The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-11-18
LOOKING FOR DINNER
BY n. liTHcOW,


telephone. as has become a usual Gus
tom in these hurried and unregener
ate days This. however. did not lead
Cunniff to infer that the entertainment,
was to be in the least degree infor'
NAL. On the contrary. CunnifY be-
lieved that when the Drummonds did
anything they did ii well. He was
judging from their automobile and
Mrs. Drummond's gowns and their
general air OF prosperity. for. al.
though he knew the family rather
well. he had never been at their
house.
Say" Cunniff asked Brown, who
likewise was to be a guest at the
dinner. where do the Drummonds
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 a matter Of fact, he
NAu hOt NttNN II ~ 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-i9i9 Underwood
avenue. Having got the tie to suit
him. Cunniff started of briskly at a
quarter to seven. for the house was
only five blocks from his residence.
He assembled the steps briskly and
was a trille ANNOYED at the delay In
answering his ring. When the door
was at last opened Cunniff took a for.
ward step and murmurcd tentatively
his hosts name.
The maid Swung the door Open
yes, this is Mr. Drummond's house
Come in" she said Please wait In
the library" Then she vanished.
Cunniff. in some hewilderment. d.
vested himself Of coat and hat in
the large entrance hall and proceeded
into the room indicated 1t was
empty
There was neither host nor hostess
lurking in the corners and no other
guests had arrived
MY watch must be horribly fast"
Cunnff said to himself. uncomfortable
He sat down because there was
nothing else to do and looked about
him. The room was indeed handsome
and probably N,a".i appear still more
attractive when AL the artiSticallv
shaded lights We're turned on. At
present only one burned on the wall
near an oaEcn reading table
a dead silence rei.ned As his eyes
grow accustomed to the scmigloom
Cunniff made out tho lining-roOm
table some distance off in the adiOin
ing room Only the bare mahogany
confronted him Even a mere man
knows that for dinner party the set
ting Of the table must come some
minutes before the eating Of the meal
Cunniff crossed one foot over ths
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 II
anybody had come down with a seri.
GUS illness and the dinner had been
abandoned?
Just as Cunniff, in a cold perspira-
ton. was miserably meditating selling
his hat and coat and sneaking out ne
heard footsteps on the stairs. The
set society smile he at once donned
for Mrs DrummOnd's delectatiOn froze
on his face as girl walked in whom
he had never seen before. She was a
young woman with a most delicious
face and Cunniff observed attractive
little quirks at the corners Of her
rosy lips.
Good evening"" she said little
obviously, as she eyed Cunniff. 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.
n you can wait till eight o'clock"
But" CunniR stammered. what
about the dinner party?'
The pretty girl took hold Of a
chair and stood behind It. There
isn't any," she said mildly. "Did-did
father ask you to dinner? He's SO
absurdly abscnt-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 dinner party al
the Drummonds' at Fiftieth street and
Underwood avenue! And I want to
know what has happened to the din
ner!"
The pretty girl bent over the chair
back and laughed why. I'm 80 sor-
ry!" she choked. TITS 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!"