Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-08-31
&The Bomb at ~
the Dinner Party


SCENE-A house in the outskirts o..
Paris, gayly decorated with shrubs
and Japanese lanterns.
Characteristic. and Nine. Robiquet
two maids and the dinner guests.
1t Is seven o'clock. Madame, whit
has sent out invitations for dinner
of costumed heads, is seated in the sa
Ian, where she can admire herself IL
the glass. Her hair is dressed in LOuis
XIV. style, not perhaps original, but ex
tremely distinguished. Madame's strong
point is distinction. Monsieur, who
cares nothing about being distin.
guished, Is hot and uncomfortable IL
q flowing wig, and strides impatientlJ
up and down.
Madame (still looking at herself)-
Dear me, M. Robiquet, l wish you
would try and sit still.
Monsieur-It's a quarter past sever
and nobody here yet!
Madame (complacently)-Of cours,
not; didn't invite them until half
past!
Monsleur-You told me seven!
Madame (sweetly)-I wanted tc
make sure that you would be ready, mJ
dear.
Monsieur-Oh, you did, did youi
Well, it is nothing to you whether J
die of congestion of the brain!
Madame-What a terrible temper
you are in, to be sure! The moment
anything occurs to disturb your habits
you Immediately growl like thunder
cloud. You are as bad as Nine. Siro-
teau; she said she hesitated to accept
my invitation on account Of the dis
turbances of the times!
Monsieur (absently)-She was quite
right.
Madame (sarcastically)-Was she
indeed? Disturbances of the times!
We are not at war, are we?
Monsieur-No, but our allies, the
Russians, are-and think of all these
revolutions and bombs!
Madame-Bah, as If l could not give
a dinner because the imperial court is
in mourning! There are no bombs
here!
Monsieur-That is all you know
about it! There was one in front OF
the prefecture this morning.
Madame (still sarcastic, but trifie
nervous)-Do you really mean one OF
those terrible
Monsieur (unheeding) - And there
were great crowds in the street.
Madame-It must have made 1t look
very unusual!
Monsieur-Some one had just discov
cred a saucepan in one of the Offices.
Madame A second astonishing
event.
Monsieur (excitedly)-It was a real
you understand with a lid fastened
with iron and a fuse sticking out
still smoking BY chance, some one
had put it out, but think what would
have happened!
Madame white beneath her rouge
is this true?
Monsieur-True as l am sitting here
Madame (faintly)-Oh!!!
Monsieur Sarcastic in his turn)-So
| always growl, do 1? Didn't | forbid
Eudoxie TO say word to you about it.!
Aadame-Does she know about it?
Monsieur-Of course. There is mol
ing else talked about downtown She
came back shaking from the market!
Madame-I noticed that something
was the matter, but | thought she haG
the dinner on her mind. Are you sure
it was saucepan?
Morsieur-Well, perhaps it was q
pot
Madame-Did you see it?
Monsieur-No, it wasn't there wher
l went to the building
Madame-Had they taken it away:
Monsieur-It was necessary. 50 the
soldiers took 1t.
Madame--WhereY To the barracks
Poor things! What if it should ex.
plode?
Monsieur-I don't know what became
of the terrible machine. Doubtless the
proper precautions were taken in order
to avoid all possible accidents.
Madame-Let us hope SOL What
terrible time this is to live in! Such
things never happened before.
Monsieur (smiling retrospectively)-
Terrible, as you say! All, | hear the
click of the gate-some one is com
ing!
They both sit down, proper smile
Of welcome on their faces. Madame
plays with her fan and casts coquet
fish glances in the mirror. But no one
appears at the door.
N. RobiQuet is the first to lose pa
tience. He Is just starting toward the
door himself when a hoarse voice cries
loudly:
"The bomb Is in the kitchen!"
Before either monsieur or madame
can grasp the meaning Of the danger
which is threatening them, they hear
the crunch OF the gravel beneath nasty
steps and wagon drives hurriedly
away.
Madame utters one scream and
promptly faints. Monsieur looks about
him with large, frightened eyes, too
scared to move. 1t seems to him that
the slightest gesture will set loose the
horrible whirlwind. He feels as If he
we're already blown into a thousand
fragments-he has an expression Of ter
rif1ed expectancy on his face.
A glance at his wife, however, re-
stores his self-possession by arouslng
- nA~1 Cures Grin