Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-10-11
the cheval glass over, in united par.
Oxve ~ ninth

P"Peis' ZIG was the V. y. OF tue laSt
frontier outbreak.
Mrs. Marchmont and Margot made
their way silently towards the ball
room. They had box, but the elder
woman intended her lesson to be
complete.
Towards the tiers upon tiers OF
hlied boxes she gave only passing
glance. Their occupants did not in
tefest her. 1t was the world below,
this-the world which is to most
women, fortunately, world invisible,
IN which the men whom they meet
socially find their distractions, which
was the keynote of her sermon.
La vie est un carnival, on Pon est
tou1ours mieux on NAL masque." But
as the evening wore away the elder
woman asked herself If she were
right in her methods? If Margot had
been her own child would she have
thus given her to eat of witches APP
pies? The girl was too old to pass
unscathed through such an expert.
ence. But the masked face gave no
clew to Margot's emotions; the close
ly dominoed form neither shrank nor
swerved from the pressure of the
crowd.
The girls own first conscious i'm
preston was that everyone she knew
was present. Her next, that the room
was full of soldiers. Well set-up,
STRAIGHTFORWARD, clear-browed men
the men who would lead to the fore
front of battle, who would clear
Dargai heights; who would serve as
patriots and die as heroes.
Her second was the dominant hope
lessness that lined the women's faces.
Wreathed smiles were there, parting
lips, hooking repartees, eyes which
had been tutored TO melt at will;
but in all the revels and laughter
there was no single laugh which had
not false ring. There was no true
mirth, no absolute enjoyment. This
orgie of mems passions struck her as
more serious than a funeral, more
sad than a deathbed, and she could
have found it easier to dance over
the ashes of what had once been liv-
ing men and women.
1t was phantasy, a nightmare,
a festival behind which despair
lurked. The electric light was
switched on to its full brillancy.
Jewels glittered, voices rose high,
women's white skins CLEANED, and in
their satin setting exquisite per-
fumes blended. mere was the SHIN
mer of silk, the softness of lace; the
mockery of mirth; beautiful limbs
whirled past, as now one woman,
now another crossed her line of vision
in the maddest, and yet in certain
cases the most enhancing, dancing
which she had ever seen. 1t was a
medley of passion, gigantic game
of emotions, where artificial hearts
were tossed in play. Tender chances
were turned towards the man who
piloted her through the crowd; words
echoed in her ears now and again
whispers the full meaning OF which
did not reach her senses till later
Blinded by light, dazzled with color
stunned with sound, she CROPPED her
way through throng in which she
recognized many familiar faces.
In the alcoves there were people
sitting. She looked once, and did not
look again. At the bar men and
women stood together waiting foi
drinks; many of them drank out Of
the same glasses. Some women were
leaning on the arms of the mems
chairs; two women sat by one man
he seemed favorite. Discordant
phrases in French, English, German
broken but unmistekable, reached
her.
The gowns were magnificent, il
startling. 1t is only the inhabitants
of such worlds as this who can af
ford to dress in perfection. The
scenery represented Spithead; thu
band played upon the model of {
ships poop. Men in uniform-the at
tendants = stood beside. In thu
"Lancers" the men seized the womer
by their waists and twirled then
above their heads in the air, or lifted
them bodily off their feet, and Sc
them down again. In the crowd cage
eyes peered close, trying to pierce TIT
disguise of the masks; thick voices
spoke hoarsely. Men pressed near
and once Jack Arbuthnot put his arm
round the girls waist to Withdraw
her suddenly. There was clash o
broken glass! Some of the dancer
paused; the rest continued, laughing
There was rush in the direction o
the companion ladder. A woman
stood upon it, smiling, her arms, bar
to the shoulder, outstretched. On
of the attendants was behind her. H
tried to hold her back. She was at
tempting to make her way to tn
poop, where the band was playing.
knot of men gathered below an
waved her on. Two out of the tire
principal figures seemed rather tn
worse for drink-one was drunk. Th
skirt of the woman's dress was torn
there was full yard of frilled scar
let silk dragging on the ground. Til
one man who was drunk stood dazed
" swaying in the middle of disoi
der of broken glasses. He ha
smashed decanter from the bal
The smell of some strong spirit mike
with the white rose of opopana
scents. He stretched out his arms tc
wards the woman, lurching forward
He had fine, ascetic face. "Soye
GENTLE pourmoi!" he half shouted
half sang, with dim memory of tn
empire song, and fell, first against tn
companion ladder, and from theme
to the beeswaxed floor, from whic
he was rescued by his companion
when they had sufficiently controlle
their laughterl The woman sti
stood, waving the glory of her whit