Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-08
Copyright, 1912, by George M. Cohan.)
BY BERTRAND BARCocK.

Jones was giving one OF his celebrated
dinners with a punch.
The preparations had been most elab-
crate and the precautions equally care
fully made. The costly Venetian mir
rors, which had reflected many smiling,
even many a leering face, had been re-
moved from the walls and their places
glass. But as most of these mirrors were
to be seen but dimly as vistas through
tiny forests Of maidenhair ferns, glowing
smilax and ported plants, the substtu
ton was more real than apparent.
1t was to such far sighted vision and
psychological penetration that Henri
Speary owed the comfortable fortune
that had followed the spreading of the
knowledge. through Manhattan that at
Speary's "one could enjoy ones self and
even be--a ittle-boisterous"
"a ieetle rough house." confided NJ.
Henri to his head waiter, "a leede rough
house, but without waste"
SO it was that the supper or dinner
parties whose members wished to shatter
NJ. Henri's mirrors did so without other
consequences than that the astute res
taurateur added to their bill the cost
OF the Venetian glass which had reposed
during the storm in his store rooms.
A TYPICAL COMPANY
The company which this night had
seemed to NJ. Henri to warrant the sub
stitution of the mirrors was typical of the
larger body which in five years had made
jackson Jones "BruadwsN." About each
of these eilded youths who seek tie
fountain Of life beneath the lights OF the
serpent way there clusters and circles a
myriad of human insects some with tie
beauty of the butterfly, some with the
annoyance of the plain house fly. and
some with the sting of the mosquito.
So tonight it was as though each of
these elements of the life the youth of
IS known as broadway" chose. had
selected its delegation to represent it at
the dinner with the punch BROAD
way himself would have told you that
he knew every actor, every chorus girl
every newsboy and every wine agent on
Broadway. He had bought the knowledge
and the acquaintance with the only coin
current on the thoroughfare So repre-
sentatives of some of these castles were
in Speary's But there were also pres
ent certain Of those whose position is I'M
defined-amphibians in the pool of
Bohemia and half on the dry land of a
more regular society There were in
the private room, too, certain of the real
friends of the youth whose cut was car
ried in stock in all the newspaper Of
fees which delighted in white light
'stories.'
One of the latter, Bob Wallace, a young
advertising man. sat next to the malicious
Mrs Presbrey, and smiled slightly at her
cutting remarks, without more than oc-
casionally replying TO them
Il wonder what the particular punch is
which will finish this dinner" said Mrs
Presbrey. You remember last time it
was ginrikishaws filed with champagne
IN which the men wheeled the women
down Fifth avenue at 8 O'clock in the
morning"
SURE TO BE STARTLING.
Depend upon it, said Wallace, good
naturedly, 1T will be something equally
If not mores tartling. DO YOU see how
thoughtful Broadway is? Hes meditat-
ing something"
Mrs, Presbrey looked and il was as
Wallace had said. The head crowned
with darkly yellow hair was slightly
bowed and about the alert. rather Celtic.
features of the youth credited in the
newspapers with the squandering of mil
Hons there was a CLEAN. accentuated by
smile which an alert novelist might
have called sad.
But if Broadway Jones head was 1op-
cred his eyes were observant enough In
them was depth of calculation a little
resentment and again settled determine
ucn. From the little table at which he
sat with five or six babhlers he was look
ing across to another small table at
which the most striking figure was q
woman. Mrs Beatrice (James) Gerard
was no longer young. She might very
well have indeed passed for very cid
erly mother OF Broadway, but she was a
widow, and it was said that she had in
herited at least three millions from each
of her three husbands. Upon her cheek
was a scar which malice said had been
made when she was undiplomatic enough
to interrupt with hatpjn the saving of
the last Of her husbands.
But despite the scar Mrs Gerard's
money was perfectly genuine and she did
not lack for friends and even a sort OF
standing in the circle which she was af-
fecting a. the present moment
II was at MIS-. Gerard that BrOa uWay
was staring with one hand partly thrust
into his lower waistcoat pocket Broad
way waved aside a sort of resolve he had
formed While to himself he mumbled:
IF she were Eve divorce would have
come into the world with Adam"
A PERTINENT NOTE.
But Mrs Gerard apparently was not
aware Of the continued scrutiny of the
youth. for in a moment more q waiter
handed him a note in her cramped and
angular fist. He read
why do you stare at me so?
BEATRICE GERARD"
"One moment" said Jones to the waiter
while he hung over the note with eyes
that seemed about to bulge from their
sockets as the overwhelming force on an
idea which had come TO him. From the
richly embossed menu, copy of which
every guest had found at his plate. he
tore partially blank page. He wrote:
Because l love you.
BROADWAY"
As he watched the man glide back to
the place in the rear of Mrs. Gerard's
chair he was visibly agtated His hands
trembled, his foot nervously tapped the
floor and great drops of perspiration stood
III /