The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-10


tries to tell her about it; but as she
/ won't listen, he tells Sadie. And Sadie,
after looking him up and findin he
| answers specifications, backs him for
a winner. So I can frame up what
this afternoon tea business means. It's
to give Wally a show.
That's all right, so far as Sadie
goes, thinks L. but while I'm subbin'
on the job I'll use my own judgment
Maybe Waliy gets it, and maybe he
don't 1t all depends on how like his
| face"
I'd just thought this out when I
fetches up at the Hotel Perzazzer.
Handin' my overcoat and lid to the
/ cloak room boy, and tTyin' to cover up
that red and green vest with one hand.
1 walks into the tea room.
"Oh. there you are at last" says
/ Sadie, meetin' me half way. There
they are, right in the corner. Til be
back as soCn as 1 can" and off she
| goes.
! Wei, ] strolls over to the table, pulls
out one of the LOoey Fourteenth street
chairs. and springs my best four
o'clock grin on Miss Tolliver
"Oh, Mr.. McCaber she gurgles
How jolly of youl"
| Amt it," says l.
And you've met Wally, haven't
you?" says she. "Oh, then you mustr'
/ I knew the minute | put eyes on
| Wally that his face didn't suit Not
that 1 mentioned it, Oh, no! l can be
reckless enough at times, but this hap
/ pened TO be one of my careful days
[ For Wally was something of a boy.
/ remembers Sadie sayin' what a big
/ handsome fellow he was. Well, he
was big. all right-shoulders as wide as
a fiat-topped desk and a fist like a
maui head. Maybe he was handsome,
/ too. 1t all depends on whether you
/ ike so much jaw, and a chin with a
dimple in il.
| But he want cheerful. Oh, my, no.
| He looks about as amiable as a two
| hundred pound college l1alfback when
| he tucks the ball under his arm, third
down, five yards to gain, and starts
/ to hit the line. And there amt any
/ change in his expression as he turns
| that pair of gloom condensers on me.
Glad to meet yuh," he grunts.
/ You hide it WELL" thinks l. What I
/ said, though, was something that didn't
mean anything special.
! Then 1 lets a waiter bring me some
| toasted crackers and cream cheese and
bar lie due jam, and tries to head off
/ Tony from Dourin' me a cup of tea
/ But Miss Tolliver is too interested in
.
/ conversation. And say, for the brand,
/ it was great talk. 1t comes out in
] gurgles and giggles and guggles, like
pouTin' champagne from a bottle; or
/ maybe more like one of these geyser
| fountains, such as the one in Madison
/ Square park-you know, a gush and
/ then a splash, then another gush and
/ another splash. Sounds a good deal
/ the same, tOO-kind of tinkly, almost
J
want any more sense to il than as If
she'd been BLOWN on a cornet. You've
heard these featherweight conversers
/ Why, l couldn't tell you now of a sin
gle thing she said in the half hour
sat there Hstenin' to her But she was
worth watchin', with her big eyes
rollin', and the feathers on her hat nod
din, and the pink and white playin
peekaboO in her cheeks.
! III admit l was enjoyin' IT, until all
of a sudden 1 remembers Wally. You
see, I'd sort of been expectin' to sit
around in the wings lookin' foolish,
while them two made googOo eyes at
/ each other across the table. But here
/ 1 finds myself bein' played for first
/ leadin' gent, while Wally is cast for
/ thinkin' part. As 1 turns to see how
/ he's takin' it, has all I can do to keep
( from THROWN up my elbow to block
/ swing. And he sure was lookin' saw
! age.
Never mind" says I under my
/ breath. "She don't mean it."
/ ''Eh2' says he. BEG pardon?"
'Ah, cheer up"' says 1. 'ItH be
your turn soon"
! But say, he don't seem to get a
| glimmer Of what I'm drivin' at But
he don't care much, either, for he only
gives me a scOwl and turns back to
watchin' Tony out of them heavy
tragedy eyes of his. Course, I can see
that Miss Antoinette is just usin' me
for a dummy and givin' Wally a ben
eft performance. But, not KNOWN
how much of that kind of stringin' he'd
stand without gettin' ambitious to take
ii out on me. I want restin' any too
easy. I kept thinkin' what a figure I'd
cut rough housin' il with a heavy
weight in a swell tea room, and me
wearin' Pinckney's frock coat.
Them giggles of Tony's was gettin'
on my nerves, too. 1t was awfully
cute and cunnin', for a few minutes;
but it's something you don't want in
big doses. And just as 1 was Won
derin' if there want any way of
turnin' it off. Sadie shows up again,
looSin' serious.
Now, don't be frightened, my dear
1OilNr says SAttr publiA Afti al III
around Miss Tolliver; but think you
had better go home at once. Shorty
and I will go with you
But why?" says she, poutin' her
lips What is the matteT2"
We'll, you see" says Sadie, sparrin'
for time. your father"
Daddy says Tony, grippin' her
hands together and lookin' wild. Tell
me- he-he isn't"
NO, no." says Sadie. He's all right
now, But you'd better go to him."
There want any need of uTgin' her.
She's made a break for the cloak room,
and before Sadie can more'n give me a
bulletin of what's up. she's ready TO
start. All I could gather was that the
old mans got into some snari over
money matters. and the folks at home
had caught him wanderin' around the
house with a gun I'm his hand.
Sadie breaks the news to Miss Toll
liver after we gets placed in the car
riage, and I was lookin' for nothing
less than to see her so through the
roof But she don't even faint. She
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