The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-12-17
LOOKING FOR DINNER
BY Il. LiTHeoW.

ate uh9s. HIS, nOWefcI, ulu not lea
Cunniff to infer that the entertainment
was to be in the least degree infol
NAL. On the contrary. Cunnif be
lieved that when the Drummonds di
anything they did It we'll He wa
judging from their automobile AM
Mrs. Drummond's gowns and thei
general air Of prosperity, for. al
/ though he knew the family rathe
well, he had never been at thei
I house
Say" Cunnin asked Brown. WHIT
likewise was TO be a guest at tn,
dinner. where do the Drummondl
live, anyway"
AT Fiftieth and Underwood ave
nue." said Brown. That big gray
stone affair You know it."
"Oh, yes" said Cunnif, grandly.
However. as matter OF fact. hs
did not know 1t at all.
Late on Thanksgiving day he looked
up the Drummonds In the telephone
directory between wrestling with his
tie and brushing his hair. He found
the name at once-4s49 Underwood
avenue. Having got the tie to suit
him, Cunnif started on briskly at @
quarter to seven. for the house was
only five blocks from his residence.
He ascended the steps briskly and
was a trifie annoyed at the delay in
answering his ring. When the door
was at last opened Cunnif took a for.
ward step and murmured tentatively
his hosts name.
The maid swung the door open.
Eyes, this is Mr.. Drummond's house.
Come IN" she said. Please wait In
the library" Then she vanished
Cunniff. in some bewilderment. d.
vested himself OF coat and hat in
the large entrance hall and proceeded
into the room indicated. It was
empty.
There was neither host nor hostess
lurking in the corners and no other
guests had arrived.
My watch must be horribly FAST"
Cunnin said to himself. uncomfortably.
He sat down because there was
nothing else to do and looked about
him The room was indeed handsome
and probably would appear still more
attractive when all the artisticaIly
shaded lights were turned on. AT
present only one burned on the wall
near an oaken reading table.
A dead silence reigned. AS his eyes
grew accustomed to the semigloom
Cunniff made out the dinlng.room
table some distance of in the adjoin-
ing room Only the bare mahogany
confronted him. Even a mere man
knows that for a dinner party the set
ting of the table must come some
minutes before the eating OF the meal
Cunnifr crossed one foot over the
other and tried to be patient When
twenty minutes had passed without
another arrival or the appearance OF
his entertainers the unpleasant convic-
ton that something was wrong broke
upon him.
Yet why had he been admitted IL
anybody had come down with seri-
GUS Illness and the dinner had been
abandoned?
Just as Cunniff. In a cold perspira.
tion, was miserably meditating seizing
his hat and coat and sneaking out he
heard footsteps on the stairs. The
set society smile he at once donned
for Mrs Drummond's delectation froze
on his face as a girl walked in whom
he had never seen before. She was a
young woman with a most delicious
face and Cunnif observed attractive
little quirks at the corners Of her
rosy lips
Good evening" she said a little
obviously as she eyed Cunnif, She
acted as though she had expected
somebody else Father has just tele-
phoned me from the railroad station.
He and mother have arrived In the
city from their Thanksgiving visit.
They failed to get the earlier train,
II you can walt till eight o'clock"
But" Cunnifr stammered. what
about the dinner psrty?"
The pretty girl took hold Of g
chair and stood behind It. There
isn't any" she said mildly "Did-did
father ask you to dinner? He's so
absurdly absent-minded occasionally
Aren't you Mr.. Beckmore, the presi.
dent of the road?"
Good gracious, no." Cunniff got
out, glad OF something tangible to dis.
pute MY names Cunniff and am
supposed to be at a dinner party at
the Drummonds' at Fiftieth street and
Underwood avenuei And I want to
know what has happened to the din.
neri"
The pretty girl bent over the chair
back and laughed. why, I'm so sor-
ryl" she choked. IT'S the Drum
monds two doors up We always get
each others mail and packages, but
we never got one OF their dinner
guests before! And you've waited
all this time!n