Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-11-24


committee. 1t required just her touch |
to make his parties fun instead of
funny.
1t was on Oct 1s that the dinner was
given. With the skill of a general Mrs.
Dan had seated the guests in such a
way that from the beginning things
went off with zest Colonel Drew took
in Mrs. Valentine, and his content was
assured. Mr.. Van Wrinkle and the
beautiful Miss Valentine were side by
side and no one could say he looked
unhappy. Mr.. Cromwell went in with
Mrs. Savage, and the same delicate
tact--in some cases it was almost in
dellcate-was displayed in the DISPOSE
ton of other guests.
Somehow they had come with the ex-
pectation of being bored. Curiosity
prompted them to accept, but it did not
prevent the subsequent inevitable lassi-
tude. Socially Monty Brewster had yet
to make himself felt. He and his din
ners were something to talk about, but
they were accepted hesitatngly, halt
ingy. People wondered how he had
secured the cooperation of Mrs Dan,
but then Mrs. Dan always did go in for
a new toy. TO her was inevitably at
tributed whatever success the dinner
achieved, and it was no small measure.
Yet there was nothing startling about
the affair. Monty had decided to begin
conservativey. He did the conven-
tional thing. but he did it well. He add
ed a touch or two of luxury, the faint
est aroma of splendor. Pettingll had
designed the curiously hayward ia
BILE with its comfortable atmosphere
of companionship, and arranged its
decoration of great lavender orchids
and lacy butterfly festoons of white
ones touched with yellow. He had
wanted to use dahlias in their many
rich shades, from pale yellow to
orange and deep red, but Monty held
out for orchids. 1t was the artist, too,
! who had found in a rare and happy
n moment the massive gold candelabra-
J ancient things of a more luxurious
age-and their opalescent shades.
I Against his advice the service, too, was
II of gold-"ranll vulgarity," he called it,
4 with its rich meaningless ornamental
ton. But here Monty was Obdurate
lie insisted that he liked the color and
Y that porcelain had no character Mrs
z Dan only prevented a quarrel by sug-
q costing that several courses should be
4 served upon Sevres.
Pettingilrs scheme for lighting the
A room was particularly happy. For the
q benefit Of his walls and the four love-
4 " Monets which Monty had purchased
4 at his instigation he had designed a
y Of hnnt-v rich GLASS in
X tones of white that grew into yellow
Z! and dull green. 1t served to conceal
y the lights in the daytime, and at night
e the glare of electricity was immensely
n softcned and made harmonious by
n passing through it, 1t gave note of
q quiet to the picture which caused
~ even these men and women, who had
n been here and there and seen many
a things, to draw in their breath sharply.
/. Altogether the effect manifestly made
81 an impression.
81 Such an environment had its infu-
n ence upon the company 1t went far
x toward making the dinner Il success.
e From far in the distance came the
* softened strains of Hungarian music,
n and never had the little band played
n the "ValSe Amoureuse" and the "Nalse
Y Bleue" with the spirit it put into them
Il that night. Yet the soft clamOr in the
"A dining room mistakenly ignored the
q emotion of the music. Monty, bored
b as he was between the two most i'm
e portant dowagers mt the feast, wonder
y ed dimly what invisible part it played
q in making things go. He had vagran'
h fancy that without it there would have
N been no Zest for talk, no noisy compctl
u ton to overcome. no hurdles to leap
z AS it was, the talk certainly went well
" and Mrs Dan inspected the result Of
y her work from time to time with smil
4 ing satisfaction. From across the ia
n BILE she heard Colonel Drew's voice
81 brewster evidently objects to a Ions
s siege. lie is planning to carry US b!
Il assault"
3 Mrs. Dan turned to Subway Smith
Is who was at her right-the latest al
g diton to her menagerie What i
M this friend of yours?" she asked. q"
~ have never seen such complex sim
II plicity. This new plaything has no rea
Il charm for him. lie is breaking it t
n find out what it is made of, and some
z thing will happen when he discover
81 the sawdust."
q ooh. don't worry about him. SAT-
Il Subway easily. "Monty's ut least
d good sportsman. He won't complain
b whatever happerS. He'll accept tn
q reckoning and pay the piper