Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, December 15, 1911, Page 6

PAGE SIX Mrs. Hector’s Reception By JOHN CHARLETON On the way down to Leamington on the morn 13 v Mrs. Hibberd Hee- tor refre: 1. or over-taxed memory by refercnce o a notchook. As a prominent ooial of the State Union .nf Mothe s lahs shoe was beooked to address “he Muthers' club of Leam inzton at turca o'clock and w briel taik with Ler vecretary on the eve of | lepariure Lad left her with a very hazy idea of the day's | mime, 1 The notehook bore pencil marks that primarily must have held some colicrent meaning to the seribbler— Mrs. Hibberd Hector, herseli—but now that excellent lady could not make head or tail of the frantic scrawls. Occasionally she jerked out a head mcrely to discover that it bore ne relation to any other head or tail ‘on the page and finally in despair she turmd the book upside down and found that her hieroglyphics really had some meaning after all. “Fahncy!” she beamed through her lorgnetie at the page. “Now, let me see——it is arranged that 1 shall take luncheon with Mrs. Armstrong—good old name, too. | wonder if she's re- lated to the Chesley Armstrongs? Then 1 am to address the club mem- bers at three o'clock, hold a reception trom four to flve and take the six-ten drain home. A busy day! Now, for the names of the committee so that [ shall have no difficulty in remember- ing them when 1 am introduced; it makes better feeling,” “Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Conrad Stod- dard, Mrs. Daniel Boucher, Mrs. Case Wayland,” she repeated over and over again until the brakeman jarred the door open and announced “Leaming- ton!" 1t was a sleepy, sunshiny June day and down the crooked length of Leamington street the merchants sat before their shops and talked about the weather and the fishing and the tides. The summer boarder season had not yet opened and business was dull. There was one stufty looking stage at the railroad station and Mrs. Hibberd Hector had glanced once within its musty depths and with a *shrug of her shoulders decided to walk down the long hill into the vil- lage. Her dignity was offended that the Mothers’ club had not sent some sort of an equipage to meet her train and then it suddenly and unpleasantly oo- curred to her that she had neglected to send word naming her train. She picked up the skirt of her summer silk, opened her parasol and after in- quiring the way she walked down to the bay, blue and shimmering under & cloudless sky, and 80 reached a large, white house set in the midst of green lawns, very cool and pleasant and comfortable looking. She rang the bell and then walted with growing impatience while the minutes passed. No one answered her sumamols, 23 ghe eark exbausted 1nto a poreh chalr a doublcscated urnagc drove into the yard ard the solz occupant, evidentiv a farm hond, Ianked curl ously nt her, He drew up hefore the door. “You looking for Mrs. Arm- strong?” he asked. “Yes,” replied Mrs. Hibberd Hec- tor shortly. “Well, she aln't to home. She's gone down to the Point with the chil- dren—the Mother’s club is having & picnic down there.” Mrs. Hibberd Hector thought rap- idly; it was possible that the club had changed its plan and was to en- tertain her at the Point—that would be very pleasant indeed on this ideal day. With a sudden return of enthu- siasm in the day's project she beamed upon the man. “I 'wonder if you couldn’t drive me aown to the Point?” she said sweetly. “Mrs. Armstrong expects me, but I didn’t send word what train I would take, 80 there was no one to recelve me. I have to return to town on the six-ten traln.” “Yes, ma'am,” he said willingly 'and helped her into the vehicle. As they drove through shady woods, tragrant with sassafras and a hun- dred other elusive odors, Mrs. Hibberd Hector settled back in her seat and once more referred to her notebook. She had chosen for the subject of her address a topic that was near her enthuslastic heart. Mrs. Hibbard Hec- tor had never been a mother but she knew just how children should be trained 1o get the best out of them and to insure thelr getting the best out of life. *“How to hold your child's love,” was to be her subject and Mrs. Hector had carefully and conscien- tiously studied over the matter of preventing the country children from flocking to the cities, and she was quite ready to tell the Mothers’ club of Leamington all about it. Suddenly the road emerged from the wood and dipped down into a hol- low between the blufts where there was a white sandy beach and the bay. “It's hard to turn around down there, ma'am, if you don’t mind get- ting out,” suggested the driver apolo- getically and Mrs. Hector alighted and pressed a crackling greenback nto his reluctant hand and followed ris direction down the road to the bpecch where he said she would find the Mother's club in session. There were voices and much laughter and the tinkle of crockery mingled with the rush of the incoming tide as Mrs. Hibberd Hector in all the glory of her summer apparel went down the road to the beach. All at once she paused and drew into the shadow of a beach- plum tree and stared amasedly. ! s0 received when she honored an or- ;Lulllhfli(m with her presence. | “Mrs. Armstrong?” she asked sweet- | | ' g H IR THE BVENING TELEGRAM LAKELAND, FLA., DEC. 15, 1911, If this was a meeting of the Moth- ers’ Club—it was informal indeed! Scattered over the sands or playing in the water were a score of children in bathing suits, happy looking, sun- burned healthy looking boys and girls. Farther up the beach in the shade of several wind-blown cedars, a dozen ] women were engaged in spreading 2 picnic meal. They, too, were g.nrbed| ! most informally in bathirg dresses of | | every description and they were gay | | and laugliing and thinking of every- thirz ¢lse excepr Mrs, Pibberd Hec- ! e walked into their midst, ¥ gowned, smiling tolerant- . h an air of offcnded dignity | pervicing her whole beacing, Never hefuve lizd this high ofiiciul of the | State Union of Mothers' clubs been | From the group of startled women | there came a tall, well-proportioned | young woman, with a calm self-pos- | sessed manner and steady gray eyes |} that searched Mrs. Hibberd Hector's | handsome countenance with puzzled | inquiry in their depths. She wore her bathing dress with unconscious grace | and she held out a slender, sun-tanned ' hand to the visitor. “How do you do?” she asked courte- | ously. | “l am Mrs, Hibberd Hector,” ex- plained that lady. “l rather expected ! —a—different sort of a reception, you | know, dear Mps, Armstrong. More for- | mal, you know!” | “Of course you would have recelved | it, Mrs. Hector,” said Mrs. Armstrong | | | | | | quietly, “if we had expected you lo-j day. 1 assure you we have made ev- ery preparation for tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?" repeated Mrs. Hib- |4 berd Hector, feeling for her notebook | and adjusting her lorgnette. “I'm sure the date was for today—-the twenty- eighth—dear me, 1 can’t tell whether this is an eight or a nine—so provok- ing!” She peered nearsightedly at her own hieroglyphics. ‘ “Your date was for the twenty-ninth —I am so sorry you have been incon- venienced, Mrs. Hector; but it' is not tuo late for us to arrange the meeting for this afternoon. There are some details of the entertainment that will be lacking but our welcome will be just as cordial and we shall enjoy your talk. Let me present the mem- bers of the Mothers' club.” Mrs. Hibberd Hector graciously shook hands with the members of the Mothers’ club and remembered the names, too. They were a hearty, healthy, handsome looking lot of women, too, she admitted to herself and they looked as it they had al- reudy solved some of the problems over which she still knitted her brows. When it was suggested that they all return to Leamington and hold the meeting as planned, and as worthy of their honored guest, Mrs. Hibberd Hector vetoed the idea and oftered to talk to them there on the beach after the luncheon was served. It was an unusual occasion for Mrs. Hibberd Hector and she gradu- ally unbent to meet these simple hearted, well mannorcd vomen on Leir own ground. She was persuad- ed to don cn cuira batking dress that had hecn brov:h! zlong and the, teo, enorted in the rising tide and beeam? fmttntoly aequainted with wore chil ‘ dren In ¢u hewr than she had ever done in her lite before. Mrs. Hibberd Hecter submitted to being ducked un- der the water; Mrs. Hector played duck-on-a-rock and learned to skip flat stones on the water. All this happened after the tooih- some picnic meal where there were clams and green corn roasted then and there and all sorts of good things prepared by these women who knew how to be mothers in so many differ- ent ways that Mrs. Hibberd Hector's theories were all knocked askew. After the meal had been disposed of and ail of them, mothers and chil- dren and honored guest, had dis- ported in the water, they emerged a dripping company and seated them- selves on the beach. | “Now, Mrs. Hector,” sald the presi- dent, with an arm around each of her two children, “it you will pardon the extreme informality of the meeting, we would be honored to have you ad- dress us.” There was a gentle hand clapping and they all looked at the honored guest, who had quite forgotten to re- move her bathing cap. From under its rim there peered a small brown curl, escaped from its confinement. Mrs. Hibberd Hector looked around at the audience assembled to hear her, at their quiet, well-behaved chil- dren, all watching her expectantly, gravely, and ‘suddenly her subject, “How to Hold Your Child's Love,” ap- peared unavailing before these women who had already discovered the secret. All at once a little two-year-old girl who had been watching the honored guest with silent admiration toddled over to Mrs. Hector and bent a round and rosy face to hers. “I'd like to kiss dat tunning ‘ittle turl,” she an- nounced and forthwith did kiss it to find herself wrapped close in the em- brace of Mrs. Hibberd Hector. “Ladies,” she said in a muffled voice, “pray excuse me from address- ing you—my subject was chosen in ignorance and 1 have learned more in this brief hour than I could teach you in a lifetime!” i& Stuck to His End of the Game. Rupert Hughes, author of “Excuse Me,” has been engaged in writing plays since he was nine years old, at which age he not only wrote a play, but starred in it. The premiere of the first Hughes play netted 80 cents, and it enjoyed a considerable run, but in the end the star’s older brother kept all but 50 cents of the total receipts. Since then Mr. Hughes limited his ea- deavors to writing. The B (CHRISTMAS SALE $5000 Worth of Ladies’ Ready-to- Wear to Close, at Dec. 12th to Jan. lst My stock is too much for this time of year Boughttooheavyonsome articles RICES on every article in the entire stock will be cut. Capes, Sweaters, Shirt Waists, Etc., will be sold BELOW COST. Remem- ber The Ladies’ Store-Bardin’s. Coat Suits, Coats, Cloaks, Capes, Sweaters, Dresses, Kimonas, Hose, Ties, Shirtwaist Muslin, Silk Underwear; Corsets. PRICES WILL BE MARKED DOWN Come and see! What is nicer to give for an Xmas present than a nice Kimona, a Silk Underskirt, a pair of Silk or Kid Gloves, a nice Shirt Waist, some Silk Hose, a Silk Scart, Auto Veil. Wool Fascinator, a set of Beauty Pins, Linen Handkerchiefs or one of those new Ties or Collars. It is impossible to quote prices on all the articles to be found here. JUST A REMINDER 50 $1.00, $1.25 and $1.30 Shirtwaist, . . $ .69 ‘ Ounr $%.30 and $10 White Serge Dresses closed at $ 5.9 24 $2.9% Silk Underskirts, . 1.89 40 Long Coats, reguiar price §2.08 to $1%, trom $1.89 up to . ! . g 10.00 24 §3.48 Fancy Outing Kimonas, . . 249 Remember 6 oz bettles of Peroxide Hydrogen. 12 §3.49 Silk Kimonas, . . 249 (some stores. charge 25¢ for 4 oz, bottles) . 09 Also Colgates Cashmere vet and Violet Tal 150 50¢ and 7oc Ladies’ Ties, Jabots and Collars, cumm;’ow der. the r?go:hr 9%c boxes, lic toclose, . . .J8 . grstor § .0 : § 25 50 Silk, Satin and Serge Dresses at a Price That Will Surprise You A Chance to Get Your Xmas Presents Cheap Bryant Block, # Lakeland, Fla. T 1Y Some: Coats, Cloaks, Ran ittt P