Middletown transcript., 1914-02-28
CapN1cHT Iag, 6YGK 0NLANlGA4IT cOTeAVt

I the major domo to his side az soon as
Bob had gone and whispered to him
that all glasses must be filed. With
the intense alacrity which the youthful
spendthrift's orders were everywhere
observed along Broadway, this was at
tended to, and he rose to his feet
with all the dignity he could command.
Friends" he said, Il want to tell
you something. want to tell you Of
my luck"
els it a hard luck story. Broadway" ?"
someone asked. r.
"Er-yes," said he 81 mean"
"Jackson!" said a soft voice (per-
haps little cracked) close at his side
with something of reproach in it.
For the LADY," he hastily corrected.
lizard luck for the lady. Tm-Tm go
ing to be married"
The men shouted and there we're
more than one among the ladies who
were seriously agitated, their number
being co-equivalent to the number who
themselves at one time or another had
had hopes of winning Broadway and
his millions for their very own.
Everywhere about him rose the
shout: who is she, Broadway? Name!
Name!"
He swayed there on his feet, a some
what sickly smile upon his face, his
hand elaborately spilling champagne
on his shirt front, fact Of which he
was in ignorance and which no one
noted for time. It was Mrs. Gerard
who called attention to it by elabo-
rately dabbing at him with her hand
kerchief.
There were proprietary details even
OF movement of her hands and some
shrewd wits suspected for an instant,
even though they put the wild idea
from them as absurd before it gained
firm foothold in their minds.
who is she, Broadway? Name!
Name! Name!" the shouts insisted.
"Guess!" said Broadway strangely.
He felt less worry than he would
have felt before he had imbibed the
last few glasses of champagne. He
had been drinking very busily since
the dreadful thought had been put into
execution. He had been certain he
would need some artificial courage.
1t gathered in his soul and helped
him fashion an extraordinary smile
vacuous and tremulous. but none the
less a smile.
''Viola?'' hazarded a reckless youth
across the table, and Viola (who was
present in the makeup which she had
worn from the stage of near theater.
where she had, that evening, acted
powerfully the part of a wronged and
innocent maidenhood) hoped wildly for
an instant. Perhaps Broadway, in his
cups, had decided on this most unusual
way of asking her the fateful ques-
ton! She had had high hopes of him.
Perhaps"
No" he answered thickly. Guess
again. Three guesses. It's going to
take some brains, l tell you that! In
tellect's the only thing'l do it. Who
ever guesses right gets cigar"
There was only one among the
ladies present who was not favored
by some speculative mind, and that
one was the right one.
Guesser after guesser named some
of the young and vivid creatures of
that almost wholly young and vivid
feminine company, none guessed the
only faded flower in the gay group.
Broadway, never dreaming of the ag-
ony which filled the faded flowers
much powdered bosom because of the
omission of her name, feeling few emo
tions, really, other than the keen SEN
sation of relief from his financial wor-
ries, stood smiling somewhat vacantly,
but, on the whole, without much pain.
upon the puzzled party.
Go on, guess with your brains," he
genially suggested. TITS mind, not
foot-work, that will win the prize"
But none guessed.
Realizing that in this was something
like reflection on her fitness for the
covetable position of consort to the
youth, Mrs. Gerard attracted every
ones attention, presently, by Won
derfully feigned embarrassment as she
rose and stood by Broadway's side.
The party gasped, but rose to the oc-
casion as soon as it could get it's
breath again. It was incredible, and
there were those among the guests
who were so sure of this that they
believed joke was hidden somewhere
in the episode, but the majority were
SO well trained to Broadway's genius
for producing mad extravaganza that
they simply charged this up as one of
them.
A dancer who had been brought up
from the cabaret below after one
o'clock and closing time had come.
sprang lightly to table, and, to the
destruction of the floral lobster and
some notably fine glassware, did gay
pas-seul among the wrecks of sangui-
nary shells and emptied bottles. The
head waiter smiled, knowing that