New Britain herald., 1915-11-17
Madge Makes the Best of the Situation

MuuSe MdkeS tlic bcSC OI tIle oItuttOlol I know of nothing more exasperat- ing to a hostess than to have her guests come to her home too early. It is bad enough to wait a meal for a be- lated guest, but to have some critical woman casually stroll in before she is dressed, or has put the final touches So dear to every housewifely heart l on all the preparations, is simply mad dening
 l am no exception to the rule. As I heard the voices of Lillian Gale and her husband, and realized that they had arrived at half past 8 in the aft ernoon, when they had been invited for an evenings chafing dish supper, 1 was both disheartened and angry. With a gasp of thankfulness, I re- membered that Katie had swept up the nut shells from the living room rug, but also knew that the dust
 must have settled again upon every thing. Katie had gone over the fur
 niture the day before, but had planned to have her give things a few finishing touches before the guests | came. Any such plan was now an impossibility. The rooms would have to remain as they were.
 Another problem confronted me. had planned to arrange my table for the evening as soon as finished mak-
 ing the sandwiches, and to serve
 light lunch for Dicky and myself, pie nic-like, at the kitchen table The unexpected coming of these guests meant that I would have to serve a supper for them, thus postponing the arrangement of my table until the last minute. I could visualize myself as a hurried, Hurried hostess, my pet ab- omination
 But, of course, there was but one thing to do, much as I hated to do it. I must go into the living room and | cordially welcome these people. AS | slipped off my kitchen apron I | thought of the hypocrisy which marks most social intercourse. What I really wanted to say to my early guest was this:
 ..Please go home and come again at the proper time. I am not ready to receive you now.'
 had a sudden whimsical vision of the faces of Dicky and the Under woods, if I should thus speak my real thoughts. The thought in some curi- ous fashion made it easier for me to cross the room to Lillian Gales side extend my hand and say cordially:
 How good of you to come this aft ernoon!"
 II know it is unpardonable,' Lil- Hans high-pitched voice answered. You invited us for the evening, not the afternoon, but told Harry that I was going to cruelty the conventions and come over early, so I would have chance to say more than two words to you before the rest got here. If l Bess Marsden ever gets started upon scme Of those pet theories of hers mo- body else will get word in She's the most rabid anarchist out of jail"
 What Harry Said.
 'Bess won't be here,' broke in l Dicky ''Her brother is seriously ill 1 in Chicago, and she had to go to him."
 "Of course that let's Paul out also," Lillian commented in thc>1n ost mat ter -of-fact manner. "But the Les ters are about as bad.' she turned to me again. "They have six-months- old baby, their first, and you'd think it was the first in the universe to hear them talk about it. So I determined to get ahead of everybody and have little visit with you"
 Tt was so good of you,'' I mur- mured again. It was banal, I knew, but the presence of Lillian Gale al- ways seems to deaden my wits.
 TT am good, too, just as good as Lil but is there any charming hostess tell ing me so? There is not"
 Harry Underwood elbowed his wife away from my side with 8 playful push, and held out his hand, his bril- liant black eyes looking down into mine with the same lazy, approving expression that I had resented when Dicky introduced me to him between the cast of Rosemary"
 I cudgelled my brain in vain for some airy nothing with which to an- swer his nonsense. I never have had the gift of repartee. I can talk well enough about subjects that interest me when I am conversing with some one whom know well, but the frothy persiflage, the high banter that forms the conversational stock in trade of so l many women, is an alien tongue to me.
 You are just as welcome as Mrs. Underwood is," I said heartily at
 last. I threw a sop to my conscience with the realization that I had spoken the exact truth. He was exactly as
 welcome as his, wife, and neither of them was in the least welcome. For I tunately, he did not read any hidden
 meaning into my words.
 That's always the way" he said, l plaintively dropping my hand as if l he were resgning himself to some l lost hope. "Never am I judged by my ! own merits or welcomed for my own | sake, always Jumped in with my wife,