Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-01-26
CHAPTER III. (continued.)


CHAPTER III. (continued.)
1T might be scarlet fever" Max
broke in cheerfully. Il say, scarlet
fever on a Mongolian-what color
would he be, Jimmy? What do yell
low and red make? Green?"
Orange" Jim said shortly. 81 wish
you people would remember that we
are trying to eat"
The fact was, however, that no one
was really eating, except Mr.. Harbi-
son, who had given up trying to IN
derstand US, considering, no doubt,
our subdued excitement as our nor
NAL condition. Ages afterward
learned that he thought my face al
most tragic that night, and that ne
supposed, from the way | glared
across the table, that | had quarreled
with my husband!
Z am afraid you are not well" he
said at last, noticing my food IN
touched on my plate. I'VE should
not have come, any of US"
4 am perfectly well" l replied fe-
verishly. Il am never i'll. II ate
late luncheon"
He glanced at me keenIy. Don't
let them stay and play bridge to-
night" he urged. Miss Caruthers can
be an excuse, can she not? And you
are really tagged. You look it"
Il think it is only i'll humor,"
said, looking directly at him. q am
angry at myself | have done some
thing silly, and l hate to be silly"
Max would have said Impossible, :"
or something else trite. The Harbi-
son man looked at me with interested
serious eyes.
rs 1t too late to undo it?" he asked
And then and there determined that
he should never know the truth. He
could go back to South America and
build bridges and make love to the
Spanish girls Cor are they Spanish
down there?) and think of me always
as married woman, married to a
dilettante artist, inclined to be stout
the artist, not land with an Aunt
Selma Caruthers who made buttons
and believed in the Cause. But never.
never should he think of me as a silly
little fool who pretended that she was
the other mans wife and had a lump
in her throat because when a really
nice man came along, man who
knew something more than polo and
motors, she had to carry on the decep-
ton to keep his respect, and be Sc
date and matronly, and see him
change from perfectly open admira-
ton at first to misunderstanding
host s-wife attitude at last.
1t can never be undone," l said
soberIy
Well. that's the picture as nearly as
| can draw it; round table with a
low centerpiece of orchids in laven-
ders and pink, old silver candlestieks
with f1ligree shades against the som
Der wainscoting; nine people, two of
them unhappy-Jim and /; one OF
them complacent-Aunt Selma one
puzzled-Mr. HARRISON; and the rest
Historically mirthful Add one sick
Japanese butler and grind in the mills
Of the gods,
Every one promptly forgot Takahiro
in the excitement of the game we
we're all playing Finally, however,
Aunt Selma, who seemed to have Ia
kahiro on her mind, looked up from
her plate
That Jap was speckled," she as
serted. 7 wouldn't be surprised If it's
measles. Has he been smiling,
James?"
Has he been snif1ing?" Jim threw
across at me.
4 hadn't noticed it." l said meekIy,
while the others choKed.
Max came 70 the rescue. "She re-
fused to eat it." he explained. dis
tinctIy and to everybody, apropos alb
solutely Of nothing. 1T said on the
box. ready cooked and predigested.
She declared she didn't care who
cooked it. but she wanted to know
who predigested it."
As every one wanted to laugh, every
one did it then, and under cover OF
the noise I caught Anne's eye, and we
left the dining room. The men stayed,
and by the very firmness with which
the door closed behind US, l knew
that Dallas and Max were bringing
out the bottles that Takahiro had hid
den. / was seething. When Aunt
Selma indicated a desire to go over
the house Git was natural that she
should want to: 1t was her house, IN
q way) / excused myself for a minute
and flew back to the dining room.
It was as | had expected. Jim
hadn't cheered perceptibly, and the
rest were patting him on the back,
and pouring things out for him, and
saying, Poor old Jim" in the most
maddening way. And the HARRISON
man was looking more and more pug
zled, and not at all hilarious.
descended on them like a thunder
bolt
That's it," cried shrewfshly, with
my back against the door. Leave
her to me, all of you. and pat each
other on the back, and say its gone
spIendidly! Oh, l know you, every
one!" Mr. HARRISON got up and
pulled out a chair, but I couldn't sit;
folded my arms on the back. After
8 while, suppose, you'll slip upstairs,