Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-09-19
A NARROW
ESCAPE
By SAMUEL e. BRANT

deal. she made herself agreeable to
every one. became familiar with only
the best. was careful that her costumes
were cut In the latest fashion, 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 hen
cavalier was hard work. His main ac
cOmplishment was leading a cotilion
and he was not known to have any
secondary one Mrs. Marshall could
stand to be put in 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 an upper round of the lad
der to the bottom. but found 1t tire
some. indeed. to pretend to he flirting
with Huntington Dabney in solitar,
corner ut function in order to main
tain reputation for being one of thos,
ladies to whom husband and children
are bore. And it was the harder for
her because she was devoted both t.
her husband and her children. AS for
Mr.. Marshall. she told him in the be
ginning what her designs reall!
amounted to. but he didn't take sutii
Der the explanation.
Among the other penalties Mrs. Mar
shall must pay for effecting an entrance
into L. society was the sitting in tight
slippers for several hours ut 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 a stretch. will at last cause
pain. 1t was sitting thus at dinner
party for an unusually long period that
brought about a mishap to Mrs. Mar
shall that came very near plunging her
to the foot Of the social ladder and
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
hOnored by being assigned to the host
ess. Mrs. Marshall's shoe pinched. and
after enduring long period Of suffer
ing she slipped 1t off. MIR. Dabney.
who was restless man. must needs
kick his legs about under the table till
he sent the slipper Off to parts I'm
known. When at last the innumera
BILE courses had been finished and
pousse cafe put a close upon the feast
the diners arose to 20 into another part
of the house for a cOtilliOn.
Mrs. Marshall. who had for some
missing slipper. finding that without
some expedient she must go with the
others in stocking foot. so to speak.
when the party were rising. kept her
sent. talking very hard to her cavalier.
pretending to be 40 wrapt in her sub
ject as not to notice the movement
OF course the gentleman kept his seat.
too. and was all attention The lady
watched out OF the corner Of her eve
the retiring guests and saw that no
especial notice was taken Of her re-
naming behind As soon as 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 II. Dabney started to get It
himself. but the lady stopped him and.
getting down. CROPPED for the missing
article. 1t was dark down there. and
Mrs. Marshall was nearsighted. She
hunted some time without success
Then Mr. Dabney's gallantry got the
better If 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 pony brandy Several of
the ladies whose heads were not easily
overturned by spirituous beverages de
clared that they, too. wanted "anoth-
er." Suddenly the dining room door
was thrown open. and merry party
entered Mrs. Marshall realizing the
horror Of the sit .ation of being caught
under the table with her cavalier.
whispered to him:
"FOr heavens sake be still!"
Mr.. Dabney obeyed orders. What
else could he do? The host poured the
liquor and all were standing around
the table ready to drink when those
under it heard him say:
what the deuce became of Dabney
and Mrs Marshall! They didn't leave
the dining room with the rest of u.s."
"They must have gone out by anoth.
er door," suggested one Of the women
Drink her down." said the host.
"and we'll go and took for them They
must have gone mp that stairway.
don't allow any scattering In my
house." be- added joculnrly.
The revpiArS tossed off the brandy
and ran laughing mp the staircase
A. soon as the last one had disap
peOred Mrs Marshall scrambled our
and ran like u deer to an unoccupied
m"Sic room followed by Mr. Dabney
With thr slipper Then Mrs Marshall
sat down tr a piano ana began to run
over the keys This brought those,
who hunted for them. and all ex
claimed
"How did you do IT."
Whpp Mrs Marshall that night BE-
fore. going to he'd told her husband of
the narrow eStnTp she had had be
looked at her in holy horror
"tsreHt Scott. Mummy he exclaim.
Ell ''thMt's the nea rest thing to catas
trtsph4 that ever happened In this fam.
iivr'