Of
holor. and It's Dependence ON Contrast
Phenpmena' p
II Deg your pardon T. said the gentle
man addressed, and Mrs. Lawtonf re-
peated her question.
ell don't think have any opinion
about it, he replied, and there was
brief silence.
sTt is a book" said Mrs. Lawton, "one
Of the Psychological Series, but although
it is yet new I supposed You had read it."
No reply yas made to this BY either
guest, although it had been addressed I'M
partially to both, and Mr.. Lawton as
sumed that it was now his turn to assist
| in the intellectual conversation.
'Tsn't it astonishing" he said, smiling
blandly at Mrs. Gillingham, show the
inner circle regard moth-balls?" ?"
sit is, indeed" returned his guest,
| with an animated nod Of her head, "and
how they can endure them is more than
| / understand. Why, would rather the
moths would eat all the fur l possess than
to have that abominable odor about"
eyes" assented her husband, "and it
lis such persistent odor.
'sYou may shake, you may scatter
Your clothes as you will,
But the scent of the moth-ball
Will hang round them still"
"Ha, ha that is trueP' laughed Tom
Lawton; "and it even hangs round furni-
ture and rooms as we'll as clothing. Why
have an antique desk that | bought at
an auction, but it's spoiled by the fact
that somebody once put moth-ball IN
one Of the drawers; and though ! had q
Yale lock put on that drawer, and then
locked it and lost the key, in certain
kinds of weather that moth.ball speaks
louder than words"
'tPerhaps the desk was formerly owned
by a degenerate who enjoyed the odor, "
said Mrs. Lawton, by way of adroitly
changing the subject. "By the way,
Mary, did you like Doctor Brownson's
paper on The Rubaiyat as a Degenera-
ting Influence ~
'T-what was it in ~ said Mrs. Gilling-
ham, uncertainty.
s'In the current number of Earnest
Inquiry" replied her hostess. "You
must have seen it."
YES" said her friend, 81 saw the mag
azine, but-but I am not sure read that
article. Did .,ou, John?'
No." said her husband, and again
there was pause.
Mr.. Lawton decided he must make
another plunge.
"What do you think Of our hall wall
paper?" he inquired. 1T seems to me
particularly arrestive."
1T is indeed" said Mrs. Gillingham.
II noticed it the moment entered. !
admire it very much"
80 do 7, said John Gillingham. IT'S
magnificent pattern. I told Mary only
this morning, said I, Mary, stripes are all
very well for rooms, but for hall-no.' :
Did you do it, or the landlord ~
"Well," said Mr.. Lawton, I'VE did it
ourselves. You see, the landlord had
papered the whole apartment just before
we came in, and we couldn't very well
ask him"
II see, I see," broke in Mr.. Gilling-
ham. IT'S always SO; you can get just
about SO much out Of landlord, but no
more"
"But there are landlords and land
lords" said his wife. "Now, when we
lived in Eighty-fourth Street"
"Oh, yes, my dear, but that was west.
You see, we're on the east side now, and
it makes all the difference in the world"
'Is that SOP" said Mr.. Lawton, with
much interest. ''In what way, now2
You see, we, being on Central Park South,
know nothing Of the other points Of the
compass"
"Well," said Mrs. Gillingham, with a
judicial air, zone can't have everything
in an apartment Often you have to
make choice between light and space,
or between locality and service"
eyes," said Mr.. Lawton; "and isn't it
funny, when people talk about their
apartment, they always dilate on its ad-
vantages, but when they mention other
peoples flats, it's always their unpleasant
features 2"
HTrue indeed e said Mr., Gillinoham