There is absolutely no news in this story. But if you are getting a little tired of reading about warfare, crime and meanness, you might want to give it a try anyway.

George and Thelma Washburn, of suburban Hinsdale, met a couple named Von and Lois Cook, of Mishawaka, Ind., some years ago. Although they live a fairly long way from each other, they like to get together a couple of times a year, just to say hello.

This summer they decided it might be nice if they had dinner together. The Washburns didn`t want to ask the Cooks to drive all the way to the Chicago area, and the Cooks didn`t want to ask the Washburns to drive all the way to Mishawaka. So they compromised. They selected a town midway between--the town of Valparaiso, Ind.--and they agreed to meet there for a Sunday dinner.

They asked around, and someone recommended a Valparaiso restaurant called the White House. The food was supposed to be good. The Washburns and the Cooks --all of them are in their 60s--decided to make a dinner reservation for 5 p.m. that Sunday. One of them called to make the reservation. Then they made arrangements to meet in the restaurant`s cocktail lounge at 3 p.m., talk for a few hours, then eat.

On the appointed day, George and Thelma Washburn drove from Hinsdale to Valparaiso. They found the restaurant, on the corner of Jefferson Street and Route 49. The restaurant was a beautiful old house. The Cooks were waiting for them in the parking lot.

The Washburns were so happy to see their friends that it didn`t even strike them as odd that the Cooks` car was the only one in the lot.

''You`re not going to believe what happened,'' Von Cook said as the Washburns got out of their own car.

The Cooks had gone into the restaurant, only to be told that it was closed for the day. Usually the White House is open Sundays and closed Mondays --but this particular week, it was closed on Sunday because the owners were having a private family party. The party was due to start in a few hours, and the guests would be arriving.

''The owners told us to come in when you arrived, and they would recommend someplace else around here,'' Von Cook said.

So the Washburns and the Cooks went into the restaurant. The owners--twin brothers, Harry and John Pappas, both 58--led them to the cocktail lounge and insisted that they have a complimentary drink. The brothers were apologetic;

they explained that the woman who took the reservation must have forgotten that the restaurant was due to be closed that Sunday.

The Washburns and the Cooks drank their cocktails and talked. And then the brothers appeared again.

''We feel so bad,'' Harry Pappas said, ''we want you to stay for the party. We want you to be our guests. We insist.''

The Washburns and the Cooks didn`t know what to make of this. But they didn`t have time to decide. Soon the guests started to arrive. There were 75 people in all; they had come to the restaurant to honor the high school graduation of Cathy Poulas, the Pappas` niece.

Harry Pappas pulled the Washburns and the Cooks aside.

''I know you probably don`t feel comfortable with a bunch of strangers,'' he said. ''Nobody does. So just mingle if you wish--but I`m going to set you up your own table out on the terrace, where you can visit with each other like you planned in the first place.''

The Pappas brothers moved a table out onto the back terrace. There were plants out there, and a big back yard and a fish pond. The Pappas brothers said that the buffet was inside; the Washburns and the Cooks were to eat as much as they wanted. There would be no charge.

And so the party started. The Washburns and the Cooks were overwhelmed;

they knew no one here, and all of a sudden they were joining people at the lavish buffet table. There was roast beef, and ham with pineapple, and a stew, and salads, and desserts. They helped themselves and went to their private table on the terrace.

When the Washburns and the Cooks had finished with their meal and their conversation, they walked back into the house. The party was still in progress.

Mrs. Washburn didn`t know what to say; she couldn`t believe that they had been taken in just as if they had been invited. So she stood in the middle of the room full of strangers and said: ''Thank you all. I just hope you had as nice a time today as we did.''

The people in the room started to say goodbye to them, and the Pappas brothers got up to show them to the front door.

''Get home safe,'' Harry Pappas said.

So the Washburns drove toward Hinsdale, and the Cooks drove toward Mishawaka. Mrs. Washburn thought to herself: All you hear about is

unfriendliness and nastiness; people are supposed to distrust each other and keep to themselves in a cocoon of self-protection. Once in a while, in a small restaurant off the main highway, you see another side.

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