Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-01-24
That
Invitation

That's funny" said Mrs. Crockett.
"Mrs. Hamilton Hurlburt Dickson re-
quests my presence at bridge Mon
day afternoon and she requests 1t in
the most expensive engraved old Eng
fish, tool"
why funny?"" inquired Crockett,
temporarily suspending the reading OF
the sporting page. did you expect
her to pick the letters in Q pin OF
make a transparency Of it?"
Mrs. Crockett turned up her nose az
him. ''It is funny" she said, because
| have not the slightest idea who Mrs.
| Hamilton Hurlburt Dickson is-have
you?"
Crockett laid down his paper. Never
heard of her," he said.
But think, Jimmy" begged Mrs.
| Crockett. "Was she on your list when
we sent our announcement cards."
"She was not" sang Crockett in de-
scending scale. "To the best Of my
knowledge, she isn't the sister or
mother or relative of anybody I know
or ought to know. Why should she in
vite you?"
"WeIl, as to that, why shouldn't
she?" bristled Mrs. Crockett. And
it's to be at the Northedge club, and
I'm dying to see the inside of that
club. It's two weeks off, SO it must
be a big party"
"Well, why don't you go?" asked
Crockett. you've got the ticket let
ting you in"
so to a party given by an utterly
strange woman?" demanded Mrs.
Crockett. q have heard OF women
who were social climbers inviting
women they wanted to get in with,
even if they hadn't ever met them.
Maybe"
Darling" interrupted Crockett, 81
am Ioath to blast your sweet illu-
sions. but why should anyone as eK-
pensive as Mrs. Hamilton Hurlburt
Dickson looks to be from her invi-
tation card be sitting up nights plan
ming how to get acquainted with a
perfectly sweet lady living in a $45
fat and able to afford one tailor gown
a year?"
"AIl this" said his wife, comes
from having a legal mind! But SIM
ply don't understand! 1t is address
ed to my full name and the address
is right"
Mrs. Crockett stuck the card in her
dressing mirror so it would be handy
to ponder over. By diligent search
she found that Mrs. Hamilton Hurl-
} burt Dickson lived on a boulevard
\ " 81 II -a11Zo1 NV tho
house without getting n further
I clews. Every night she told Crockett
that she simply must find out about
the invitation, so she could either &C.
cept or decline it.
I'D hate to offend her by declining
o it if it really is some one I ought to
/ know," she walled. "But, of course,
don't want to thrust myself upon her
e if she doesn't know me! Consider
e how awkward it would be, Jimmy, for
a perfectly strange hostess to meet a
; perfectly strange guest, and neither of
S us have the slightest common ground
q to stand on! We can't even ask how
D. each others families are, because we
=: don't know who belongs to the fam
lilies! They say that Northedge club
is perfectly beautiful. Of course I'm
% not so crazy to go that I want to &C
~ cept this invitation, still-and there's
my new velvet dress, and this would
be such a good chance to wear it"
"WeIl, go on and go!" urged Crock
H. EFT.
II, ooh, I wouldn't dream of such {
: thing!" cried his wife. "But do yot
ri think it would be awful if I did? I
as she's asked me she should take thu
ct consequences, shouldn't she? Of cours'
!! 1 shan't-but, then-don't you thinl
70 that last hat I got looks particular!
well with the velvet? I'm just dyins
10 for a good game of bridge-Tve got tt
III write my acceptance or regrets today
In that's all there is to it,"
81 That afternoon, as Mrs. Crockett sa
I'll down at her writing desk, her sister
le in-law came in. She saw the car
le from Mrs. Hamilton Hurlburt Dickson
d and reached out a casual hand, whel
u Mrs. Crockett told it's story.
I'll ooh, that's meant for mel" she said
MRS. Dickson is a bride, and I'm
IL friend of her mothers and her moth
CT is III Europe, ana she 0lOn KHOF
;" my front name, so she looked in thu
telephone book and when she found
y. Crockett on this street she thS1ght th.
first one must be 1. 1 wouldn't havt
missed that party at the Northedg'
he club for a%nything!"
nj Crockett heard about it that even
he ing. "Im awfu4y sorry" he sympa
thized, when you wanted to go 81
ne badly!"
- 1t was then that his wife exploded
ar. "Why, James Crockett" she cried
&c "As if l ever dreamed of going tt
her old partyi The idea! I shoult
COW notfv