The Prescott daily news., 1918-05-18
PatriCia'S Patriotism
 o0
 By OSBORN JAMES
Copyright. 1s1s by the Mcclure Newspa
 per Syndicate.)

for her to give her services as house mother to camp of young women volunteer farmers for the summer than to stay home and keep house for her brother, Taylor Perry, she had felt no small feeling of pity for that same brother of hers.
 q know 1t will be hard for you," she said, but you must remember that in letting me go you are doing just as much of a patriotic act as I am In going. Dinah will be here, of course- and you know she never goes out ex- cept to come back to get dinner. You poor lamb," added the sister, standing behind her brother as he sat in his favorite chair in the living room of their suburban home. you poor old dear-I just hate to go away and leave you. know how forlorn you will be-"
 Taylor sighed deeply and eradicated the usual smile from his genial face. Tt will be tough, Lollabelle. but if 1t Is your duty, then I suppose you must go," and as his sister hustled out of the room to go about the work of packing her trunks for the great event-for LOllabelle had never before in the five years that she had been keeping house for her bachelor brother, gone away from home for more than a weekend at time-Taylor's smile returned and, laying down the paper which he had been reading, he fell into pleasant train of thought He was planning several little stag parties. Dinah's southern cooking was worth asking a | few of his friends out into the suburbs | to enjoy. With Lollabelle home these stag parties were out of the question. | for the good elder sister could not conceive of young men-for her thirty | five-year-old brother was to her still u lad-having good time without girls to dance with.
 So Lollabelle went and Taylor and nice brown-skinned old Dinah were | left in command, and Dlnah used to stand and chuckle at the side of the table as Taylor ate thick porterhouse steaks, luscious roast pork and rich cream pies such as only Dinah could make. The fact that the butchers bills were considerably higher than when Lollabelle was home and that Dinah managed to consume twice as much cream and eggs in her cookery now as when Lollabelle was home did not distress Taylor. For the sake of such freedom he was willing to pay | large bills.
 | The first stag party was q glorious success as far as the refreshments went. There was juicy roast pork for Saturday dinner, with some of Dinah's | light, white rolls and cream pie and for Sunday there was an enormous | ham such as only Dinah knew how to cook. Monday morning there were 1 more of Dinah's rolls, and on Tuesday for the guests all persuaded them- selves they could stay till "Wednesday there were broled ham for break fast, lamb chops for luncheon and a wonderful roast beef for dinner.
 None of your poor folks make believe meat-all stopped together out of nuts and beans and things" con- mented Dinah to herself. as she sur veyed the larder with satisfaction. for | indeed the menus that she had been permitted to plan were to her what a gentleman's menus ought to be. And | Mir. Taylor Perry and his guests en- tirely agreed with her. However, as such things sometimes happen, the two guests were not so entirely con tent to be in a bachelor paradise as he had thought they would be. One of them had become unexpectedly en- gagged and hence his mind seemed to wander and his heart was absent at times, and the other guest had recently gone in for dancing and actually asked Taylor whether he couldn't rake up some pretty girls. So Taylor reluc- tantly telephoned to his neighbor, Pa | tricia Keen, whom LOllabelle usually asked to attend such weekend parties, and asked her if her mother would chaperone her and two other young women for the evening at his house. And bring some fox-trot records with you" he asked. "One of the men here is a dance fan. Thanks, awfully."
 That night-it was Monday night Dlnah had ready fiaky, snow-white coconut cake which she served as refreshments In the evening with q frozen concoction made from undiluted | cream.
 Taylor first knew that something was wrong when he observed that Patri- cia's mother was examining the tex ture of the cake gingerly with her fork. She tasted an infnitesimal piece crit ically, put on her lorgnettes and ex- amined 1t. Taylor tasted his piece to