The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-01-23
LOOKING FOR DINNER
BY II. LITHGOW.

dinner had been delivered over the
telephone, as has become usual Gus
tom in these hurried and unregener-
ate days. This, however did not lead
Cunniff to infer that the entertainment
was to be in the least degree infor-
NAL. On the contrary Cunnif be-
lieved that when the Drummonds did
anything they did it well. He was
judging from their automobile and
Mrs. Drummond's gowns and their
general air of prosperity, for, al
though he knew the family rather
well, he had never been at their
house.
Say" Cunniff asked Brown, who
! likewise was to be a guest at the
dinner, where do the Drummonds
live. anyway"
AT Fiftieth and Underwood ave-
nue." said Brown. That big gray
stone affair. You know it,"
"Oh, yes" said Cunniff grandly.
did not know it at all.
Late on Thanksgiving day he looked
up the Drummonds in the telephone
directory between wrestling with his
tie and brushing his hair. He found
the name at once-4949 Underwood
avenue. Having got the tie to suit
him. Cunniff started off briskly at a
quarter to seven. for the house was
only five blocks from his residence.
He assembled the steps briskly and
was trifie annoyed at the delay in
answering his ring. When the door
was at last opened Cunniff took for
ward step and murmured tentatively
his hosts name.
The maid swung the door open.
"Yes, this is Mr. Drummond's house.
Come In" she said. please wait in
the library" Then she vanished
Cunniff, in some bewilderment, d.
vested himself of coat and hat in
the large entrance hall and proceeded
into the room indicated. 1t was
empty.
There was neither host nor hostess
lurking in the corners and no other
guests had arrived
my watch must be horribly FAST"
CunnifT said to himself, uncomfortably.
| He sat down because there was
nothing else to do and looked about
| him. The room was indeed handsome
and probably would appear still more
attractive when all the artistically
shaded lights were turned on. At
present only one burned on the wall
near an oaken reading table.
A dead silence reigned. AS his eyes
grew accustomed to the semigloom
| Cunnif made out the dining-room
table some distance off in the adjoin-
ing room. Only the bare mahogany
| confronted him. Even a mere man
| knows that for a dinner party the set
ting of the table must come some
minutes before the eating of the meal.
Cunnif crossed one foot over thu
| other and tried to be patient. When
twenty minutes had passed without
another arrival or the appearance of
his entertainers the unpleasant convic-
| ton that something was wrong broke
| upon him.
Yet why had ne been admitted if
anybody had come down with a seri-
Gus illness and the dinner had been
abandoned?
Just as Cunniff. in a cold perspira-
ton. was miserably meditating Selling
his hat and coat and sneaking out he
heard footsteps on the stairs. The
| set society smile he st once donned
| for Mrs. Drummonds delectation froze
| on his face as a girl walked in whom
/ he had never seen before. She was a
| young woman with a most delicious
face and Cunniff observed attractive
little quirks at the corners of her
rosy lips
Good evening" she said a little
obviously, as she eyed Cunniff She
acted as though she had expected
| somebody else. Father has just tele,
| phoned me from the railroad station
He and mother have arrived in the
city from their Thanksgiving visit
! They failed to get the earlier train.
If you can wait till eight o'clock"
But" Cunniff stammered, what
about the dinner parry?"
The pretty girl took hold of
chair and stood behind it. There
isn't any" she said mildly. "Did-did
father ask you to dinner? He's so
absurdly abgent-minded occasionally.
Aren't you Mr.. Beckmore, the presi.
dent of the road?"
Good gracious no." Cunniff got
out, glad of something tangible to dis
pute My names Cunniff and I am
! supposed to be at a dinner party at
| the Drummonds' at Fiftieth street and
Underwood avenuel And I want to
know what has happened to the din
ner,"
The pretty girl bent over the chair
| back and laughed. why, I'm so sor-
| ry!" she choked. TITS the Drum.
monds two doors up! We always get
each others mail and packages, but
we never got one of their dinner
guests before! And you've waited
all this time!"
81 don't mind the wait-now," said
| Cunniff, daringly. Then he fed.
Now" he ended fifteen minutes
! later, when he had completed the tale
Of his wanderings at the dinner table
of the right Drummonds and had been