The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-21
CHAPTER, 6S8.

The moment Rosa. left the. room.
 we swung back as if by mutual con-
 sent to the discussion she had inter
 ruted when she came trailing, into,
 our midst to lay what we, had, felt it best to accept as g. joke. No one m mentioned the hoax Ralph Lucy had laid bare. No one discussed the malice which lay back of Rosa's masquerade and her rnelodrama We | ignored alike the Hjoke''' Mr. Lacy had maneuvered to- make of 1t, ana the impulse to discre1it me that had prompted it all. And we swung back to the discussion of a weekend at the Parkinson place. Again it was MT. Lacy who took the lead. As you were saying when so rudely interrupted. Park my boy, Mrs. Harrison is cordially invited to sit at your left at the Parkinson table. And who, I ask you, is to set next to the lady who sits at the head of the table ?''
 Listen to the plaintive rirate!'' chuckfed Ralph Lacy "If Mrs liar rison sits between my dad and me, and Mrs. Dalton has the seat behind
 the coffee urn, what becomes of Dai- ton and Lacy? Sounds as intricate as How old is Anne? Oh-he1p, help Mrs. Anne Harrison will be calling me down for cQptempt Of court and idle curiosity and lese majeste and all sichi'
 We giggled in relief to have some
 thing at which we could honestly laugh. And with great relief and many sallies at each others expense we began planning our visit to Park Manor as the Parkinson place is call ed. In the midst of our merriment, Rosa came darting into the room in the gayest possible frock of cherry co1ored satin, swathed in white geor- gette, a-tinkle with crystal beads and tied about with a sash of green tulle. l. was an exotic costume, in which s~~ looked like some vivid tropfc bird She fairly darted into the room and essayed to bring back the atmosphere which she had left behind.
 But interest in her "toke' was luke warm. It was no longer a subject for hilarity. After one or two attempts to revive it Rosa burst out gay1y on new tack.
 ''Oh, you were talking of house party when I came in with my little joke while ago. Is that what you talk about now?"
 Its the-house party" replied Park. looking at Virginia as if in search of a cue.
 She smiled graciousIy and said:
 You seem to be making me hos tess a week in advance. Will you promise to defer to me then as you seem to be doing now?''
 You're the boss.'' murmured Park. 'What you say-goes"
 And you say, of course that 1t is for Rosa to come?" incurred Mrs. Cordova with elaborate and wide eyed innocence heard you say a while ago that just this group would be invited. That makes it also me not? You like I should come Mister Hero"
 Her lack of fine feelings afronteG me again. Here she was insisting that her so-called joke he kept in mind, and here. moreover, she was trying to force from Ralph Lacy the interest he'd clearly shown he wasn't inclined to feel.
 'I only carry a spear this time" MT. Lacy gravely replied.
 Rosa widened her eyes with delib- crate naivete and prepared to attack in another quarter. But for the mo- ment Pat foresta1led her, crying out in pseudo excitement:
 Say, Jeanie, my own, you're some hostessI What will become of our chicken a la king if we don't trot out and devour it before the chaf1ng d shes boil over or whatever neglected blazers do?'
 So Virginia gave the signal and we all returned to the dining room. Directly we were enjoying our deH- cious fare. Rosa returned to the at tack.
 ''At this weekend you are hostess, too. Mrs. Dalton-not?"
 Yes replied virre4nfa with serene. poise.- s'And your formal invitation from me shall be given as soon as I've played hostess for this evening and seen that you all have some thing like a square mea1''