The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-06-08
"Why Don't You Ask Me?"

paused reflectively, continuing,
"Edith's interested in that Lamhorn
boy; he's goOd-looking and not stupid,
but l think he's" She interrupted
herself with a CHEEKY cutlery: ''Oh.
1 mustn't be calling him names! If
he's trying to make Edith like him l
ought to respect him as Il colleague
II don't understand a thing you're
talking about" Mrs. Vertrees COM
planned.
"All the better! Well, he's a bad lot,
that Lamhorn boy; everybody's always
known that, but the Sheridans don't
know the e~verybodies that know. He
sat between Edith and Mrs. Roscoe
Sheridan. She's like those people you
wondered about at the theater the last
time we went-dressed in ballgowns:
bound to show their clothes and jewels
somewhere! She flatters the father,
and so did l, for that matter-but not
that way. | treated him outrageously..'
Mary
That's what battered him. After
dinner he made the whole regiment of
us follow him all over the house, while
he !ecturea like 4 guide on the Pala-
tine. He gave dimensions and costs,
and the whole b'ilin' of 'em listened as
if they thought he intended to make
them a present Of the house. What he
was p,oudest of was the plumbing and
that Bay of Naples panorama in the
boil IIa n,nIA ,- IN.I- 90 III H.
plumbing-bathrooms and everywhere
elsa-and then he made us look at the
Bay Of Naples. He said it was a hun
dred and eleven feet long, but 1 think
it's more. And he led us all into the
ready-made library to see a poem
Edith had taken q prize with at school.
They'd had it printed in gold letters
and framed in mother-of-pearl. But
The poem itself was rather simple and
wistful and nice-he read it to US,
though Edith tried to stop him. She
was modest about Ii, and said she'd
never written anything else. And then,
after a while, Mrs. Roscoe Sheridan
asked me to come across the street to
her house with them-her husband and
Edith and Mr.. Lamhorn and Jim Sheri-
dan"
Mrs. yertrees was shocked. "Jim"
she exclaimed. MARY, please"
"Of course" said Mary. I'll make
1t as easy for you as / can, mamma.
Mr.. James Sheridan, Jr. We went over
there, and Mrs. Roscoe explained that
the men were dying for a drink
though / noticed that Mr.. Lamhorn
was the only one near deaths door on
that account. Edith and Mrs. Roscoe
said they knew I'd been bored at the
dinner. They were objectionably apollo
getic about it, and they seemed to
think now we were going to have a
good time to make up for it. But l
hadn't been bored at the dinner, I'd
been amused; and the good time at
Mrs. Roscoe's was horribly, horribly
stupid"
But. Mary her mother began, SIS
-is-" And she seemed unable to
complete the question.
"Neyer mind, mamma. I'll say it. Is
| Mr.. James Sheridan. Jr., stupid? I'm
sure he's not at all stupid about bust
ness. Otherwise Oh, what right
have l to be calling people stupid be-
cause they're not exactly my kind?
On the big dinner table they had enor-
nous icing models of the Sheridan
building"
"Oh no." Mrs. vertrees cried. "Sure-
ly not!
Eyes, and two other things Of that
kind don't know what. But, after
all, l wondered IL they were so bad.
Well, then. mamma, i managed not to
! feel superior to Mr.. James Sheridan,
Jr., because he didn't see anything out
| OF place In the Sheridan building In
sugar
Mrs. vertrees' expression had lost
none Of Its anxiety and she shook her
head grs vely. NY dear. dear child"