The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-05-14
; AAAAAAAAAAAAA
! Miss TivertOn'S
!; Tea Basket.
BY ALICIA SPRaGUE.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BY ALICIA SPRaGuE.


precisely 3 o'clock In the afternoon for
a select circle of feminine friends.
They drank tea at that early hour
50 that those who were married might
get home In time to prepare o'clock
dinners for their husbands and that
those who were single might be safely
housed before the early darkness of
the winter evenings.
Miss Tiverton sometimes wished that
ways a long. lonely stretch between
their going and bedtime.
Sometimes Lavinia Greer stayed with
her, and on those occasions Lavinia's
brother Richard would call at g. And
these were the social GASES In Miss
Tiverton's desert of dreary evenings.
She always made more tea for Rich.
ard and brought out her little sponge
cakes. Richard liked the little cakes,
and he liked Miss Tiverton's dainty
ways. her delicate pink and white pref
tiness and her pale rose colored house
gowns.
Lavinia thought Miss Tiverton very
foolish to wear muslin all winter.
"Think of the washingw she said as
she and Richard walked home one
evening. And Letitia Tiverton is as
poor as Jobs turkey"
"She surrounds herself" said Rich
ard musingly, with an atmosphere Of
beauty"
Lavinia shifted. She hated to have
hor mic tptv oh oil
tia Tiverton. Lavinia had kept her
brothers house for many years, and it
had always been her great duty to nip
sentimental affairs In the bud.
Therefore 1t was many weeks after
that ominous remark of Richards be-
fore she again spent an evening with
Letitia She took her work over In
the mornings or went to the little tea
drinkings, but she did not allow her
brother to darken the doors of the lit
tie gray cottage.
One day Richard spoke of 1t mildly.
1--WE haven't been to Miss Tiverton's
for long time" he said-'not, l
think, for four weeks tomorrow"
Lavinia gave him sharp glance.
'How did you happen to remember
the date?' she asked acidly.
Richard looked at her quizzically
over his glasses 81 noted the date In
my diary" he said. II always write
down the events of the day, Lavinia"
He did not tell her that he had added
after the formal statement, Brought
Lavinia home from Miss Us" the
further comment, Miss Il. looked like
rose in her pink gown"
A week later he urged Lavinia to
call "She will think something is the
matter" he said.
Lavlnia shrugged her shoulders. 81
have been there in the daytime" she
said II don't see what more she can
expect"
Richard thought for moment. "She
has told us that her evenings are lone
ly," he reminded his sister.
"Humph" said Lavinia 81 don't
know that we are called on to put our
selves out to go there these freezing
cold nights"
Richard returned to his book, but
after a reasonably judicious interval
he looked up to say, 81 saw very
pretty tea basket In n shop this morn
ing, Lavinia. padded inside to keep the
tea warm
"Who wants thing like thatT La
vinia questioned scornfully. 81 always
make coffee, Richard"
Richard said nothing more. He loved
tea, but Layinia preferred coffee, and
there you were. Yet the next morning
he sauntered to the flaming Japanese
bazaar, where were displayed native
wares to tempt the tourists who were
making the old fashioned southern vii
lage halfway stopping place on their
way to the tropics.
The tea basket was quaint affair
OF oriental weaving with a gay pink
satin lining and a green and pink cord
and tassel about the handle. The pink
made Richard think of Miss Tiverton
With defiant look he went In and
bought the basket and ordered 1t sent
to her.
His heart failed him, however when
the dark skinned salesman asked him
for card to put with the gift
Just send it without" he said hasti.
ly. Visions of Miss Lavinia's wrath
should she know of his purchase came
to him oppressively.
The mysterious basket was to little
Letitia Tiyerton source of infinite
delightful speculation. She displayed
1t to her afternoon circle, the rose col
ored lining, the pink cord and tassel.
the fine basketry.
And l can't imagine who sent me
such beautiful thing" she ended
radiantly when all had seen 1t.
AT the first glance Lavinia Greer's
eyes had hardened. or all those wo-
men she only suspected where that
basket had come from. Richard had
sent 1t. This looked seriously like
the beginning of romance that would
be most inconvenient to Miss Lavinia.
On the way home she thought over
plan. 1t was simple. At dinner she
told Richard. "Letitia Tiverton was
too silly about basket that some one
sent to her"
Richard started, and his face flushed,
He realized that Lavinia had put two
and two together and had guessed that
1t was he who had sent the tea basket