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Show Just Among Friends "Well, well, look who's hero!" cried Miss Connelly, gayly, as she teotercd across the lunchroom toward tho tabic ta-bic about which sat her particular clr do of friends. "Move over, klddo," sho adjured llttlo Miss Hoffman, "Mako room for your aunty." Miss Hoffman obeyed, giggling. "Say, Hotfy," said Miss Connelly, wartilngly, as sho sot down her tray, which contalnad a hjglenlcally pnrnly zing collodion of foodstuffs, "jou hotter hot-ter be caroful with them ingrowing wheezes of ourn. Onu of 'om'a II-ablo II-ablo to strike I::. Well, Manic," sho continued after she hud begun a determined de-termined attack on a large ilcco ot roast pork, "how's tho pink cicpo do chlno and the bluo tncsuallno unnln' on?" "They'ro all right," r-plled Ml s To terson. "I wns lo tlo dressmaker's last evening Tho crcpu dp chlno Ills elegant, but tho mcsHallnc kliuln buckles buck-les around tho waist." "Say, uln't that too bad?" cried Miss Connelly. "Don't, for goodness Bake, tell 1110 thero's nnythlug wiung with tho pink net tunic with tho Jewel embroidery. em-broidery. With my weak heart I don't bcllovo I could stand the shock." Miss Peterson looked nt her suspiciously. suspici-ously. "I don't know's jou need to bother ubout It.1" Miss Conncl'y Included tho group In u comprehoiihlo wink. "airllos," she said, "uln't It funny how belu' In loo makes some folks got soro bo nsy? Now, I thought when Mamo really got hor hooks on Joo sho'd bo so tickled that sho'd bo swecter'n plo My! I'm disappointed" disappoint-ed" Miss Peterson bit her Up angrily. Miss Frlzkte broko Into the conversation conversa-tion with tho lnudablo object of smoothing tho troubled wators. "Say, girlies," sho cried, eagerly, "you'd ought to seo tho couple of swell willow plumes Mamo got off tlio salo up In tho mllllnory today. Peaches Peach-es I" "Willow plumos!" ejaculated Miss Larson, who up to this time had been giving her undivided attention to her luncheon. "Say, ynu aro goln' some, ain't jou, Mamo? Who's goln' to get Joo's suppor whllo you're settln' round In your pink net tunics nnd willow plumes?" "Why, nln't you ashamed of joui-solf, joui-solf, Stoll Laron?" broko in Miss Connolly. Con-nolly. "Wheru did you get such common com-mon Ideas? Didn't )ou know Joe's took a Bulto at tho swollest hotel lu town for tho winter? You don't suppose sup-pose ho oxpocts Mamo to do anything so unladyllko as her own cookln'? You'd better confine yourself to mak-ln' mak-ln' noises like a deaf nnd dumb party If you don't know no bottor'n that." "Oh, pickles!" sniffed Miss Larson. "You talk llko a fish, Nell Connelly. Hut, on the squaro, Mamo, I should think you'd rather wait a whllo on tho chanco of locatln' a fellow who could, mu)bo buy you some clothes after twenty years or so, Instead of slockln' up for tho rest of your llfo." Will, If It conies to that, Stcll Larson," Lar-son," said Miss Pctcrsou, tensely, "1 don't know ns that pluhcud 1 see you cumin' down on the car with ever day looks like he v an goln' to ho able to hu swell ilothcs any moru than other folks' friends " "Oh, cut It, folks,' Intirruitcd Miss Prlzklo "Seems llko this bmichld ought to be ablo to got together onco In n while without scrappln'." Miss Connelly nodded npprovlngly. "That's where you soaked tho tuck on tho bean, Jen," sho said "Merry lit tlo sunbeams llko us ought to be nblo to have a quiet, friendly meet without cudln' up In a slugglu match Hut on tho leel, Mnme," she added, turn ing to Miss Peterson, 'when aro you and Joo plan 11 In' to pull off that little matrimonial celebration?" "I don't know's ou need worry about It'" fluipped Miss Peterson "Oh, I nln't goln' o bother nono," returned Miss Connelly "Hut It hurts mo to seo a nice, Industrious girl llko jou work so hard to land a fellow and lu'no such awful poor luck Thoro ain't an) thing I wouldn't do to holp jou Now, If you got a strange hold on him 801110 tlmo and don't dare lot go for fear he'll ditch you, jou send mo a hurry up call and I'll bo tickled to como nround and hang on to him whllo you run and got tho preachor." Miss Petorson roso so suddenly that her chair fell over with u crash. "Look horo, Noll Connolly," sh said, furiously, "some day you'll find you'ro altogether too smart. I want you to understand that I don't pick fights with nobody, because that nln't my nature, but when I do scrap I scrap to a finish It's about tlmo for you to quit this funny business,. I supposo you think you mako a terrlblo hit with jxiur smart remarks, but I could toll you somo different 1 "Anyway, when I got as old ns somo folks maybe I'll havo to call In somo body to holp mo land a follow. When I get as old as some folks I hopo I'll know euough to mind my own business." busi-ness." With this luminous speech Miss Peterson Pe-terson gavo tho prostrate chair a kick and flounced away. "Moanln' everybody excepted oxcopt present company," romarked MIsa Connelly, Con-nelly, calmly, "dirts, pass me Maine's pie that sho forgot to eat." |