The Washington herald., 1913-11-24
In CARNIVAL MOOD.
By JANE OSBORN.
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IT was the winter carnival. the occa-
sion OF a yearly half holiday and an all
night reveIry among the thousands OF
employees Of the great Van Dorm Works,
and the lower part of the city. usually
so gray and workaday, had gone mad
with footing of horns, changing of bells,
gay lights and the laughter and shouts
Of the army of workers whose daily
drudgery in mill and factory had built
up the enormous Van Dorm estate.
1t was a warm, almost balmy, winter
night, with a low hung moon that shed
a soft radiance and hid the dinginess and
sordidness Of the streets. A crowd OF
factory girls, dressed in fantastic, color
full costumes, swung through the streets
laughing and lodging the showers of
confetti pelted at them by the crowd
who stood back to admire their youth.
One OF the girls, a dark, radiant little
beauty, whose red lips and dark eyes
had apparently not been dulled by long
hours in the factory, turned back to cast
a firtatious glance at the splendor Of the
shower of confetti which she was now
shaking from her dark hair and shoul-
ders
He was a tall. well-built young man
standing by himself, and he had-caught
by the unrestrained mood of the night
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several minutes, pelting her with confetti
in his efforts to attract her attention. As
she looked back he. returned her smile
and raised his hat. She tossed him a
cheap artificial rose that she wore at
her belt-a challenge thoughtlessly given
and as thoughtlessly accepted. He fol-
lowed
We are all friends tonight" he said
The girl smiled back. and in a second
more her companions had gone on with
out her and she was walking at the
strangers side. 'If you are a Van Dorm
man, it's all right" said the girl, with
Just touch Of hauteur that made the
young man all the more eager to make
the girls acquaintance. and he didn' [
tell her that he was an outsider. He
asked her whether she would go with
him to see the fireworks.
Yes said the girl, 'if you will get
me back to the girls club by 10 o'clock. ="
Then they turned up a side street, and
before the surprised girl knew what she
was doing she had been helped into a
motor and was sitting by her compan-
ions side.
than walking" he said half apologetic-
ally.
You are not one of the factory men,"
said the girl, a shade of suspicion in her
voice. ''Of course you aren't or YOU
wouldn't have a motor. Is it your own %
The young man didn't 60 into ex-
plantations, but something in his boyish
good humor. that fitted into her mood.
established her confidence.
1t was a marvellous half hour for both
Of them, and then they decided to 60 on
to the outskirts Of the city to wind up
the day with a breath OF country air.
He fmFnaH IN af Tt
ly. that and partly the effect of the
strangeness of the evening and partly
because he had owned the ear only a
week and wasn't familiar with its
clutches. He remembered turning to
look at her in the moonlight-then the
dizzying fall, the crash of glass and
pounding OF machinery-a long silence.
Two minutes later he sat up dazed and
unhurt and rubbed his eyes. Then he
felt the girls hand on his arm.
Are you hurt? Oh, I'm so frighten-
/ broke the other one once, so 1 know
how it feels"
As the young man jumped to his feet
and carried the girl to the motor which,
In spite Of the smashup, was still in run
ming order, he did some lightning think
ing. He would do what was fair for her
She was worth the best he could do, and
besides he was gentleman. Still II was
an ugly mixup to be in with a factory
girl; II would mean a newspaper scan
dal. He was determined to spare his
mother and sisters needless anxiety.
He was speeding toward the nearest
hospital with the girl rather limp and
quiet by his side.
"I'n tell you just how II is" he said
as he felt the pressure of her hand on
his arm Then I'll do what you say.
We were both little foolish to go on
without knowing each other. We both
want to avoid a scandal. don't WEI
Don't be frightened. 1 am Maddox Van
Dorm"
The girl gave a cry as she recognized
the name OF the heir to the Van Dorm
millions. He had expected her to be
surprised. but he didn't know that she
would be so distressed. Il was out to-
night because 1 wanted to get acquainted
with the people who work for u.s. No
one at home knows and. OF course, no
one would understand. You know now
the newspapers would interpret It." He
paused and looked at her intently. You
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