The Prescott daily news., 1912-09-21
THEIR INVITED GUESTS
 AT SUBURBAN HOME

When Perkins, without consulting Mrs. Perkins, invited Hinchett to spend week end with him and his wife at their suburban home, he made the error of failing to pry into Hinchett's family affairs as a prelim- mary move. He realized later that he should have put Hinchett through the third degree of the census bu. reau before extending the invitation. Thus he would have escaped the con- fusion that overwhelmed him on the Saturday when Hinchett descended upon the Perkins establishment with one wife, two children and one brin. dle bulldog.
 T had to bring the dog" explained Hinchett brightly, when Perkins met him at the foot of the steps, because there is no one in our apartment house that l could trust with him. Coed old Bruno! He has to be fed just so or he is unhappy. Mrs. Hin chett, he went on, with wave of his hand toward his wife, "and the little Hinchetts."
 Perkins knew that his wife was watching the reception from behind the living room curtains and that his standing at his domestic hearth de. pended upon his carrying the matter off with the air of its being quite what he had expected
 Come right in," exclaimed Perkins, heartily, as the children began pulling the geraniums out of his wife's flower boxes beside the steps. Glad you brought the dog. He'll be company for our dog. Let me take your suit cases"
 "Oh, there's hammock!" Mrs. Hin. chett exclaimed, making a dive for it. I'm just worn out with the long trip from our place and the railroad drive and then the walk up here in the sun. You won't mind if l lie down a min ute, will you?'
 Lillian isn't very strong" Hin. chett explained.
 Certainly not!" Perkins told her. "Go right ahead, Mrs. Hinchett. and get rested. That's what we're here for.'
 She tumbled into the hammock and Hinchett went down into the front yard to encourage Bruno in digging up the pansy bed that Mrs. Perkins had been working over all season. As Perkins walked into the hall with the satchels his wife seized him.
 Why didn't you tell me these peo. pie had children?" she hissed into his ear T could have gone away or got scarlet fever or something. You know that I've nobody to help me with the housework. And I was planning to make jelly today"
 "Hinchett held out on me-" mur. mured Perkins. "He never mentined the kids. For the love of Pete, go and talk to 'em."
 And that woman in the hammock Is the one you said would help me make jelly if let them come today" his wife said witheringly
 Maybe she will" countered Per kins. You haven't asked her yet"
 Then Mrs. Perkins coaxed up a vel coming smile for the guests and went out to meet them, murmuring words of sympathy for Mrs. Hinchett, whose fatigue threatened to become per, manent. About that time the Perkins fox terrier arrived from an excursion into foreign fields. When the two men had pried the bulldog loose from the fox terriers neck Perkins took his dog into the basement and chained him to the furnace
 While Mrs. Hinchett, from the depths of the hammock, was explain. ing to Mrs. Perkins how badly she felt most of the time and how quickly she succumbed before exercise of any kind, Perkins took Hinchett down to show him the village hall, and the