The Huttig news., 1911-10-28
Her Convenient Excuse

fs , dNAGity sweet Oi you lu illidA of it and 1 should love to go if I were well. said Mrs. Buckley over the tele- phone. "Oh. no. nothing serious. but l don't feel quite able to go out Oh, yes, shall be all right in dny or two. Thank you so much for asking me Good by.
 Mrs. Buckley hung up the receiver with sight of relief I'm glad I had the presence of mind to decline, she said to herself. T don't care at all for a stupid drive with Mrs. Drake, Besides. with the Hendersonsa coming to dinner tonight I've got too much to do this afternoon to waste time going round the park behind her old slow coach horses"
 Two hours later Mrs. Buckley was assisting the cook in the manufacture of wonderfully complicated dessert when her husband burst into the room with an anxious frown on his brow.
 I've been looking all through the house for you. Nan" he said, little impatiently. q didn't expect to find you in the kitchen"
 VI Hl u1t- HUN QAu N1u LcaERt4i NO come home so early. Tom?"
 T heard you were ill."
 "Ill Why, I'm not bit i'll"
 So I see. But I met Drake at lunch and he told me you were so sick you couldn't go ont for a drive with his wife I naturally thought you had had some sudden attack and no one had had sense enough to call me up. so rushed home
 You poor old dear Mrs Buckley larghea indulgently, as she continued to wlip cream. .sI had no idea you were so easily alarmed.
 Any one would have been alarmed by what Drake said How in the world did he ever get the idea that you were sick?e
 Mrs. Drake telephoned me this morning asking me togo driving. and as I didn't feel like it l said I wasn't well
 eoh. that.s it? Why didn't you just say you didn't feel like it?"
 You know you can't say such things Tom
 Well. l rather think I can. How ever, since you're in no immediate danger I'll console myself with a lit tie golf the rest of the afternoon.
 Very well. but come home early You knew the Tender" Mrs. Buck ley ceased speaking as the door closed none too gently behind her husband. Any one would think" she smilingly mused. that Tom was disappointed because I'm not sick
 At e.30, after an extremely busy aft ernoon. Mrs. Buckley was dressed and ava i4ing- -har husband and guests. sWhy in the world doesn't Tom come2" she fretted Hell surely keep dinner waiting while he's changing his clothes"
 At seven o'clock neither he nor the expected guests had arrived and Mrs. Buckley. tired and nervous. walked the floor of her flower-bedecked rooms.
 Well. here you are at last" she cried as Buckley appeared at 7:3o. What detained you? I've been al most wild"
 q didn't suppose you'd worry, Nan. You see, we started foursome so late that"
 But you knew you had to dress for dinner, Tom?"
 sDress for dinner2 Tonight"
 Yes, of course You know as we'll as I do that the Hendersons are com ing. I can't understand why they're so late. It's inexcusable. I'll think twice before I invite them again They should have been here an hour ago.
 But, Nan. they aren't coming"
 Aren't coming? What makes you think they're not coming?'
 Well, you see, after I left Drake today ran into Henderson and l told him I was hurrying home because you were Ill He said he'd telephone his wife that the dinner was off. It was thoughtful of him, wasn't it?"
 .Oh. veryi' Mrs. Buckley spoke with much sarcasm. Tt would have been very thoughtful of you to have mentioned to me that the Hendersons were not coming. Perhaps you think l like to work all day getting up a dinner for people who aren't coming. 
 For a moment Buckley looked lit tie erestfallen. Then, making a strong recovery. he said boldly: But my dear girl. was so delighted to find you weren't really sick that the sense -ef relief drove every other thought out Of my head"
 Except the thought of golf.
 Again Buckley looked somewhat nonplused, but in an instant he ral lied.
 Hang it all. Naa, we wo' 'dn't have had this muddle if you had told Mrs Drake the truth in the first place"
 q can promise you one thing. Thom- as. dear; I won't indulge in another in necent fabrication very soon if think there's the slightest possibility of its 1 falling into your clumsy keeping"
 Well, then, truth is once more tri. umphant," laughed Tom. And your company dinner won't be wasted, my dear for I'm ravenous." f