Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-02-10


ter so frank and open in its declara
ton that even the doubling LucY
would have to be convinced of his sin
cerity.
The letter written Ransom sought
the little card that Lucy had given
him. for the necessary address She
ought TO get this in three or four
days" he thought, "if she is near Chi.
cago, and If she wires me can be
with her on Christmas, after all" As
| Ransom made these observations, he
fumbled the card IN contemplation
"Hello!" he said aloud as his eyes
caught the reverse side of the card.
1T looks as IL Lucy's aunt had given
4 away a memorandum. He read the
notes on the back. written in a deli.
cate feminine hand THE Sign of the
Blue Teapot 1919 Hemlock street
Luncheon 11.2. Tea SO. Fancy arti.
cles Homemade delicacies Special
list of Christmas pies and puddings." 4"
During the next four days Ran.
som was in mood of expectancy and
perfect confidence as to the outcome
of his proposal; but when Christmas
eve arrived with no telegram he be-
gan to have misgivings. Suddenly it
dawned upon him that he would have
to spend Christmas alone; and then
with a distinct Impression as to what
sort of Christmas dinner the French
cook at the club would probably pro
duce, he recalled the notes on the
back of Miss Elting's card
'I'll get some homemade things
and have them sent over" he thought
as he walked toward the new tea
room in Hemlock street late that aft
ernoon.
Ransom never had been in a tea
room before, and he felt singularly
out of place in the Sign of the Blue
Teapot. The feminine, would-be Jap
anese atmosphere OF the place. the
hanging paper Wistarial, the slight
bamboo chairs and tables, the cheap
Japanese prints and pottery, and the
inappropriate array of holly and ever
green struck him as being exceedingly
fragile. He walked with careful steps
past the cases filed with homemade
holly trimmed pastry Then. as he
passed the desk, his eyes caught sight
of a letter, apparently unopened
Miss Lucy Prescott" it said
Forgetting his former trepidation.
he walked quickly up and recognized
his own handwriting The letter had
been redirected from the Chicago ad-
dress to the Sign of the Blue Teapot
Deeply astonished, Ransom sat down
Presently a substantial American
woman. clad in a kimono, approached
him She stood beside him. her hands
poised on her hips "Order, sir" she
said.
Tea, please" he answered.
Just then from the back OF the shop
the desk. Ransom, too much sur,
prised for the minute to move,
watched her as she seized the letter
with apparent excitement. He
watched the color mount to her cheeks
IS she read.
Molly" she called, I'm going to
the corner to send a telegram While
I'm gone, you take charge of the
checks"
Ransom rose and sped after her, and
the geisha girl, mindful of an unpaid
check, hurried in pursuit Your
check, sir" she called; but Ransom
had stopped Lucy at the door and was
coming back with ber.
Follow me" said Lucy, leading the
way to the pantry; and there, by the
dim light that displayed carefully ar
ranged tea canisters, sugar boxes and
butter crooks, and whole rows of lit
tie blue teapots, she explained
"You see, Aunt Louise and / decided
to run tearoom. Teaching is so hard
for me, and we had to do something.
SO she took what little capital we had
and came to make arrangements for a
shop in Boston or New York-we
didn't want to start in the west. where
every one knows us. I went right on
teaching till she wired me that she
had made all the plans and would
meet me in New York. OF course, l
, was completely dumfounded. She
didn't know about you, or-that is
| hadn't told her that you were in Phil.
adelphia. hadn't the most remote
idea of how you felt, then, and nat
uraIly l din't want you to think that
had followed you"
! "Then you weren't offended when
you saw me on the train?" Ransom
asked.
'Well, not exactly offended, Ran.
som; but was so cross to think that
you hadn't let me know before that
you wanted to spend Christmas with
me-" said Lucy dubiously. II should
be very cross with you now, for poor
Aunt Louise and had to go all the
way to Wilmington and back, so that
you wouldn't know that we were com
ing here"
"But why don't you ask me how |
managed to find your asked Ransom