Evening star., 1911-06-04

nOvat1OnS. We instituted a cOtlll1On Satur-
day nights, from which it was social crime
to be absent We glittered SO that we were
besieged by more newspaper men and wo-
men, much to Mrs Hazards secret disgust;
but we had to pay the penalty of the glitter.
The public may not have been interested;
but the newspapers thought our French
Duke was too important to be hidden.
The only thing left to us of our old order
was that early tennis of mine with Hap, and
Mrs. Hazard behind the coffeepot every
morning at eight o'clock in our own little
breakfast room, where only the actual fam
lily and myself were present. 1t was the
best of the day, the only time when we
could feel that our souls were our own.
know that's the way felt about it. After
ward Hap would go into town in the gray
car to sell real estate, and John Crownin-
shield to odefend-if that what lawyer does.
Then Mrs. Hazard would call the Cabinet
to order-she was Secretary of State-and
we'd begin. She would grease the wheels of
the establishment, sort out who was coming
and who was going, until the butterflies be-
gan to f1utter out at noontime, and began
on the peg job, getting the golfers on the golf
course, and the tennis players on the tennis
courts, sounds easy; but, left to them
selves, the tennis players were just as apt to
be on the golf course and grouchy in conse-
quence, Arranging motor parties, with just
the right people in a car, and getting bridge
games going where the breeze was lively
enough to keep cool and not lively enough to
blow the cards away, filling in when any
body needed an extra in anything. Then
had to manipulate the crowd for swim or
a sail before we started in on the evening
round.
Those were the ordinary days when there
was no grand affair on hand. | couldn't
have stood it if hadn't had nerves of steel
and the constitution of an OK. But always
there was Mrs. Hazard holding in on that
chuckle of hers, smiling approval. Some
times she would take me in her fat arms and
pat my hair and worry if l looked tired.
She insisted upon my having a maid, al
though l was used to doing things for my
self; but | didn't always have time to turn
around and pick up the gown had taken off.
There was only one thing about my job |
heartily disliked, and that was filling in at
bridge with Natalie. We always lost, al
though didn't do SO badly when l played
with anyone else,-John Crowninshield or
Mrs. Cutler, while his Grace and won so
much together that we were a scandal in the
house. was afraid of Natalie, that was it;
afraid of her calm, droopy stare and her aw-
full civility. If she had been rude to me
once, don't think l should have cared half
so much.
l began to live for the cotilions Saturday
night. They brought down tardy hus-
bands, eligibles, and a sprinkling of '09's,
and l could sit back and rest while every
body danced. Hap was dear to me then,
and was quite willing to sit out his dances
while he did the talking, making me forget
that | was on the job.
W/E were leaning on the stone coping one
" evening, just outside the drawing room
where we danced, looking at the stars when
the sound of motorboat cut the air, and
moment later the rays of searchlight slued
around the bend below us.
@That's Mr. Abbott, l told Hap. listen!
know the sound Of his engine
"Oh, it can't be-" exclaimed Laura, COM
ing out for breath-the figure was over.
"He wouldn't come here tonight, because he
had to work-a squirt for the finish, he said"
@But it is, Dear, insisted. "If you listen
you can tell. Hear it?'
ooh, don't know the sound of one engine
from another, Loulie,' she laughed. win
throp's working or l shall tell him tomor-
row what think of him.
Sounds like his boat, Laura" Hap said.
"Hate to hand Winthrop one; but l think
he's just taking little trip on the quiet"
His Grace and Natalie joined us, and we
listened again; but they frankly could not
tell. | always thought that it shocked his