Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-09

her disappcarance last summer from Paris,
alter which She had returned sober and IN
tolerant He gave it up. He was always
giving hcr..up. and then, his doubts OF her IN
his pocket with his neat handkerchief, plod-
ding setlulously as before. He must wait.
Everything that he had got in life had come
from waiting, and Hernia, his philosophy
told him. must be no exception to the rule.
The winter drew on toward spring. Lent
arrived, and society, quite bored and thor
oughlv exhausted, halted in the mad round
of the "one-step' and turned to calmcr de-
lights. Country places i'll adjacent coun-
ties were opened, and guests fitted from one
house to the other in continuous round OF
visits.
Mrs. Berkeley Hammond's invitations,
whether to the big house near the park or To
the Roods Knoll, her place III the country,
were much in demand. The Hammonds
had unlimited means, the social instinct,
worthy family traditions, and a talent for
entertainment, a combination OF qualities
and circumstances that explained the I'M
portance of this family III the social life OF
the city, The mantle OF an older leader who
had passed had fallen comfortably on Mrs.
Hammond's capacious shoulders, and she
wore it with familiar grace that gave the
impression that it had always been there.
The house at Roods Knoll was huge af
Ii,
midst of its thousand acres of woodland IN
the heart of the hills. Lent found it full of
people, and its gaiety was reflected III other
houses of the neighborhood, whose owners,
like the Hammonds, kept open house
Olga Tcherny was one of Mrs. Berkeley
Hammond house guests; but she had not
been in evidence on either of the occasions
when Hernia had called. There was some
excitement over an evening that Mrs. Ham
nond was planning to take place in the
country during the latter days OF Lent. The
invitations were noncomm1ttal, and merely
mentioned the date and hour; but it was
understood that everyone was to be there,
and that an entertainment little out OF the
ordinary was to be provided.
TT was therefore with pleasurable antlc1-
patton that Hernia got down from the
Anstells' machine on the appointed evening,
and followed her party into the great house.
She managed to elude the watchtul Trev-
elvan, and entered the ballroom with Bea-
trice Coddington and Caroline Anstell. Just
inside she found herself face to face with
Countess Tcherny. She would have passed
on: but Olga was not to be denied.
$50 glad to see you, Hernia dear!" she
purred, her eyes tightening Its really
dreadfully unlucky how seldom we've met
this winter. You're little thinner, aren't
you? But it becomes you awfully.'
Thanks said Hernia. I'm quite well.
Il hope you'll like the play. You know
l. and she whispered, nobody knows
wrote it,
"Oh, really" Hernia smiled coolly. Il
hope it 5 quite moral
"Oh, you must judge for yourself, said
Olga, and disappeared.
The first part of the program, it seemed,
was to be vaudeville a famous tenor sang
folk songs of sunny Italy; two French PAN
tomimists did graceful and amusing Pierrot
and Pierrette; comedian did a blacface
rnonologue; and the part concluded with the
performance OF a young violinist, the son of
a Russian tobacconist downtown, whom
Mrs Berkeley Hammond had discovered"
and was now sending to Europe to complete
his musical education.
The brief period of disquiet that had fol
lowed Hernia S meeting with Olga had been
forgotten in her enjoyment OF the perform
ance and in the gay chatter of her COM
panions and her neighbors back and front,
When the curtain had fallen upon the violin
ist there was rustic of programs.
THE LADY ORCHESTRA" someone
back OF her read aloud "A Comedy
with Sting What's coming nowo What's
Lady Orchestral Does anyone know
a Lady Orchestra, my dear Phyllis, said