The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-02-27
- Ht the
Oountry Club.
BY TEMPLE BAILEY.
By TEMPLE BAILEY.
Copyrighted, 1907, by NJ. NJ. Cunningham.

=.
The four women were drinking tea.
Somewhere out in the October after
noon were four men who made up the
friendly octet. but the women, on ac-
count of the coolness of the day and
the charm of the big fireplace, had
elected to stay away from the links.
Three of the women We're not young,
although the signs of age had been
modified by careful grooming and dill
gent massage. Mrs. Amesbury even
looked young with her slender figure.
her shining hair and her grace of ges-
ture and of carriage.
But Tressie Stuart was young, and
therein lay the difference that made
Mrs. Amesbury uneasy. One might
give the lie to age by attention to COM
plexion and costume, but there was a
quality in Tressie's laugh, light in
her eyes, buoyancy of spirit. that
separated her from the other women
and cast the blight of contrast upon
their beauty.
''Tressie." Mrs. Amesbury said, "stop
roaming around the room. You make
me nervous"
"Oh, do II" Tressie's apology was
immediate. ''Its something in the air,
l think. These fall days make me feel
like young colt. l want to be out of
doors, and here we are drinking tea by
the fire, like lot of old tabby cats'
"We are lot of old tabby CATS"
Miss Angela Amesbnry agreed cheer
fully. Unlike her sister-in-law. she did
not aspire to youthfulness. Having
steered herself safely out of a some
what emotional girlhood into calm
old maidism, she was prepared to
claim all middle aged privileges, and
tea drinking at the Country club was
an indulgence that appealed to her
comfortable soul.
You are the only kitten in the
crowd, Tressie." she went on. run
on out and meet the men. They must
be coming in by this time"
Angela Mrs. Amesbury reproved
her. ''Tressie can't go without chap
erOn.''
why not?" Angela asked bluntly.
1.-TWO of the men are her uncles, the
third is your husband, and she has
known Junior Mason since she was q
baby"
"Oh. well"-Mrs. Amesbury shrugged
f,nr ch ss1-a, l.
think alike Oh such Matters
NO. thank goodness" said Miss An.
gela. And then the hitherto silent
Aunt Georgia Stuart. who was official.
ly Tressie's chaperon, interposed
"Tressie always does as she pleases,
Mrs. Amesbury.'' And Mrs Ames.
bury. with another shrug of her shoul.
ders. gave up the argument and poured
herself a second cup Of tea.
And so it happened that as Junior
Mason came up the elm walk toward
the Country club. with the dull orange
of the sunset behind him, he saw hur-
rying to meet him Tressie Stuart in
scarlet coatsand stiff brimmed hat.
StIVuItt ustNC uiSd II btlu CSl
in there another minute" she told him
Cant we walk somewhere before
dark comes! This air is like wine."
ITS awfully muddy" he stated du-
biously. lin this path under the trees.
The other men are coming around by
the road, but this was the shorter way,
and wanted to get few minutes
with you before the whole crowd be-
gan to pitiie paffie."
Don't be slangy." Tressie admon-
ished
'Well, you wouldn't call their small
talk conversation, would you? It's
piffle pafiie, and Mrs. Amesbury is the
worst of the lot.''
81 am ashamed Of you," Tressie
scolded. "to criticise your elders"
Mrs. Amesbury wouldn't thank you
for calling her anybody's elder. She
considers herself the leading juvenile
of the Country club. That's why she's
jealous Of you.'
Tressie stared at him.
Junior" she said severely, 81
didn't know you could be so critical OF
a woman"
He had the grace to look uncomfort
able.
"She's made me so unhappy about
you, Tressie." he blurted out at length
about me?"
"Yes, when you were away all sum
mer and didn't write to me once"
Tressie's eyes were on the sunset.
mo, didn't write" she said aftel
a pause.
"Why not?''
MRS. Amesbury said-that there was
another girl. Junior"
"What?'
Yes. She said you were paying de
voted attention to little Kentucky
singer"
"Ohr' Junior flung up his head. "An(
she told me you were going to MARI,
old General Barnes"
"Who told you:" Tressie demanded
Mrs. Amesbury."
"Well. Of all things!" Tressie'
cheeks were flaming. "And you be
| lieved her. Junior?'
| "Well, you believed about the ken
| lucky girl.'
For a moment accusing brown eye
met accusing blue ones, and then the.
both laughed, the joyous laugh o
youth that has come into its owl
again.
'She is good at-fiction," Tressi
summed up. "She ought to be pun
/ ished. Junior"
"Oh, let her 60" Junior asserted
"and we will go for /, walk. Tressit
md will tell you all the things | hav
wanted to write and didn't dare"
n..4 ..l,. ck