Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-30
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roses; I shall wear black velvet and dia-
You giddy old soulr' her grandson
i'uSheu at her as she left the room
Outside the door she paused her pret+y
Oh race SOLDERING into sudden keen per
! pieXity. ~
m afraid there's something I don't I'M
uerstahn she murmured. II wonder IL /
Stoulu nave TO read the boy the rest Of that
letter? No! If he doesn't choose to con-
noe In me" She left her sentence un-
finished. "
II was jacob. the artist. who meeting
pnt nrerett at dinner In her black vel
Fe', point lace and diamonds had vowed
tnat he would paint her thus and call his
picture the "Dowager Duchess" Jacobi
aled before the first sitting took place; but
eue,l name u, stuck and was remembered. Yet,
even III her piainest gray carriage gown
ana her gray squirrel furs and simple bla elk
nat she had never in her life looked more
!he uucIess as she stood on the steps of
the narrow house in Hickman street and
"atched her grandson ring the bell
The door opened in time, to reveal a wo-
man IN torn flannel wrapper. with her
mar Is IN curl papers. This apparition stared
dumDly. until Mrs Everett took control Of
the situation by asking:
Does any one by the name of A. M
Fairfax live here? Yes? Then | wish to
see thls person please. at once Jack.
a YOU 10 wait In the carriage for me.
no, don't want you to come in"
The woman showed her into a stufYv
front room, smelling atrociously of boiled
odbpase and damp walls, and left her Mrs
Eperett stood in the middle of the ROOM
her SKIRTS gathered closely about her Her
eyes We're curious; her face wore the coollv
aIoof look with which the dowager duchess
was wont to ward off incipient advances
10 her there came. then, little crfnsing
woman, weasel faced. hard eyed in shabby
and deadly respectable black Her man
ner held deSpeEate ASSUMPTION of gen
unity OF Soclal elegance, which merely made
aer appear more pretentious and Ill at
ease than she need have been The ex-
pert eyes of the duchess classified her N
stantly-one of the hangers on, so insure
of her position that others were ut once
sure Of It, She stopped, facing Mrs Ever
EFT CLASS confronted and recognized class:
as always, caste triumphed. Mrs Everett
wise IN the tactics of social strategy kept
the reins of the situation
teously, If distantIy PERHAPS You are
the one from whom this morning 1 re-
ceiyed letter signed A NJ. Fairfax?''
The small woman's jaw dropped
Mrs.-My Lord she muttered. what
has Lena been and done7" But instantly
and visibly. she had the effect of adjust
ing herself mentally to conditions wholly
new and unexpected. Her little ferret eyes
took in every detail of Mrs. Everett's dress
and face and figure; a CLEAN of covet0us
eagerness crossed her face.
I'm Mrs. Fairfax, and l wrote that let
ter she said defiantly, one challeng-
IL,
but didn't look to see you like this. VIII
you take chair?'
Thank you" Mrs. Everett let herself
sink upon the slippery horsehair chair in
dcated by her hostess nod, with no sign
of the quick nervous apprehension the wo-
mans words evoked. Again before the lat
ter could speak. she took her opening. Il
VIII say at once l do not understand your
reference to my grandson and your daugh-
ter. l should like an explanation"
You'll get it! said Mrs Fairfax but
maybe I'll be wanting an explanation, too.
Since your grandson has married my
daughter, 1 want TO know what you are
going to do about 1t. Are you going to
recognize her as his Wife?'
"Hts-wife?'' Mrs. Everett's shock of
horror and amazement all but brought her
to her feet. Under the stimulus Of her ad-
versary's half insolent, half cringing re-
gard, she recovered with an effort that
left her fairly weak. She raised her lorg-
nOn-which she never In her life had need
ed to use-and swept the pertinacious wea-