The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-02-02
collapsed in q chair, and bent over

me.
DO you know" he said, lookins
down at me with his clear, discon
certing gaze, do you know that
nave Just grasped the situation
There was such a noise that / did no,
hear your name, and | am only real
lzing now that you are my hostess! ]
don't know why | got the impression
ina this was a bachelor establish,
ment, but l did. Odd, wasn't it,"
positively couldn't look away from
MIN. My features seemed frozen, and
my eyes were glued to his. AS for
teiilng him the truth-well, my tongue
refused to move. / intended to tell
him during dinner II l had an OPP
portunity: 1 honestly did. But the
more l looked at him and saw how
candid his eyes were, and how stern
mis- mouth might be, the more | shiv-
cred at the plunge. And, of course, as
everybody knows now, / didn't tell
MIN at all. And every moment l ex.
pected that awful old woman to ask
me what ! paid my cook, and when
mad changed the color OF my hair
Bella's being black.
Dinner was a half-hour late when
we finally vent out, Jimmy leading
on with Aunt Selma, and |, as hostess,
trailing behind the procession with
Mr.. HARRISON. Dallas took in the two
Mercer girls, for we were one man
short, and Max took Anne. Leila Mer-
Ger was so excited that she wriggled,
and as for me, the candles and the
orchids-everything danced around
in a circle. and | just seemed to catch
the back OF my chair as it flew past
Jim had ordered away the wines and
brought out some weak and cheap
Chlanti. Dallas looked gloomy at the
change, but Jim explained in an un-
dertone that Aunt Selma didn't ap-
prove of expensive vintages. Natural
iy, the meal was glum enough.
Aunt Selma had had her dinner on
the train, so she spent her time In
asking me questions the length of the
table, and in getting acquainted with
me. She had brought a bottle of some
sort OF medicine downstairs with ner,
and she took a claret glassful, while
she talked. The stuff was called Po-
mona: Shall l ever forget il?
1t was Mr.. HARRISON who first no
ticed Takahiro. Jimmy's Jap had
been the only thing in the menage
that Bella declared she had hated to
leave. But he was doing the s%trangest
things: His little black eyes shifted
nervously, and he looked queer.
What's wrong with him." Mr..
HARRISON asked me finally, when he
saw that noticed. rs he liz"
Then Aunt Selina's voice from the
other end of the table:
Bella" she called, in a high shrill
tone. do you let James eat cucum-
Il think he mus be-" l said hurried
ly aside to Mr.. HARRISON. See how
his hands shake!" But Aunt Selma
would not be ignored.
"Cucumbers M strawberries," she
repeated impressively. II was saying,
Bella, that cucumbers have always
given James the most fearful indiges-
ton. And yet ! see you serve them at
your table. Do you remember what
l wrote you to give him when he has
his dreadful spells?"
| was quite speechless: every one
was looking, and no one could help.
1t was clear Jim was racking his
brain, and we sat staring desperately
at each other across the candles.
Everything | had ever known faded
from me; eight pairs of eyes bored
into me, Mr.. Harbison's politely
amused.
Il don't remember" / said at last.
Really. l don't believe" Aunt Sc
lima smiled in a superior way.
Now, don't you recall it," she IT..
sisted. Il said: Baking soda in water
taken internally for cucumbers! ba-
king soda in water externally, rubbed
on, when he gets that dreadful, itch
ing strawberry rash"
/ believe the dinner went on. Some
body asked Aunt Selma how much
o~vercharge she had paid in foreign
hotels, and after that she was as
harmless as a dove.
Then halfway through the dinner
We heard a crash in Takahiro's pam
try, and when he did not appear
again, Jim got up and vent out to in
vestigate. He vas gone quite a little
while, and when he came back he
worried.
Sick" he replied to our inquiring
chances. "One of the maids will come
in. They have sent for a doctor"
Aunt Selma was for going out at
once and fixing him up" as she put
It. but Dallas gently interfered.
Il wouldn't, Miss Caruthers," he
said, In the d~eferential manner he
had adopted toward her. "You don't
know what 1t may be. He's beer look
ing spotty all evening"