The Washington herald., 1907-09-01
She swore she'd keep the secret.
Nor repeat what shs had heard.
But she dropped a hint. unthinking.
And the dropping broke her word.

glared in our direction. She didn't merely
omit TO bow TO the April bride. Omitting
a bow is a negative thing. What the lady
did was a positive something. I am cut
ting you dead her manner said, and the
bride grinned.
That's Mrs. Blinks," she said. shes
the self-elected autocrat of our suburban
nelghborhood. the only woman in the
known world who is a perfect house
keeper and possesses a faultless cook. The
rest Of US have cooks but not one Of US
dares compare our servants with the
wonder IN Mrs. Blinks' kitchen. II Mrs.
Blinks likes you extremely, she'll offer
10 get some of her cooks recipes for you
When we get such recipes we call our
selves K. 3. C's-knights of the Blinks
Cook Order She won't decorate memo;
she Won't even come to any entertain
ment Of mine but my funeral I have Of
Tended Mrs. Blinks and I shan't be asked
70 the Progressive Euchres this winter
al all. It wasn't really my fault. It was
Ted's. Ted can't keep anything to him
self-you know how men gossip-and I'm
not in the Blinks set any more. She
asked US to dinner when We first went
TO housekeeping. and while we appre-
ciated the honor, we were depressed at
the thought that we'd have 20 give her a
dinner in return. Ted wanted TO crawl
out Of it by asking the Blinkses to dine at
hotel. but wasn't going TO have every
body in our street know that I was
afraid.
Il had a cook who had been In the fam
fly for years. and really, her mayonnaise
well Presidents have eaten it and sur
vived I asked the Blinkses to dinner,
and of course, something happened. My
cooks mother died-you know what fear
ful mortality there is among the families
of cocks-and she had to so away for q
week Right there brilliant idea struck
me. 7 went privately 10 Mrs. Blinks cook
and bribed her TO come over and cook the
dinner, and never to tell Mrs. Blinks. /
had or buy the very things Mrs. B!inks
gave US for dinner at the Blinks shops.
Mrs. Blinks gave her an afternoon out,
and all was we'll I borrowed a maid
from my cousin 10 wait on table and ]
had the table set with all my wedding
presents II was a lovely table. and a
lovely dinner / felt all the way through
1t that for once Mrs. Biinks wasn't going
10 be able TO tell the people how much
things the way 1 suppose d king faster
does when he's looking for poison, but
she didn't bTag once. AT would have
been well if Ted hadn't told Mr.. Jackson
what we heard her say as she went down
the steps-wed scurried into the library
where there was no light, to listen by the
open window And Ted couldn't keep il.
She stopped while Mr.. Blipks put up his
umbrella.
Poor little woman. we heard her say. |
How can she put UP with cook like
that?
We went as far West as ST Paul this
summer" says a woman 1 know, and
ever since we came back I've been turn
ing up my nose at Washington ways of
doing things. though I wouldn't have St /
Paul people know it for the world. They
have ever so many things out there that
We haven't dreamed OF having here. The |
street cars simply fascinated me Every |
one Of them has two gates at the back /
platform, and the gates don't open till |
the car stops. You can't get on or off /
while the car is moving. and the con- |
dUctor doesn't have to waste breath say
ing: Wait till the car stops, lady, as he |
does here.
They don't allow any building out /
there to be more than three stories high 1
unless it IS absolutely freproof. so the I
city isn't disfigured by six-sfOry apart /
ment houses 1t was the fashionable ice 4
cream soda place, though, that charmed /
ne most One Of mt friends took me /
there, and I hope / didn't act as if things 1
surprised me- There We're ever so many /
7frf1a fnb1pC wit rnlaVlpFla
You select what you want from the list /
IN a little booklet, and then you telephone /
your order 20 the main desk It's such /
an elegant way OF doing that our way of /
standing up along a counter and calling |
for a sundae seems positively plebeian. !
I was so mortified to think Of it that /
didn't mention it TO my friend. l acted /
as If We always had telephones at the |
confectioners' here, but 1 don't feel sure /
that I convinced her. You see. as soon |
as I sat down and saw the telephone |
said:
Oh, I must call up my cousin
" This is just the store phone. she ex-
planned. The city phone is over In that /
booth.
"Oh, know that said. trying TO look |
as If I did. This one Just reminded me /
Of IL We have these things at home 1
and they always remind me to call peO- /
pie up.
That's the way tried to turn it of.
don't think anybody who isn't willing /
TO lie in defense Of Washington deserves /
10 live here, but I do wish We were d /
little more up-to-date.
Augustus whose surname is Johnson,
mows the lawn and tends the garden and
looks after the horse for some people |
7 know out near Silver Spring Angus
tus' fortunes have been as dark as his
skin, and only fortnight ago he buried /
his fourth wife. When the lady of the
house heard Of his bereavement, she ex-
pressed her sympathy.
1T must be a great grief to you" she
said.
Augustus wagged his head sorrowfully
Three wives is done died on my
hands" he said, I was grieved when
they up apd done it. was grieved. Now.
my fourth wife taken and died. too. Miss
Lucy. I certainly is mortified"
I began my stage career under the late
Augustin Daily" an actor told me the
other day Maybe I'd have been a star
by this time if I'd learned the British
language early, but I didn't. I hadn't
been with Mr. Daily long before I was
promoted from thinking parts to the po-
sition Of assistant property man. The
man who was stage manager at the time
was a recently imported Englishman and |
he talked altogether in British Time
came for dress rehearsal and every
body was going about looking terror
stricken. If Mr. DAILY had weakness it
was a pleasure of inspiring fear in his
employees. and he usually managed to do
Il II Won looked ahiectl, awe-striclen |