Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-22

could touch them-1t was early IN July, and
they would be grateful for vagrant zephyrs.
"A clumsy host would have tried to repeat
the old Majors Marathon" said Richardson
to Miss Waring, whom he took in. '"Orlov-
sky's puzzle to me. Where he got his per-
feet English | can't imagine, and don't al
ways like his eyes. But he's as much of
thoroughbred, according to Our American
way of rating, as any huge and bearded Slav."
"Wouldn't it be grisly," Miss Waring had
whispered in the furry of settling chairs, IF
Mephi- o should propose toast to his van
ished voice, after the fashion of the Major
when he drank health to the dead flowers
of wherever that Mexican place was that
they came from?'
"Guanaiuato, her dinner companion had
replied. "He owned silver mine there, you
know, an ancient one that they began to
work in the days of Cortes and the Con-
quistadores. The patio is much the same,
isn't it, except for the tapestries between the
pillars? Thwitney used to mask his patio
approaches with growing things. Madame
Orlovsky uses tapestry: I'd be willing to
wager that some of it it is real Bayeux."
Natica Forester did not permit badinage,
trafficked in with the adoring Winslow, to
blur keenness of vision for what was going
on around her. She had learned to like her
hostess long before the others; she had dis
covered deal of vivacity behind what she
knew was deliberate 1ack-luster. AS result
Madame Orlovsky warmed outwardly toward
the tall, dark girl as she warmed to no one
one else.
What Natica Forester had always de-
precated in her new friend was an occasional
look which blazoned forth a cringing mo-
ment as she eyed her husband. Tonight
Miss Forester watched for that look while
the Slav opera singer entertained his guests
with hearty sallies and persistent entreaties
that digestion be not made to suffer by neg
lect of the champagne,-a sweet cham
payne, which even old Bruxton could not
identify, although he tried to glimpse the
label on the napkined bottle.
Two men servants, who responded to
commands given in some Slavonic idiom,
handled the courses. They were def and
seemed to divine the wish of master and
mistress without even the signal of a raised
eyebrow. 1t was somewhat grotesque, to
sit in July in Westchester above duplicate
of Mexican palace patio, guests of a St.
Petersburg opera basso with ruined voice,
and ministered to by buffers as out of draw
ing, with the countryside as the rest of the
mise en- scene.
was heightened when
one OF the servants, at d IIlulllOleu oluel
| from Orlovsky, descended the staircase into
the patio. He had vanished past the plash-
ing little fountain only few moments when
Mrs Trevano led feminine chorus of half
shrieks. All of the women save Madame
Orlovsky and Natica Forester were upon
| their feet regardless of clogging skirts. For
die Heatherton declared the next day that
old Bruxton jumped from his chair more
promptly than the women.
What startled the tableful was the sound
that had caused Bruxton's new span of trot-
| tiers to bolt The rustic of leaves in the
courtyard and the tinkle of its fountain was
| wiped out by a hideous outburst of yelping
the note of the jungle!
Ivan Orlovsky leaned back and pounded
a fist upon the cloth until the champagne
beakers jingled. "You shall see my cats of
| the forest!" he beloved. @They have won
derful middle register, my friends. l have
said SOL"
Natica Forresters eyes danced as she re-
garded Madame Orlovsky's tenuous smile.
This dinner party was going to be different.
81 hope they'll let us toss the beasts raw
meat" she murrnured to Winslow. ever
since Nurse took me to see the keepers feed
the lions in Central Park I've wanted to do
it myself"