The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-08-01

the plutocrats, the-leisure class
|es. And when that picture of
yours came in the paper, we had
we had an argument. He
said" He stopped.
what did he say?''
Well, he said it was the picture
of an empty-faced society girl"
"Oh!" exclaimed.
Il maintained there were
possibilities in the face" He put
both hands on the table, and,
bending forward. looked down at
me. well, i was a fool, l admit
l said your eyes were kind and
candid, in spite of that naughty
mouth. You see, said l was a
fool"
81 thin ykou are exceedingly
rude" [ managed finally. If you
want to now where | found your
watch, it was down in the coal
cellar. And if you admit you are
an idiot, / am not. II know all
about Bella's bracelet-and the
board on the roof, and--oh, if you
would only leave-Anne's neck
lace--on the coal, or somewhere
and get away"
My voice got beyond me then,
and l dropped into a chair and
covered my face. could feel him
staring at the back of my head.
well, I'll be" something or
other, he said finally, and then he
turned on his heel and went out.
By the time l got my eyes dry
Eyes, 1 was crying; l always do
when 1 am angry l heard Jim
coming downstairs, and l tucked
the watch out of sight. Would
anyone have foreseen the trouble
that watch would make!
Jim was sulky. He dropped in
to a chair and stretched out his
legs, looking gloomily at nothing.
Then he got up and ambled into
his den. closing the door behind
him without having spoken a
word. 1t was more than human
nature could stand.
When / went into the den he
was stretched on the davenport
with his face buried in the cush-
ions. He looked absolutely wilt
ed, and every line of him was
dropping.
60 on out, Kit" he said, in
smothered voice. BE a good girl
and don't follow me around"
You are shameless" / gasped.
Follow you! When you are
hung around my neck like "a"
Milestone was what l wanted to
say, but I couldn't think of 1t.
He turned over and looked up
from his cushions like an ill-treat-
ed and suffering cherub.
'Im done for, Kit" he groan-
ed. bella went up to the studio
after we left. and Investigated
that corner"
What did she find? The neck
lace?" asked eagerly. He was
too wretched to notice this.
mo, that picture of you that
did last winter. She is crazy
she says she is going upstairs and
sit Takahiro's room and take
smallpox and die"
"Ffddlesticks!" / said rudely.
and somebody hammered on the
door and opened it.
Pardon me for disturbing
you." Bella said. in her best dear
Observation-Disclosures manner.
"But-Flannigan says the dinner
has not come"
Good Lord" Jim exclaimed.
II forgot to order the COMPOUNDED
dinner!'
1t was eight O'Clock by that
time, and as it took an hour at
least after telephoning the order
everybody loked blank when they
heard. The entire family, except
Mr.. HARRISON, who had not ap-
peared again, escorted Jim to the
telephone and hung around hun
grfly, suggesting new dishes every
minute. And then-he couldn't
raise Central. 1t was fifteen min
utes before we gave up, and stood
staring at one another despair
i ingly.
call out of a window, and get
one of those internal reporters to
do something useful for once, !"
Max suggested. But he was in
dignantly hushed. We would have
starved first. Jim was peering in
to the transmitter and knocking
the receiver against his hand, like
a watch that had stopped. But
nothing happened. Flanagan re-
ported a box of breakfast food,
two lemons, and pineapple
cheese, a combination that didn't
seem to lend itself to anything.
We went back to the dining
room from sheer force of habit
and sat around the table and look
ed at the lemonade Flanagan had
made. Anne would talk about
the salad her last cook had con-
cocted, and Max told about a lit
tie town in Connecticut where the
restaurant keeper smokes a corn
cob pipe while he cooks the most
luscious fried clans in America.
And Aunt Selma related that in
her family they had a recipe for
chicken smothered in cream. And
then we slipped the weak lemon
ade and nibbled at the cheese.
ITO change this gridiron mar
tyrdom," Dallas said finally,
where's HARRISON? Still looking
for his watch?"