Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-20
Copyright, by Lothrop Publishing Company.

meddler had drawn 1t out too far, I'l
 sportively pretending that I can pres 1t back into shape. Now you and si never get up with any such light poeti notion as that. You know you don't don't attempt to deceive me-" H glanced over the table with swift dis approval Strawberries, oatmeal, rolls, steal
 three inches thick, bacon, omelette-
 oh, that should live to see this day
 It's disgraceful! And at your age
 before your own innocent woman
 child, and leading her into the sam,
 excesses. Do you know what tha
 breakfast is? No; I'll tell you. Tha
 breakfast is No. 7S in that book O.
 Mrs. Rorer's, and she expressly warn.
 everybody that 1t can be eaten safel,
 only by steeple-climbers, piano nov
 CTS and sea captains. Really, Mrs
 Wrangleberry, blush for you.'
 T don't care how you go on. Yol
 ain't looked well for months l But think of my great, big heart
 a heart like an ox"-he seemed on the
 verge of tears-"and to think that you
 woman have never treated with anything but respect since we met in
 Honduras in the fall of '93-to think
 you should throw it up to my own face
 that I'm not beautiful. Others there are, thank God, who can look into a
 mans heart and prize him for what
 he is-not condemn him for his mere superficial blemishes."
 And I just know you've got in with a fast set. I met MT. Milbrey yester- day in the corridor
 Did he tell you how to make a lovely asparagus shortcake or some thing?"
 He told me those men you go with so much are dreadful gamblers, and that when you all went to Palm Beach last February you played poker for money night and day, and you told me you went for your health,"
 "Oh, he did did he? We'll, I didn't get anything else. He's a dear old soul. if you've got the copper handy. If that man was woman he'd be a warm neighborhood gossip. He'd be the nice kind old lady that starts things, that's what Hoddy Milbrey would be-"
 And you said yourself you played poker most of the time when you went to Aiken on the car last month"
 "To be honest with you, ma, we did play poker. Say, they took it off of me so fast I could feel myself catch ing cold"
 There, you see-and you really ought to wear one of those channels skin chest protectors in this damp climate"
 Well, we'll see. If I can find one that an ace-full won't go through I'll snatch 1t so quick the manll think he's being robbed. Now I'll join you ladies to the extent of some coffee, and then I want to know what you two would rather do this summer than"
 of course," said Psyche, mo one stays in town in summer"
 Exactly. And I've chartered a steam yacht as big as this hotel-all ! but. But what I want to know is you two care to bunk on it | or whether you'd rather stay quietly | at some place, Newport perhaps, and maybe take a cruise with me now and then"
 "oh, that would be good fun. But heres ma getting % can't do a thing ~ith her, on account of all those beg sars and horrid people down in the ,lums."
 Mrs Zines looked guilty and feebly iep.rcsti.s. 1t was quite true that in 1er own way she had achieved a repu- ation for prodigality not inferior to hat acquired by her children in ways ,f their own.
 You know it's 50, na," the daughter vent on, accusingly. One night last winter when you were away we dined t the Balldridge's. in Eighty-sixth treet, and the pavements were so leety the horses couldn't stand. so 'ol. Balldridge brought us home in the Elevated, about II o'clock. We'll, at ne of the stations big policeman ot on with a little baby all wrapped p in red flannel He'd found it in an reawsy, nearly covered with snow Fhere some one had left it. and he was aking it down to police headquarters, e said. Well, ma went crazy right way. She made him undo it. and then , he insisted on holding It all the way own to Thirty-thlrd street. One man aid it might be president of the nited States. some day; and Col. , alldridge said: Yes. 1t has unknown i may even be a presi- i snts wife'-iust like that. But | bought ma would be demented. Tt , as all fat and so warm and sleepy it , ,uld hardly hold its eyes open. and , believe she'd have kept it then and |, lsre if the policeman would have let IT. She made him promise to get it | bottle of warm milk the first thing. 1, Id borrowed s20 of the colonel to give a the policeman to get it things with. |. Id then all the way down she talked , -ainst the authorities for aIloEfng . ch things-as if they could help it- 1, Id when we got home she cried-you [, low you did. ma-and you pretsudsd vas toothacbe-and ever since then . s's been perfectly daft about babies. , hy. whenever she sees a woman go- g along with one she thinks the poor ., ing is going to leave 1t some place. T