The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
Rx Kate Carex.

II THINK 1t is pity that they dim the
lustre of their shining lights over
here by Misrepresentation. for con-
slider and shall always consider that sir
Arthur Wing Pinero was dreadfully mis-
represented to me.
In the first place. had seen sucn
wicked cartoons Of him, all nose. and
bushy mustache over each hercely gieam-
ing little eye
And I heard that he had villafnous
temper and was ogre-like in his treat
ment of critics and interviewers!
So don't mind telling you. my dears.
chat your esteemed Aunt Kate almost had
perveus breakdown when she found she
was to have q session with the Great
Grun Man at 6 O. the clock on wei June
day.
Everything went wrong. too. II rained
SO hard an umbrella was Of no avail, and
that Is always exesperating isnt H'
Except to farmers. of course.
Then when i had padded to the ad-
oress siven me. or what / thought was
,se address, the neat little maid who
on-red the door told ne somebody else
lived there.
LOST ROUND A CORNER.
At first I couldn't believe her. I
thought It must be a sort Of recognized
oluff to escape unwelcome newspaper at
tentons.
studied my bit of card: Same NUM-
Der, same street Very mysterious!
That nice little maid had kind and
sympathetic nature. She was sorry Tor
me, and she said she would ask 'the
master" il ne could locate the where
abouts Of any stray playwright in the
neighborhood- She hadn't confidence
enough in me to let me inside, SO l
waited on the doorstep.
Back she came in a moment, saying:
''If you'll just step round the corner
you'll find 1t, miss" So I hastened TO
Just step round the corner.
you see, I'd forgotten that the number
had a little letter a. tackled on to 1t.
VIII YOU believe me, that letter "a
meant that Sir Arthur Pinero's house,
though labelled Harley street. was really
round the corner in Devonshire street?
Do you wonder I was puzzled, ana
shouldn't you think they would have difh-
Guilty fnding each others homes when
tust a small scrap of the alphabet added
TO number can make oil that difference!
strolled down Devonshire street
peering to right and left, looking Tor
that letter "a" At last I found 1t on
tidy little white house, gay with window
boxes full of flowers.
rang the bell
Then I did what knew I should do,
but had been hoping against hope I
wouldn't. I asked il Sir Wing was at
home.
1 can't imagine why Sir Wing appealed
to me so much more than Sir Arthur, but
somehow it did.
Do you think that well-trained British
servant changed countenance at my mis-
take?
Not she.
TWO LONG, SEARCHING LOOKS.
She simply gave me long. searching
look, and asked:
Have you an appointment, madam?
pulled myself together. trusting that
Wing might have sounded like Arthur to
her. and that she wouldn't laugh at me
later, in the servants quarters. and
said with great dignity:
II have"
Another long, searching look. and me-
thought the veriest flicker of a smile
played round her well-trained mouth.
do wish you could have seen her. She
might have stepped out Of any society
drama into real life. She had the gentle
voice and mysterious manner of the GUS
1odian of all the family secrets, and she
certainly was most pleasing to the eye,
in her neat black frock, her cap with
flowing ends, and her frilly, spotless
apron.
I don't suppose we'll ever get our ser
vzat question so adjusted that we'll dare
to take the liberty of demanding that our
domestics get themselves up like that.
but wouldn't it be nice?
Well, having niched me in her mind,
as II were. she ushered me. mysteriously,
not through the front door. no such
commonplaceness. but through the cutest
little wainscot panelling in the side wall.
md then into waiting room
Then having got me safely into the
antechamber Of the Great, Gruff Man, the
stage serving maid left me alone and un
guarded. presumably to inform Sir Arthur
what was in store FOR him
looked round che little room. II was