Evening star., 1922-10-08

You may consider it's yours for
clothes or orphans or anything you
like"
She murmured her gratitude as she
took up her knitting. but he saw that
the wound caused by his .ungallant
reference to Mrs. Gurley's wardrobe
had not been healed by kiss and
two thousand dollars.
Gertrude Burgess was a past mis-
tress Of the art OF extracting from
any such situation its fullest poten-
tfalities of compensation. And Web
ster knew as he fumbled the evening
newspaper that before he departed
for the meeting of the war chest
committee that demanded his pres
ence downtown at 8 o'clock he must
make 1t easy for her to pour out
her latest grievances against Mrs.
Gurley. He Is a poor husband who
hasn't learned the value Of the casual
approach. To all outward appear
ances he had forgotten Mrs. Gurley.
and for that matter Mrs. Burgess as
well. when, without looking up. from
the government estimate Of the win
ter wheat acreage, he remarked with
a perfectly feigned absent air:
by the way, Gertie. you started to
say something about that Gurley
woman. Been breaking into your
fences somewhere"
"If 1 thought you would be interest
| ed, Web"
This on both sides was mere rou-
tine, a part Of the accepted method.
the established technique OF mollifica-
ton.
''Of course, want to hear it," said
Webster, throwing the paper down
| and planting himself at ease before
her. with his back to the fire.
| II don't want you to think me un-
kind or unjust. Web. but there are
some things. you know"
| He admitted. encouragingly, that
there were indeed some things and
bade her go on.
| We'll, what made me very indig-
nant was the way that woman walk
ed off with the Italian countess who
was here last week to speak to our
Red Cross workers You know,
wired to Senator Saybrook to extend
an invitation to the countess to come
to our house and he wrote me that
he had called on her at the Italian
embassy and she had accepted: and
then when the countess came and
went to the station to meet her. Mrs.
Gurley was there all dressed up and
carried her OF to her house. For
sheer impudence, Web, that beat any
thing I ever heard of. Every one
it had been in the papers that we
were to entertain the Countess Pa
retti 1t was not only rejection
on me. Web. but on you as well. And
OF course, the poor countess wasn't
to blame, with all the hurry and con-
fusion at the station. and she didn't
know me from Adam; and Mrs. Cur
ley simply captured her-it was really
q case Of the most shameless kid
nappins-and hurried her into. her
limousine and took her right OF to
| her house."
well. after the time you'd spent
thinking up Italian dishes for the
lady to consume, should say that
the spaghetti was on u.s." said Bur-
CESS. recalling with relief that the
countess failure to honor his home
had released him for dinner with q
British aviator who had proved to
be a very amusing and interesting
! person. II meant to ask you how
the Gurleys got into the sketch. II
was a contemplate thing to do, all
right. No wonder you're hitter about
lit.' I'll cheerfully punch Gurleys
head II thatll do any good"
| + " y Il e.
ssyX1IAT rye been thinking about
! w Web, is this" said Mrs. Bur-
CESS, meditatively. "You
know there's an Illyrian delegation
coming to town, a special envoy OF
some Of the highest civil and mill
tary officia1s Of poor war-swept H.
lyria. And I. heard this afternoon
that tho Gurleys mean to carry them
all to their house for luncheon when
the train arrives, THURSDAY at noon