The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-08

pleasant. Now, however, you must ex-
cuse me, and / must ask you to go with
Mr.. wyncope and Mr.. Bridgton on deck
where they will have chairs placed for
you wherever 1t is coolest"
Even on the nebulous intelligence or
Mrs Foam that tone Of command had Its
effect. She and her friends arose, and as
the procession filed out. the captain said:
"Mr. Wyncope, word with YOU.
ont the things which the words represent
ed. I was doing this when the steam
launch with Mrs. Orpen and her guests
came alongside. Fancy my feelings.
when the first man to follow the ladies
was old Admiral Misabel, while, among
others, were Lieut.. Transome, who has
been naval attache at Paris, and Hugh
Bittrell, Orpens accomplished cousin.
After greeting every one, Capt. Orpen
drew his wife aside, and as they all pre-
pared to go below, he glanced towards
me and caught my eye brought MRS.
Foam and her companions over ana the
captain rapidly introduced them to his
Wife Mrs. Orpen could do little more
than pause and say kindly that she hoped
they would enjoy the ship; and then she
passed on to her bona-fide guests. Mrs.
Foam was bent upon following, but here
I asserted myself I told her that like
Casabianca, we had been ordered upon
deck, and must remain there until sum
me, and between US we prevented Mrs.
Foam from following the "Opens and
their friends to the captains CABIN.
Finally dinner was served and we were
sent for. Orpen, however, borrowed
wrinkle from the episode at Constantlno-
pie, and placed Mrs. Foam ana ner
friends at one side. 1t was INTENDED thae
I should have sat next to Cicely Vrpen,
but now, Of course, my seat was beside
the four friends. Fortunately 1t 70 never
to g. man or woman Of the world that
you have to explain situation. blttfeh
never fickered an eyelash Those luck
less five were the recipients OF MS state-
~ decorative courtesy.
Mrs. Foam quite surpassed IeasQiiapls
apprehension. The dinner is one OF the
things we ehudderingly and Thankfully
remember we have lived through, but
cannot tell how. In chess, the most IN
calculable move is the knights, against
which nothing can tnterpose. MIS-
Toam's conversational ventures were or
q like character, and It was IN vain we
tried to save her from herself. All the
while she sat fatuously we'll satisfied,
and, at the same time, 80 pathettcally
well pleased with us. Having what she
called "views" upon every subject. she
would take the word from everybody's
mouth and deluge the would-be speaker
with her opinions. And her friends were
pale, lunar echoes of herself.
Transome began to tell some one about
Coquelin as Cyrano de Bergerac. Mrs.
Foam, with an oratorical sweep. dotted
him aside, and proceeded to eXpound for
US the possibilities of the stage as "a
great moral engine. Misabel Is the most
modest of men, but some allusion to Jap
an caused him to revert to the expedition
under Perry, of which Misabel was a
distinguished member. Mrs. Foam
promptly outsailed the old admiral, and
told up about some illustrated lectures
upon Japan delivered for the benefit Of
q Dorcas society, by returned mission
airy, a friend Of hers-the Rev. Simeon
Leet. The mention of book led to a
full description of the Literary Society
of Odessa, the town in the middle West
where Mrs. Foam usually resides" and
Of the monthly "conversaziones'' upon
literature with which she furnished the
fellow members. A casual mention of the
capitol brought forth from Mrs. Foam an
exhaustive account of Washington and
fulsome eulogy upon Senator Hatcher
But, evidently, the browning glory of
Mrs. Foams career was that lunch in
Constantinople. She continually reverted
to 1t, and called upon Orpen to verify her
delightful recollections. But, as Orpen
had never even remotely OWNED how she
contrived to be there, he could not, save
as to her actual presence, prove an ade-
Quate witness.
"You never told US, Mrs. Fcam," said
our badgered captain, "hoW you came to
be present"
THAT was Lydia's coup d'etat," said
one of her friends promptly; at was the
smartest thing she ever did,
Mrs. Foam beamed upon US, and before
any reply could be made, said:
''You see, I don't just exactly know
about 1t myself, and think maybe it
was as much good luck as good manage
ment. After I heard that the lunch
was to be, and had spoken to the drago-
man, and got no satisfaction out Of
him, insisted upon his telling me who
managed such affairs, and upon seeing
the head man; for I don't believe in
dealing secondhand. The dragoman
hemmed and hawed, but I told him
would go to our minister and our navy
officers themselves If he didn't take me-
1 told him I was bound to follow the
flag-that 1t was my principle. and ought
to be the principle Of all American wom-
en-and that he might as well give in.
And, I may add, as we're all Americans
together. that paid him big money"
But 1t wasn't that, LYDIA" cried an
other of her friends; ut was your per-
sistence and personal magnetism"
well, not altogether" said Mrs. Foam
modestly; I'm not vain enough to think