Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-14
Fifty Eighth Chapter.

wv house party arrived. There
would be twenty of them at
least, not counting Wallets and ladies'
maids. so that large as Castle Raa
was the house was full.
They were about equally divided as
to sex and belonged chiefly to my
husbands class but they included
Mr.. Eastcliff's beautiful wife. Camilla,
and Alma's mother, who, much 10
Alma's chagrin, had insisted upon be-
| ing invited
My husband required me to receive
them, and | did so, though l was only
their nominal hostess. and they knew
it and treated me accordingly.
] should be ashamed to speak of the
petty sights they put upon me, how
they consulted Alma in my presence
and otherwise wounded my pride as
woman by showing me that I had
lost my own place in my husbands
house.
know there are people of the same
class who are kind and considerate.
guileless and pure, the true nobility of
their country-Women who are de-
voted to their homes and children,
good but my husbands friends were
not of that kind.
They were vain and proud selfish,
self indulgent thoroughly insincere,
utterly hammered, shockingly III
informed, astonishinsly ill-educated
Capable of speaking several lam
guages, but incapable OF saying &
sensible word in any of them). living
and hourishing in the world without
religion, without morality, and iii ii
| is not cant phrase to use) without
God.
What their conduct was when ouc
shooting, picnicking. driving riding,
motoring and yachting (fOr Mr. East
cliff had arrived in his yacht. | 10
not know, for doctors orders" were
Annals excuse for not asking me to
accompany them.
But at night they played bridge
(their most innocent amusemenD,
gambled and drank. banged the piano.
danced Grizzly Bears" sang duets
from the latest musical comedies, and
then ransa cked the empty houses of
their idle heads for other means Of
killing the one enemy of their exist
ence-Time
Sometimes they would give enter
tainments in honor of their dogs,
when all the animals of all the guests
(there seemed TO be a whole kennel of
them) would be dressed up in coats
of silk and satin with pockets ana
pocket handkerchief and then led
downstairs to the drawing room,
where Alma's wheesy spaniel and my
husbands peevish terrier were sup
posed TO receive them.
Sometimes they would give freak
dinners" when the guests themselves
would be dressed up, the men in
Women's clothes, the women in mems,
the male initiating the piping treble
Of the female voices, and the female
the overvoweled slang Of the male,
until firing of this foolishness. they
would end up by fingins the food al
pictures on the walls. the usual pellet
being softened bread and the favorite
target the noses in the family por-
traits, which, hit and covered with
sprawling mess, looked so ridiculous
as to provoke screams Of laughter.
The talk at table was generally OF
horses and dogs, but sometimes it
was of love, courtship and marriage,
including conjugal fidelity, which was
a favorite subject of ridicule, with
both the women and the men
Thus my husband would begin by
saying Che often said il in my hear
ing) that once upon a time men took
their wives as they took their horses,
on trial for a year and a day. and
really with some women there was
something to say for the old custom"
Then Mr. Vivian would remark that
1t was "a jolly good idea, by Jove"
and II he "ever married. by the Lord
that's just what he would do"
Then Mr.. Eastcliff would say that
it was a ridiculous superstition that
woman should have her husband all
TO herself las IL he were a kind OF
toothbrush which she could not share
with anybody else" and somebody
would add that she might as reason
ably want her dentist or her hair
dresser to be kept for her own use
only.
After that the ladies'. not to be left
behind would Join in the offhand rat
tie, and one Of them would give II as
her opinion that a wife might have
an incorrigibly unfaithful husband,
and yet be well off.
Ugh" said Alma one night, shruR-
ging her shoulders. Think OF a poor
woman being tied for life to an en-.
tirely faithful husband"
Il adore the kind OF man who goes
TO the deuce for a woman--Parnell,
and Gambetta and Boulanger and
that sort" said a smart" girl OF
three or four-and- twenty, whereupon
Camilla Eastclin (she was a Rus
siam cried:
That's Why the o-respondents in
your divorce courts are so sharming.
They're like the villayns in the plays
always so dee-lightfully wicked"
r n GaaAiAp.A