The Pulaskian., 1919-04-11

Gerty teasing Tom to wear his Tux edo.
 Isn't one dude enough for you?" growled her surly lord. Innes recog- niZed the mood and shrank from the ordeal ahead. It was the mood of the Hardin in the rough, the son of his frontier mother, the fruit of old Jasper Gingg, whose smithy had been the rendezvous for the widest roughs, the fiercest cattlemen in Missouri.
 'Fd let him see you knew what's what. even if we do live like gipsies."
 The answer to that was another growl. Innes could hear him dragging out the process, grumbling over each detail. That confounded laundry had torn his shirt. He hadn't decent collar to his name Where was his black string tie? If Cert would keep his things in the lowest drawer! Hang that buttonl Gerty emerged from the encounter, her face very red. Innes could see her biting her lips to keep the tears back as she put the last touches to the table.
 "She's tired out" thought the sister of Tom Hardin. "She's probably fussed herself to death over this din- ner."
 A few minutes later Rickard ar rived in a sack suit of tweeds. Gerty's greeting was a little abstracted. How could she make Innes understand to tell Tom to change his coat? The duty of a host, she suddenly remem- bered, was to dress down rather than up to the chances of his guest. She regretted bitterly her insfstence. Was ever anyone so obtuse as Innes? MT. Rickard would see that they thought it a big event. She was watching the curtain where Tom would emerge. And his coat was style of several seasons ago and absurdly tight! She made an unintelligible excuse and darted behind the portiere.
 Toms face was apoplectic. He was wrestling with mussed tie; the col lar showed a desperate struggle.
 Gerty made wild signals for him to change his clothes. She waved hand indicating Rickard; she pointed to Toms sack suit lying on the noor where he had walked out of it.
 'sWhat is 1t all about?"
 "Ssh," whispered his wife. Again the wild gestures.
 "Well, aren't you satisfied? Don't I look like a guy?"
 ax.l 1fc4ir next room. Gerty gave it up in de spair. She dabbed some more powder on her nose and went out looking like martyr-a very pretty martyr!
 Rickard praised the miracles of the tent. Gerty's soft flush reminded h. nes of their old relation. "Exit lnnes, she was thinking, when Tom, red ana perspiring, brought another element of discomfort into the room.
 Gerty ushered them immediately to the table. She covered the first nm utes which might be awkward with her small chatter Somewhere she had read that it was not well to make apologies for lack of maid or fare. Besides MT. Rickard remembered Lawrencei That dreadful dining room. the eyer-set tablet How she had hated it, though she had not known how fearful it was until she had escaped.
 eve are simple folk here, MT. RICK ard" she announced, as they took their places around the pretty table. That was her only allusion to dehclen- cies. but it covered her noiseless move ments around the board between courses, filled up the gaps when she made necessary dives into kitchen or nrimitiye ice chest, and set the Key for the homeliness of the meal ltseI. The dinner was triumph of apparent simplicity. Only Innes could guess tho time consumed in the perfection of detail, details dear to the hostess heart. The almonds she had bianched, of course, herself; had dipped anu salted them. The cheese straws were her own. She did not make the ms talce of stringing out endless courses. An improvised buffet near at nahu made the serving a triumph.
 Rickard praised each disn; openis he was admiring her achievement. Innes. remembering the story Gerly had told her in dots and dasnes' the story of the old rivalry, glanced cos-