The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-11
EOening Story
Genius at Tea Making.

RenIey Bradley, when she undertook
to introduce Mr.. Bradley's twenty
lyear-old daughter to a little group OF
her own particular friends whom she
! thought it would be desirable for her
| to know. To understand the con-
fusion one must understand the Pen
ley Bradley menage. 1t was located
in an apartment hotel-the apartment
was the same that Mrs Bradley had
once occupied before her second mar
riage. 1t had been changed only by
the addition of hundred of the books
| that Penley Bradley could not be
/ parted from, a. pipe or SO, a new
chiffonier containing his raiment and,
on OCCASIONS Penley Bradley himself.
He had hoped that when he married
| the brilliant and efficient Mrs. Duane
he would persuade her to give up her
work at Burton's and the $4,000 a
year that went with it.
Bradley had dreamed of a house in
the suburbs, gardens and lawns. and
| room enough for a thousand books
instead of the hundred that seemed
to crowd each other in the living room
at the apartment hotel where they
! lived instead.
And now the new Mrs. Penley Brad
ley was giving little tea to introduce
her new daughter to some worth
while people," She was frank about
quite as frankly. They did not in
the least dislike each other.
And now. Alice" Mrs. Bradley
called from her room where she was
hurriedly dressing after speeding home
I from Burton,'s while Alice was ar
ranging flowers in the reception room
beyond. NOW, Alice, 1 expect you to
fall in love with and captivate one of
the three men have picked out as
eligible for you. They will be here
this afternoon. Roger Steele could
give you all the money you could
dream of, and he is quite a nice sort
of stay-at-home, firesideIoVing crea-
ture besides. Tom Greene hasn't
cent in the bank-never has. but he
makes a lot and he's brilliant You've
read his plays. And there is Harry
enthusiastically English, over
here studying silk worms or tobacco
or sail boats or something. 1 don't
remember, but I've heard all about
him. He's quite catch if you can i'm
press him, and" Mrs. Penley Brad
lSey looked at her watch and inter-
frupted Alice, who had framed a pro-
test. What do you suppose has hap
pened to that maid? 1 told them to
send her up by half-past 8. The lem
there is any sugar. They were going
to send the things up from downstairs
but dear knows what's happened"
I wish you had let me get things
ready this morning, mamma" scolded
Alice. II know it would be too much
for you.''
Il couldn't let GU be worried" Mrs.
Bradley was trying to get a telephone
connection with the pantry in the hotel
dining room below stairs. at really
is an awful job getting UP a tea" and
then to the steward down below. ''I
wish you would send up some other
sandwiches 1 ordered watercress and
they sent lettuce, and there isn't any
butter on them and-and will you
hurry that maid along? Our guests
a In mill
about twenty"
When her stepmother was thru tele-
phoning Alice summoned courage to
say:
Gray, did you-mother?"
"Of course not" came back frankly.
Morton isn't in class with the peo-
pie I'm asking today. He's nice
enough in a way-Alice you don't
mean to tell me you care about him %
The frankness of this query rather
took Alfce's breath away. She was
not as frank in her rejoinder. IT only
thought he was an old friend. It was
thru him that you and papa met. We
ought at least to feel grateful"
"Oh, if that's ALL won't argue
with you. But you see he's just gen.
eral business manager at Burtons. In
business way he may be a genius
but the people I'm asking this after
noon are different. They are the peo-
PIC wait gu 10 KNOW HOW.
would you be ashamed to intro
duce him to these people-Roger
Steele. Tom Greene and the Balm
bridge individual, mean?"
Don't follow me up So came hast
lily from Mrs. Bradley. Don't you see
that I'm all upset over the refresh
ments? They haven't sent the maid
and there isn't speck of butter on
those sandwiches. No. you can't. go
and get things; the guests will be here
any time and you must be ready with
me to receive them
A half an hour later the guests had
arrived. Some had even spoken of
leaving. But still no refreshments had
appeared. There was tea service in
one end of the room but no boiling
make it. And no maid had come,
Mrs. Bradley did not send her COM
plant to the pantry again, for the
telephone was located in the general
reception room.
The hall door rang and Alice ran
down the short hall, expecting, as Mrs.
Bradley thought. to admit the delayed
maid and the needfuls for the tea
service.
But it was not Alice. A tall, broad
shouldered figure bent down to kiss
Alice very reverently, but she pushed
him off Time for that later" she
said. Something has gone wrong in
the pantry. Refreshments haven't
! come. There's not enough butter on
the sandwiches. Mother is in a stew.
She says you're>a genius, so go to it
and prove you can get the needfuls
for-tea inside of ten minutes"
The door closed silently. Alice ap-
peared calm and unruffled in the re-
ception room and refused to answer
any of the signaled inquiries from her
distraught stepmother.> She simply
uged the guests who had suggested
leaving to wait a few minutes for tea.
1t had been a little delayed, she said.
Then the bell rang ever SO lightly and
Alice sped down the hall again. I'm
mediately she returned with an e3oE-
nous tray-a lacquered reed tray that
had not come from the hotel kitchen.
1t contained a spirit lamp with hot
water ready to be relighted, silver
dish OF chopped ice and shaved butter
inimitable light biscuits, dishes of jam.
and neatly piled sandwiches of a dozen