Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-04-10
His Ime-Saviing
Plan

81 rarely read a letter through"
Grampell has said many times. IF it
from the fl st three lines what she is
going to tell me, and let the magma
ton do the rest. This plan works par
ticularly well if the letter is in reply
to an invitation. If 1 see that the
note is short I know she accepts. Ii
it is long, know she can't go and Is
wasting four pages explaining why.
Usually 1 don't care why-and think
of all the time I save by not reading
explanations"
Grampell found his plan excellent
when it came to dealing with jean
cite Trips. She was an especially
nice girl, but she possessed super
abundance of language. Jeanette al
ways took 500 words to tell one 20
words Of news and when she had pa
per and pen before her she rioted In
her verbal wealth. It was after she
wrote Grampell six large pages con-
veying the regretful news that she
was unable to go to the theater that
he inaugurated his plan. Grampeu
never did more than tear open the en-
velopes Of Jeannette's notes. II the
writing was of formidable length he
merely threw 1t into the waste paper
basket and asked himself: who'll
ask now to go with me?
Grampell invited jeanette to join an
opera party recently and when her an
swer came he knew it was short be-
fore he opened it.
| "Good!" he murmured, pulling out
the sheet. He fingered over throwing
| it away, because for some reason or
late jeanette had grown to interest
him a good deal. But Grampell hates
| to break habit There were about six
| lines on the front page and he tossed
the missive away cheerfully.
It was eight o'clock when Grampell
| in full regalia drew up at Jeanette's
| house and mounted the steps. The maid
| delivered her message as soon as she
opened the door. Miss Trips" she
recited, "said when you came you
were to go to Mrs. Smiths if you
please"
"Oh," said Grampen blankly. Then
he decided that she must be dining
out. The only Smiths who gave din
ners were the Algernon Smiths, and
they lived 20 blocks away.
Three policemen strained their
voices shouting after Grampelfs taxi
as he shot through the streets. He
was host at the opera party and would
be late as it was. Dashing up the
steps of the Algernon Smiths, on
whom he had not a calling acqua1nt
ance, GrampeIl was ushered in. From
the dining room came the click an6
hum of a large dinner party. Present
" Smith appeared. He was polite, bu
decidedly curious. Most evidently h'
could not recall having invited Gramp
ell to dine. Also Miss Trips was no
| there.
It was very awkward. Grampell ha
the consciousness that Smith woul
tell the servants Immediately On hi
departure to watch the upstairs VIII
lows and the silver safe. Once ou1
side Grampell wiped his wet brow an
gazed wildly about in the cold nigh
Where in creation was jeanette? Fine
.ng a drug store he called up he
house. Nobody was at home. The mai
he had talked with was out. The oil
sr maid didn't know anything about
: GrampeIl arrived at the theater pa
| and melted as to collar and he stun
: down to his block of six seats like
, criminal. The four persons alread
I there greeted him with becoming hat
r eur and said: 'Sh!" when he agonize
t " started to apologize.
Something was happening on tt
stage, but Grampell never knew VIII
it was. He was picturing the wrath
: jeanette waiting, hopelessly waiti1
: for him at some mythical Smiths
9 Waiting and growing to hate hill
5 Then the curtain fell and the 1gh
went up.