Show JEANS TEA ROOM by CLARISSA MACKIE s Q 1920 newspaper Now syndicate jean webb leaned against the gate post find and looked looke dup up at th the e quaint old house bouse where she had been born and which birthplace of her mother and her grandmother the three of them lived alone there with a tiny income from jeans school teaching with the old house almost falling failing down for need ot of repairs and with a tangled old garden which had no one to take care of 0 it grandmother was old and feeble and mrs webb was not strong when jean came home from teaching her sturdy youngsters she was tired and there was always housework to do so 0 the old house and garden were neglected if I 1 could only sell it sighed jean tor for a good sum of money then she sniffed smiled and brushed away a tear then mother and grandmother would dle die of homesickness I 1 well well keep it somehow all together she turned as a motorcar slowed at the gate A smartly uniformed chauffeur touched his cap and opened the door of the car an elderly woman with gray hair and soft appealing eyes smiled gra clouspy on the slender girl at the gate 1 I beg your pardon can you tell me if there Is a tea room nearby she queried we have had bad a breakdown and it la Is long past luncheon hour jean hesitated with the homana domant wo mana question an idea flashed into her hend head perhaps this was the answer to her prayers this might be the golden opportunity port unity knocking at her gate if there was a demand for tea rooms why not supply it in a few moments three ladles ladies were sitting in the comfortable chairs in fin the green gloom of the honeysuckle vines exclaiming over the roses that jean brought them and the pure chall chalices ces of the fragrant day lilies then jean disappeared for a period to return with pink slices of ham hain laid on crisp lettuce leaves delicious balls of cream cheese a pot of homemade home made jam a simple salad and dainty bread and butter sandwiches sandwich es these and a pot of tea jean placed before the ladles and then went away and left them alone when she came back they were so generous in their praise of the unexpected hospitality so eager tor for jean to open a tea room there you are so near the post post road my dear abar all you need Is a few tables 0 on the veranda and your own beautiful things your cooking Is delle delicious fous let me have a sign painted for you youl I 1 urged mrs delbridge the owner of the car and the hostess of the party you are too kind protested protest iid je jean n 1 I shall send my son out next week and I 1 may come with him it Is vacation now and you will have P plenty ae n t y of ave time beware 1 we shall send ena d all a 1 1 our ou r friends they laughingly laughing ly drove away their arms full of flowers and it was not until they had disappeared that jean remembered that they had bad not asked tor for a check and she had bad not thought to charge them I 1 A poor business woman am L I 1 she murmured wryly as she cleared the table then she found a five dollar bill pinned to the damask cloth and she danced into the house waving it exultantly exit jean the and en ter jean the keepe the tea shop and weeder of her garden once more inore hurrah I 1 A week later a small gray car stopped at the gate and jean who was enthusiastically weeding the graveled walk between the rows of fragrant boxwood thought of her gr grubby abby ubby finfera fik igers and mussed blue frock it must be mrs son she thought as she went to the gate in one hand lie he carried two rustic swinging signs and with the other he uncovered his handsome head Is this the wayside tea room he be asked with twinkling eyes why no hesitated jean 1 I am afraid it Is or it Is going ta 9 her bep he grinned as he displayed the signs sure enough framed in rustic were the magic wante TUB THE WAYSIDE TEA ROOM and one corner of the sign was lengthened into a pointing finger how kind of mrs delbridge cried jean ecstatically one Is for your veranda nod and the other to hang from some tree down the road a guide mother said you would know the tree the old locust at the corner comer explained jean 1 I will liang hang it for you declared phil delbridge and from the tool kit in the car he brought the necessary tools and presently the quaint sign was swinging in the soft wind afterward phil hung the other sign over the front while mrs webb and jean prepared a high tea in the veranda there was fresh strawberry shortcake and plenty of cream and other delicious viands for the webbs were famous housewives phil lingered on tile the front steps with jean A whippoorwill was singing in the orchard and the roses were heavy with frag fragrance Vance 11 1 I shall come again and again 11 promised phil releasing jeans fluttering fingers do come said jean in n small voice and her tone one might have discouraged cou raged phil phi delbridge had he be not rend read tier her eyes ile he felt that while jeans tea room might be the bc beginning I 1 in of the story the ending of the story mut must only when ihen beautiful lean be helnn longell to him |