The Caldwell tribune., 1904-04-23

| Curtis. I'm not IHluhAh6 ""
Golf I'm thinking about you. doh
see how you are going to get along
am afraid you can't stand the COOK
ing You know that since l have been
doing my own work you can't bear 10
eat away from home, and hotels 40
serve such notoriously bad meals.
James Randolph flushed guilty.
"That's so," he said, with a sideiong
glance of curiosity.
Mrs. Curtis led the way to the dining
room, and James Randolph followed
meekly. 'The only hope I see FOR
vou," she said presently, 1s In your
Scranton visit. You can stop at Hor-
ace Perkins while you are there. Of
course, l don't know anything about
Kate's housekeeping. She used to De
reprehensibly lazy as girl, but pre-
sumo marriage has brought her out OF
some of her bad habits. And, any
| Wav, she'll have servants and even II
she shouldn't have, what you do get TO
eat will be home cooking and Will
agree with you better than the slabs
of heavy food they serve at hotels ana
restaurants"
James Randolph looked uncomfort-
able, as If already smitten with an ad-
vance instalment Of the inevitable dy-
spepsia. Its very kind Of you" he
said, ito take such an abiding interest
in my digestion, but don't see how l
can accommodate you. l don't like to
stop at Perkins. 1t doesn't look we'll.
He Is the man l am going to strike
| for the biggest pile of money while l
am gone, and it looks hoggish to soak
him for several hundred thousand dol
| lars worth of stock and live off him at
| the same time. It's adding insult to
injury"
'I don't know anything about the
injury you propose to inflict," returned
Mrs. Curtis, "but do know that Kate
and Horace would be insulte1 Il you
were in Scranton for a week and did
not stay with them. I'll write to Kate
to-day and tell her you are coming. l
am sure she will write you to be their
guest"
James Randolph demurred vOlubly
and with spirit, but his demonstration
Of disapproval was ineffective. That
night the disconnected correspondence
with Cousin Kate was renewed with
fervor. Two days later an answer was
received, and when James Randolph
left Philadelphia ON the following Mon
day 1t was the understanding all
around that during his stay in Scran-
ton he would accept the hospitality Of
Mr., Horace Perkins.
The Horace Perkinses lived in style.
1t was made plain to James Randolph
during his first meal that there was no
danger Of his going hungry while un-
der their roof, and that If his stomach
suffered, it would be from overstimula-
tion rather than the lack of it. James
Randolph rejoiced in the gastronomic
abundance provided and the excellence
thereof on his wife's account as we'll
as on his own.
"The dear girl will be delighted to
know that am so we'll taken care Of"
he said to Cousin Kate II must write
at once and tell her how l am fixed,
otherwise she will be worrying herself
sick for fear l am starving to death"
Notwithstanding the business acu-
men which Mr.. Smith fattered himself
he had discerned in James Randolph.
that young man was in some respects
simple soul. Never was his inno-
cence more blatantly displayed than
In his letter to Mrs. Curtis.
Il am living on the very fat Of the
land" he wrote. Your Cousin Kate
may have been rather lackadaisicoI
when girl, but she has certainly de-
veloped into a remarkable housekeen-
er. shall try to tell you what we had
for dinner last night. We had soma
kind of soup with little green specl,s
floating In it forget the name Of IT.
two or three kinds of meat, with an
vegetables; a pudding, the
recipe for which must have hoan
Cleaned from the angels, and coffoo
that might have been brewed in hoov
en-. don't believe Philadelphia could
snow better menu than that Really
Minnie, you ought to see me eat Nv
must astonish the Perkinsos
They probably think that I tasted fom
several weeks before coming to Scron
ton. l am sorry that | shall wind ~
the business here In a week or +op
days. l shall hate to leave. +bin1.
l would get fat if l lived with 49,
Perkinses long" '1e
Delectable as was the fare 1o
Randolph stretched facts little whon
describing the variety of the vfands
served but he did it in a good cansn
and his conscience was in nowiso o,,t
aged. He awaited with imnationn.
Ills Wife's reply. When it cana w
wished 1t had been delayed a Ii+tlo
onger. Its brevity frightened him
Dear James," she wrote, 81 ou
slad you enjoy Kate Perkins COOKING
Jnder the circumstances, perhans o.
you'd be well for you to prolonp VOW
'isit indefinitely" ) o0'
For the first time James Rando,a,
eal1zed that he had oyersho+ 49,