Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-09-20
Their Good
Excuse

I've heard that the Mathesons are
going to give a large card party next
week Friday" remarked Mrs. Allen to
her husband.
"Been invited?" asked Allen, not
looking up from his paper.
= "No, the invitations aren't out yet"
"Well, l suppose we'll be asked, all
right"
"Yes. that's the trouble"
l "Trouble?" echoed Allen, laying
down the paper.
eyes, trouble. You know, Tom, l
| just can't bear those stiff, tiresome
| parties Mrs. Matheson is always CIV
ing. The last time we went to one we
| both declared that we'd never 60 to an
| other"
ITS simple enough to send regrets,
| isn't it?"
without any reason and cause an
| old friend and neighbor to be offended
for life?"
"Then send an excuse. Say that I'm
i'll or that your Angora cat is under
| the doctors care because of an attack
| of the pip"
Don't be silly, Tom. This is Sc
| rious matter The Mathesons always
| know everything that goes on in this
house. How could they live right
| across the street and not know wheth-
| er | was telling the truth or not If |
said you were i'll? No. we've got to
| have some real reason for declining"
"We might run out of town." sug-
| gested Allen. "The fishing is fine"
"Fishing!" Mrs. Allen gave her hus-
| band withering glance. when you
feel impelled to go fishing, Tom, please
leave me at home. I've had enough of
sunburn."
"Well, we might go to some other
city for little change"
I'm not prepared to go away from
| home. My clothes aren't in order and
l have a dressEaker coming next
week. l think we'd better just invite
some people to dinner the evening Of
the card party. Suppose We ask the
Doolittles?"
DO you think" inquired Allen, that
an evening with the Doolittles will be
any more enlivening than party at
| the Mathesons? Have l got to listen
| for three hours to Doolittle's maunder-
ing talk about his one hunting expedi-
| tion to the Maine woods and to Mrs.
| Doolittles bromide "reminiscences of
| her single trip to Paris? Why the Doo-
Titles, my dear?
"You know very we'll that we owe
IL TIL W..
Doolittle is quite interesting and that
| story Mr.. Doolittle tells about the
moose he missed is really exciting"
"Yes, the first twenty times you hear
| it. After two dozen repetitions my hair
has ceased to stand on end at the crit
| ical moments"
well, anyway, like them"
"No accounting for tastes, my dear.
If asking the Doolittles to dinner will
| satisfy soul craving of yours, ask
them by all means. Never mind me-"
Don't be ridiculous, Tom. You
| know I'm not crazy over them, but as
| long as we have to have some one, l
think we may as well have them"
"Oh. very WELL" replied Allen.
When he left the house few min
utes later he dropped note of invi-
| tation into the nearest post box and
| grinned.
Three days later he asked his wife:
| "Are the Doolittles coming?"
eyes, Mrs. Doolittle telephoned an
enthusiastic acceptance. She has had
some of her Paris photographs en-
| larged and she's going to bring them
over to show us"
"Has Doolittle had any photographs
taken of his moose story?"
t'Tom, you ought to be ashamed"
81 am, my dear; but I'd rather be
ashamed than hear that story again.
BY the way, did you remember to
send your regrets to Mrs. Matheson?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Wen, it's awfully strange, Tom. and
l can't understand 1t at all-we're not
invited by the Mathesons."
"Not invited! And the sacrifice on
the Doolittle altar Is all for nothing?
"But can't see why they didn't In
vite us" persisted Mrs. Allen.
The night of the party after the Doo-
Titles had taken leave. Mrs. Allen
gazed dolefully from her front win
dows. "Just look how gay it is over
there Toni" she said. after our dull
evening the lights and laughter are
really alluring. 1t appears to be an
unusually lively affair. l honestly can
not see why we weren't asked"
! 1--WE weren't; that's the main thing
| to be thankful for"
"I'm not bit thankful. I'm greatly
disappointed"
"Why, l thought you never wanted
to go there again."
''I didn't, but don't like to be LETT
out and you know yourself. Tom. the
Doolittles are the worst bores among