The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-02-21

tOXyHo2 .. The Chambers
" Hold the wirew With hi.
hand over the phone, War.
rem roared out: 1.-The Chambers arr
downstairs. What the deuce"
"The Chandlersl" Helen flew II
from the dining room. "Oh-oh." II
stammering excitement, they cam
be coming for dinnerl | invited then
! for NEXT Thursday-the I7thi Oh
they couldn't have made such "a
You've got your dates mixed" with
a snort "What're you going to dc
about it? Quickp
There's not thing for dinnerp
frantically. "Oh, VIC"
well, we can't keep them stand
ing down there" Then into the phone
Send them up"
"Oh, Warren, we CAN'T have
themP with hysterical shrillness
We've only pot roast!"
Say you made a mistake in the
datcl If they've got any sense they'll
clear out"
"Oh, mono, she'd be furiousl It's
quarter of seven-we've a half hour!
You receive them. Say we-oh, what
excuse CAN we give? Say the oven
exploded-the maid burned her arm
dinner'll be late"
"1'll say nothing of the sortl Now
we'll not complicate things by lying"
you mustl She'll be insulted il
Oh, there they are nowl"
AS the door bell clamored, Helen
dashed out 10 the kitchen. Jerking
the bread knife from the astonished
Dora, she wrapped the girls apron
about her hand.
"It's the Chambers! Go to the
door, but keep your hand in your
apron. You've burned it-understand?
Hurry
While the girl was ushering in the
unexpected guests, Helen made a
frantic survey of the ice box and
pantry shelves. The Chambers for
dinner with only a POT ROASTi
open this-qAck" handing down
a can of asparagus, as the bewildered
Dora reappeared. at only has to be
heated"
A can of Italian relishes, a jar OF
branded peaches and can Of plum
pudding was the result of Helen's
raid.
For the next ten minutes the kitch-
en- was the scene of desperate, nerve.
tensioned haste. Dora, stimulated by
a promised dollar, moved with unac-
customed speed. Behind the drawn
folding doors she changed the cloth
and reset the table with all the COM
pany" frills.
Everything responded to the emer-
gency exigencies-except the pot
roast. That remained a pot roast
ANONYMOUSLY cheap and plebeian.
Helen's fertile brain had not yet con-
cocted lie that would excuse it.
The hors-d'oeuvre on the table, the
cocktails mixed, the wine opened, and
Dora piled with countless instruc-
tons, Helen rushed in to dress.
The pot roast! She was still strug-
Cling with the intractable pot roast
as she fluttered into an evening gown.
A quarter past seven, flushed,
breathless, and effusingly apologize,
she hurried in to greet her guests.
I'm so sorry to have kept you
waiting! I suppose Warrcn's told you
about our accident-the oven exploded
and the maid burned her wrist"
Warren had not told them. Having
stolidly refused to 'lie out of it." he
had made not the slightest explana-
ton for the half hours wait, and now
he glowered darkly at Helen's glib
excuses.
What would they think when the
pot roast appeared, anguished Helen,
as they went into the dining room.
The burned wrist could not explain
that
The Italian hors-d'oeu was a
novelty and most appetizing, but the
soup, having been diluted to make
four portions, was suspiciously thin
As Dora removed the plates, Helen,
with deepening color, awaited the
august entrance of the pot roast.
AT last 1t came. a meager dark
mound with its accompanying gravy
and Drowned potatoes. Helen saw
Mrs. Chambers astonished glance.
While Warren carved, she kept her
eyes fixed miserably on her plate.
Until the very last she had hoped her
feminine agility for fabrications
would come to her rescue. But for
once her resourcefulness failed her.
She could invent no plausible excuse
for this pot roast.
1t was a scant roast, too-barely
pound and a half-and Warren was
cutting into it recklessly. To have
pot roast-and not even enough
Could guest dinner sink to greater
ignominy?