Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-01-15
Excitement
~ for Two

From her upstairs sitting room win
dow Mrs. Winklespoon gazed down
into her neighbor's back yard with her
needle in the air.
MY gOodnessi" she remarked. Il
should think Mrs. Tilletts would sim
ply ruin her oriental rugs! The girl
is beating them! Still, maybe it's all
right
Il guess she got 'em at bargain
sale" commented Mrs. Speeeher.
peering out shrewdly They look it.
| do believe if that woman ran across
bargain sale of collins she'd outfit
the family! Well, / must be going!"
Out on the street Mrs. Speecher re-
membered that she wanted cake
recipe from Mrs. TilIetts, so she
turned in at the gate.
81 know you're cleaning house." she
apologized, but thought you wouldn't
mind me! Oh, your girl is just bring
ing in the rugsi How nice they look!
Ha! Ha,! Excuse me, but l just
thought of something funny!"
What was it?" demanded Mrs. Til
let's, sitting down on stepladder and
SIaKlnS out GuStclOth.
ooh, it wasn't anything much" said
Mrs. Speecher. "Only it made nae
laugh. | was over next door this aft
ernoOn, at Mrs. Winkelspoon's and
she looked down into your back yard
and said it was too bad you didn't
know enough to know you couldn't
beat oriental rugs and that you were
simply spelling them!"
Mrs. Tilletts dropped the dustcloth
and gave her hair an angry pat She
surveyed her caller with indignant
eyes. Did she say that?" she demand
ed in the depressed tone that stage
heroines employ when making known
the fact that there are immense areas
of bottled emotion within them. "WeN,
If don't know as much about oriental
rugs in two miutes as Gertrude Win
klespoOn does in two months III
cut EN- up into scraps and make rag
carpets of EN-! The idea! I'd thank
her to stop prying into my affairs!
guess if we haven't touring car that
is nortgaged like some peoples we
aren't precisely benighted heather!
Oriental rugs, indeed! Why, l was
brought up on oriental rugsi"
Now, you mustn't let it worry you"
said Mrs. Speecher, soothingly. 81
wouldn't pay bit of attention to any
thing she saidi"
We'll, 1 guess mott" said Mrs. Til
! let's emphatically.
The day after that Mrsr. Speecher
int in.
You really don't know how to take
some women" she mourned. II al
ways thought Mrs. TiIletts such a nice,
sensible person and yet when happen
| to tell her in the kindest possible way
| that we had seen her beating her rugs
and were afraid she would spoil them
! she actually lost her temper! You
/ ought to have heard the things she
! said! You couldn't bribe me to re-
peat them!"
you tell me this minute!" COM
manded Mrs. Winklespoon, excitedly.
What on earth was there for her to
get mad about"
Not a single solitary thingi" as
serted Mrs. Speecher, aggrievediy.
She certainly has an awful temper.
She said you couldn't tell an oriental
from homemade rag carpet and that
every one was talking about your au-
tomobile being mortgaged."
Mrs. Winklespoon sat down and
breathed hard. I'D never have be
lieved it Of her." she got out. Il never
thought she had such tongue! Just
let her say again that our car is mort
gagged and I-I'1l sue her! The idea!
She is green with jealousy because
they haven't one, and goodness knows
I've taken her out in ours often
enough! This is my thanks! And
wasn't I on the committee to buy rugs
for the parsonage and doesn't that
prove that my judgment is considered
coed? l don't want anything more
to do with her!"
I'm glad you have some spirit,
commended Mrs. Speecher. 81
wouldn't stand it, either!"
On her way down the street Mrs
Speecher met Mrs. Tilletts. Its just
a shame she said, that Mrs. Wrinkle
spoon is so touchy! I just happened
to say that / was in your house and
she burst right out and said you were
so enviOus of her car it made her sick
and she'd never take you riding again
after hearing somewhere that you'd
said her car was mortgaged! She
even threatened to sue you!"
"Sue mel" echoed Mrs. Tilletts
clutching the fence. ''Why-why that's
scandalous. I'll tell my husband!"
Mrs. Tilletts is going to sue you'll"
gasped Mrs. Speecher, bursting into
Mrs. Winklespoon's house ten minutes
later. you'd better do something
quick! l thought I'd give you warn
ing!"
Fifteen minutes later Tilletts and
Winklespoon, each summoned by a