Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-23

darkened the street door just beyond her.
The girl lifted her head. On the instant
the lamp key clicked as she extinguished
her light. and the aureoled head ceased
Ito be. And coming toward me down the
shop I beheld lady. lady OF years,
who passed the cashiers desk with her
teyes intent upon the rooms inner re-
cesses. Her gown. Of a new fashlonaDie
gray, was of the severest tailor cut. Her
| hat was a modified fedora, gray like the
gown, and adorned with single gray
feather. She was short, slight. erect ana
moved with a quick. birdlike motion,
pausing and glancing at the vacant tables
THAT lay between me and the door. Her
air of abstraction became her, ana she
merged pleasantly into the color scheme
lof the room. AS her glance ranged the
wall thought that she searched for some
favorite flower of song among the framed
quotations, but / saw now that her gaze
was bent too low for this. She appeared
to be engaged in calculation or some
sort and she raised Il lorgnette to assist
her in counting the tables. The cashier
|passed behind her unseen and vanished
II heard the newcomer reciting:
lone, two. three, four. five, six. seven.
and at seven her eyes rested upon me
with a look that m -gIed- surprise and an
II started to rise. but she said, quickly:
81 beg your pardon, but this seems to
be the seventh table.
Now that you call my attention to it, -
II remarked gaining my feet. Il am bound
Ito concede the point. If by any chance 1
am intruding-
mot i'm the least. On the other hand
beg that you remain where you are,
and without further ado she sank into
chair opposite my own.
I tinkled tiny crystal bell that was
among the table furnishings. and wait
ress appeared and handed the lady who
had thus introduced herself to my ac-
u,laintance a copy OF the tiny card on
,Ixar-c
by the Asolando were indicated within a
border of hand-painted field daisies
Never mind that" said the lady In
gray, ignoring the card. "Hou may bring
me a cayiare sandwich and cocktails
pink OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and she
held the waitress with her eye-''you have
the imported cayiare and your barkeeper
knows the proper frappe of the spirit
litter I have named
Pardon me. madam" replied the wait
ress, Jelly. but you have mistaken the
place The AsOlando serves nothing
stronger than the pure water OF its own
fount of Castalia; intoxicants are not per-
mitted here.
with asperity. DO I look like a person
given to intoxication? dare say your
Castalia water is nothing but Croton,
whose flavor has been destroyed by dis
tillation. You may bring me the sand
witch have mentioned and with IT pot
of tea. Yes, thank you; lemon with the
tea
As the girl vanished. with the light
tread that marked the service OF the
place / again made as to rise, but the
old lady lifted her hand with a delaying
gesture.
Pray remain. It is not unlikely that
we have friends and ideas in common.
and as you We're seated at the seventh
table it is possible that some ordering Of
fate has brought US together.
She took from me, in the hand which
she had now unglOved, the copy Of my
minor poet, glanced at il scornfully and
tossed 1t upon the floor with every mark
of disdain.
what species of mental disorder does
this place represent" she demanded.
1T is sacred to the fine arts. apparent
ly; an endowed tearoom, where persons of
artistic ideals may come to refresh body
and soul. Such, at least, seems to be the
program. This is only my second visit.
but l have long heard ii spoken OF by
artists. poets and others OF my friends.
II am sixty-two years old. young man,
and beg to inform you that l consider
the Asolando the most preposterous thing
1 have ever heard of in this most pre-
posterouS city. And from a casual
glimpse of you ] feel justified in saying
that a man i'm your apparent physical
health might be in better business than
frequenting. in midafternoon. shop that
seems to be a remarkably stupid express
sion Of notwithstanding anemia.
Attendance here is not compulsory, /
remarked, defensively.
If you imply that I must have sought
the place voluntarily, let me correct
your false impression Immediately.
dropped In here for the excellent reason
that this shop is the seventh in numerical
progression from 9th avenue.
You were not guided by any feeling Of
interest, then, but rather by supersti-
tion?''
"That remark is unworthy of a man Of
YOUR apparent intelligence. / was born
on the 9Th Of November. and all the great
events of my life have occurred on the
seventh of the month. If you were to
suggest that l am OF an adventurous or
romantic nature, I should readily acqui-
esce; but the sevens in my life have been
so potent an influence I'm all my affairs
that my belief In that numeral has be-
come almost religious faith; and IL you