The Little River news., 1922-12-13
A Storm in a Teacup
By CLARA DELAFIELD

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 Maud Dartley stood petrifed, star ing at the discriminating object. Oh, but perhaps we'd better begin at the beginning Hop Sing vas
 Mo- better start with the Dartleys and the Jetleys. They lived next door to each other in Roperstown. Each inhabited an identical frame house, painted green and black. Each had the same strip of lawn. Each shared the robins impartially. They were. in fact, typical suburbanites, and loved each other as suburbanites do.
 Each owned an auto and a gramo- phone, baby and a baby carriage, and neither owned servant.
 MT. Dartley owned Mrs. Dartley, and MT. Jetley owned-no! Mrs. Dart ley owned Mir. Dartley and Mrs. Jet ley owned Mir. Jetley. Mir. Dartley also owned some fine pleated shirts, which MT. Jetley very much admired.
 Mrs. Dartley was giving a party. You know those parties-iced grape fruit with a cherry in 1t. and unfer- mented grape juice, and cut glass over round lace doylies. Mrs. Dartley had made the terrible discovery that her best doylies were dirty. Hop Sing had to be called into instant reQuisi- tion.
 Thursday, Hop Sing, Thursday!" Mrs. Dartley held up two fingers, and she said Thursday" very loud, which is, as every one knows, the way to make Chinaman understand any, thing.
 This was Wednesday night, and Mrs. Dartley had called at the laundry to find out how her doylies were get ting on.
 There was some trouble about get ting in, but Maud Dartley was deter mined woman, especially with heather. She went through the window. She called and called, and then went through the house.
 She found Hop Sing in tiny room, lying on box couch. A tiny pipe, peanut oil lamp and some black pills were beside him. Hop Sing opened his eyes and grinned feebly at her. One arm went round in the air in peculiar manner. It was just as if Hop Sing had imagined that the air was her waist.
 Mrs. Dartley, dreadfully shocked. ran back into the laundry.
 'That's what comes of opium smok- ing" she said with conviction. It's al- most as bad as beer drinking"
 It was clear she would have to at- tend to the doylies herself. Hunting about the shelves, Mrs. Dartley sudden ly came upon her husbands things. She recognized them immediately by the pleated shirts.
 Suddenly her heart gave bound. Among the shirts and collars which MT. Dartley had done up himself, as was his custom, she saw pink silk stand still.
 That pink silk waist was Mrs. Jet ley's!
 Monster! Oh, what does it mean ]" she whispered, as, forgetting the doy- lies, she tottered homeward. She had trusted Mir. Dartley too we'll. She had left him look after his own laundry, which is the height of confidence in a devoted wife, and he was sending Mrs. Jetley's waist with his things! ~
 There was no mistaking that pink silk waist which had Haunted itself over innumerable unfermented grape juice tables. His guilt was clear. MT. Dartley was paying for Mrs. Jetley's laundry. Worse, he was sending 1t with his.
 What a scandal if it became known in Roperstown!
 She hurried home, her eyes brim- ming with tears. But when she reached the strip of lawn before the house she recoiled. There sat the monster, with MT. Jetley on one side and Mrs. Jetley on the other, smoking cigars and drinking cool drinks, chat ting and laughing as if the world had not suddenly tumbled about their ears.
 She crept round toward the back of the house under the shelter of the big locust trees. Inside. she paused un- certainly. How could she nerve her self for the denunciation which 1t was her wifely duty to make?
 And yet it had to be made.
 She stood in the hall. The voices of the men came floating out to her.
 "I guess that's one on you, old man," laughed Jetley. "I found out the place all right, all right"
 "You did. confound you?"
 Sure I did, Dartley, and say! I got a dozen of the prettiest pleated shirts you ever saw, trifle shop soiled, but just like yours. and old Hop Sings doing them up for me-
 Maud Dartley gasped and stood on the stoop of the house.
 "HellO, dear! Why what's the mat ter?" asked hef husband.
 "Oh, darling, III can't get the doylies, and I don't know what we'll do tomorrow !!