The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-03-04

The three men sat looking at
one another, SO far oblivious of
their surroundings that they did
not notice the opening of the
door, nor see the woman who en-
tered.
) "Papa!" she said.
Mr.. Waddy rose hastily and
faced her. She was rather young,
rosy, and quite too jolly-looking
for her half-mourning, which she
filled to smoothness that showed
adaptation of fabrics to
curves. She looked like Mr.. Wad-
dy but was undeniably pretty. He
was blocky and short; she, round
and plump. with small hands and
feet. His eyes, lost in huge
brows, seemed small and deep
set; hers were wide, with a glim-
mer of good fun in them. His
face was a hirsute jungle, grow
ing all ways a well. kept beard
should not; her cheeks were
smooth and pink, her lips we're
red, and the Waddy anarchy of
hair gave her couture a charming
tousled and crinkly disorder
which would have convicted a
small girl of naughtiness. The
turned-up pug nose of Mr.. Waddy
was modified to delightful little
retrousse effect in her. An ap-
parent effort on her part to be
stern and formal was mitigated by
smears of dust on face and hands,
and slight trace of painting and
heat, as If she had been exerting
herself.
Papa" said she, this is hard
ly a place in which to entertain
these gentlemen. We have cleared
out the east parlor."
ooh, yes!" assented Mr.. Waddy,
with feverish haste. ITO be sure,
Caroline! Take 'em in, won't you
I've got to see the hired man. My
daughter, Mrs. Graybill, Mr.,
Craighead; Caroline, "a friend
of mine, Mr.. Carson. of Alabama.
Excuse me for a minute, gentle
men!"
II assure you, Mrs. Graybill,"
said Mr.. Craighead, "that when ]
say we are delighted, we mean the
word in it's descriptive sense,
rather than its conventional non
sense"
"Oh, thank you!" replied Mrs,
Graybill, looking about the den.
This is an MISUNDERSTANDING
place for conventionalities."
Finding you here" went on
Mr.. Craighead. as they entered the
parlor, sis discovering an unex.
pected rose IN a patch devoted to
the harmless and monumental
cauliflower,, delight all the more
dangerous to sensitive organism
because of it's suddenness."
ooh, 1 dare say you'll recover
"a great many people have
And we'll strengthen that sensi.
tive organism with supper"
"And thus increase the pleas
urable strain. Theodore, it looks
deliciously dangerous!
"And I may as we'll explain
about the condition of this house,
she went on. Papa is reverting te
type. that's ALL"
"As. yes!" replied Craighead
81 see!"
mo, you DON'T" protested Mrs
Graybill, though it's-polite to say
SO. When 1 say reverting to type
l don't mean printing, or anything
like that. He's going back to the
ways of his youth, and the youths
of his progenitors. l dare say we
shall all tend to do the same at
his age, don't you think so, Mr..
Carson?"
Theodore bashfully answered
that he had never thought of it.
Craighead quoted the melancholy
Jacques on second childhood, but
denied the application to Mr..
"Oh, don't mean that" said
Mrs. Graybill. But papa got rich,
and we imposed on him gradually
a life unlike that in which he was
Now, he elopes when
he can, and sets up establishments
with seed-corn, and cream-separ-
ators, and cows and harrows on
the lawn, and works at any job
he can find. and enjoys drawing
wages more than anything, except
teaching calves to drink. It's
cruel of me to come and break
up the idyl; but it's So absurd!"
"If that be cruelty" said Craig.
head, then-to coin sn expression
for Ininei"
Supper" said she, smiling
will be served very soon."
The long dining-room was
gloomy with decayed gentility-
black beams. dark wainscoting
and a broad plate-rail bearing
wrenches, clevises. oil-cans, and
baskets of eggs labeled as te
breeds and dates. During the
meal. Ciaighsad came out amaz.
ingly in his counters with Mrs
Graybill, to whom, as 1t seemed
to Theodore, he was making yio-
lent love. Mr.. Waddy. deaf to
the badinage which screened this
courtship, sat buried in thought
save when he questioned Carson
concerning the aeronef. and was
answered in occasional outbursts
of eloquence during which Mrs
Graybill ignored Craighead and
watched Theodore absorbedIy.
There's no cinch in it." said
Mr.. Waddy, mo monopoly; an a.