The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1913-09-12
A NARROW
ESCAPE
BY SAMUEL E. BRANT

/ SONldill III lIlltc NOulttS ipl EcOb
deal, she made herself agreeable to
every one, became familiar with only
the best, was careful thai Ur costumes
were cut In the latest ion, and,
since the dominant circle admitted Of
cavaliers for their prominent members,
she rather encouraged the attentions
Of Huntington Dabney.
1t must be admitted that keeping
Mr.. Dabney up TO his duties as her
cavalier was hard work His main ac-
complishment was leading cotilliOn,
and he was not known to have any
secondary one. Mrs. Marshall could
stand TO be put in Il straitjacket cos
tune and listen to society gossip, in
Guiding private quarrels and the mis-
| hap Of the last social climber who had
fallen from IN upper round Of the lad
der to the bottom. but found it tire
some, indeed, to pretend to be flirting
with Huntington Dabney in a solitary
corner at n function i'm order to main
tain reputation for being one Of those
ladies to whom husband and children
are q bore. And 1t was the harder for
her because she was devoted both to
| her husband and her children. AS for
Mr.. Marshall, she told him in the be.
ginning what her designs really
amounted to, but he didn't take sufi
cient interest in the matter to remem.
Der the explanation.
| \pnnnn fhn nfbnr pnno,tinc NrS Mar
shall must pay for effecting an entrance
into l.. society was the sitting in tighs
slippers for several hours at dinner par
| ties. Her feet were tender, and for
this reason her footwear was made of
| light material but even silken slippers.
made very small binding the feet for
hours on stretch will Mt last cause
pain. 1t was sitting thus at n dinner
party for an unusually long period that
| brought about n mishap to Mrs Mar
shall that came very near punging her
to the foot Of the social ladder ant!
rendering her fall so unfortunate that
she would not have been able to begin
to climb again.
| At the dinner in question Mr.. Dab
ney was assigned to take Mrs. Mar
shall out, Mr.. Marshall having been
| honored by being assigned to the host
css Mrs Marshall's shoe pinched. and
after enduring Il long period OF suffer
ing she slipped 1t Off Mr.. Dabney
who was n restless man, must need:
kick his legs about under the table TIL
he sent the slipper OF to parts TN
known. When ut last the innumera
| bic courses had been finished and n
nousse cafe put Il close upon the feast
| the diners arose to go into another part
of the house for cotillion.
| Mrs. Marshall, who had for some
| time been feeling with her toe for the
missing slipper. finding that without
some expedient she must go with the
when the party were rising. kept her
seat, talking very hard to her cavalier
pretending to be so wrapt in her sub
ject rs not to notice the movement
or course the gentleman kept his seat
too, and was all attention. The lady
watched out of the corner OF her eye
the retiring guests and saw that no
especial notice was taken OF her re
manning behind As soon rs the 9th
ers were all gone she Informed Mr.
Dabney that she had lost her slipper
under the table and had Jagged behind
to recover it, Dabney started to get II
himself, but the lady stopped him and
getting down. groped for the missing
article 1t was dark down there. and
| Mrs Marshall was nearslghted. She
| hunted some time without success.
Then Mr.. Dabney's gallantry got the
better of his discretion. and down he
| too, went under the table to help.
The host had scarcely left the dining
room before he proposed that the men
return for Il pony brandy Several OF
the ladies' whose heads were not easily
overturned by spirituous beverages de
clared that they too. wanted "anoth.
err" Suddenly the dining room door
was thrown open. and n merry party
| entered Mrs Marshall. realizing the
horror Of the situation Of being caught
under the table with her cavalier,
whispered to him:
"For heavens sake be still"
Mr.. Dabney obeycd orders. What
else could he do? The host poured the
liquor and all were standing around
the table ready to drink when those
under 1t heard him say:
-"What the deuce became OF Dabney
! and Mrs MARSHALL? They didn't leave
| the dining. room with the rest Of us"
''They must have gone out by anoth-
er door," suggested one of the women.
"Drink her down." said the host.
'and well go and look for them. They
must have gone up that stairway. |
don't allow any scattering In my
house," he added jocularly.
The revelers tossed Off the brandy
and ran laughing up the staircase.
AS seon as the last one had disap-
| | peare,i Mrs, Masrshs:, scrambled out
and ran like deer to an unoccupied
music room, followed by Mr.. Dabney
with the slipper. Then Mrs. Marshall
sat down 10 n piano and began TO run
over the keys. This brought those
who hunted for them and all ex-
claimed: