Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-01-07

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Copyright. 1918, by C. W. Dillingham; Company
In the restaurant there was obvious
stir when he arrived. There always
was stir in restaurants when he ar
rived. With a practiced and a clever
eye he examined with great care the
private dining-room wherein was to be
sung the swan-song of his spendthrifti.
ness. 1t was extremely we'll arranged.
the table was dazzling sight, the
flowers were gorgeous and of all-per.
1ading fragrance, the colored candle.
shades cast subdued, artistic glow
upon the whole, The head waiter
himself, his neck enchained in sign
of office, was in personal control of
details, his staff had been we'll picked
from Broadway's favorites among sub.
ordinates; a very pretty girl, who
smilud at Broadway sweetly, wistfully,
as a peasant maid might smile at
crown prince, was ready to accept and
check the ladies' wraps, while the
small boy in buttons, who was to sort
and store the outer garments of the
gentlemen, was ready with bright eyes
and itching palms.
The party arrived promptly, coming
In bunch and greeting Broadway va
riously from the firm and hearty hand.
clasp of Bob Wallace, to the merry
kiss of lnez Vasquez Marquee, Span.
1sh dancer, born in Keokuk, who would
leave early SO that she might dance
late on the bill at the Spring Garden.
There was a-flutter with the entrance
of Mrs. Gerard, for, as ever, she
brought with her her own maid, while
her footman waited in the corridor,
not for emergencies, but for appear
ances.
Her once pretty but now age-puck
cred face had been as thoroughly con
cealed as possible with various expen
slve substances which are found in
beauty parlors, and her hair was prob
ably the most costly in that part Of
town that night, and this is sayinc
much, for very costly tresses some.
times deck the fair on Broadway.
The restaurant had wrought evi.
dencesi of its pride in it's allegiance to
Broadway's favorite delicacy. A gi.
gantic floral lobster occupied the cen.
ter Of the table, it's antennae extend.
ed toward the host, one of it's claws
stretched toward the seat reserved for
Mrs. Gerard, the other somewhat less
fond OF the ladies. fer ii yearned hun
grily toward Bob Walace's place. At
each lady's place were little Holsters,
nicely wrought of sold with jeweled
eyes, for each male guest. silver Gig.
arctic case had been fashioned into a
disconsolate lbbster's shape with
curledup tail and dropping claws de.
Nuutly folded on its breast,
Broadway was a perfect host, hos.
pitable, easy, reader to listen thar
declaim, full Of admiration for the
ladies full of the perfection Of good
fellow ship for his men guests
At first he found 1t difficult to put
out of his stmind the thought that this
would be the last of all his gorgeous
nights on Broadway. The notion
fought for permanent position In his
head that after these wild hours be
would be as far from Broadway as that
earnest COW explorer which WAS cred
tied with having first laidI out the
street The Thought continually OBJ
truded that this must be to him q
funeral, not festal feast. His hand
shook as he raised his glass to the
first toast. e.
Visions of that blued-steel automatic
pistol and that bottle with its crimson
label fioated momently before his eyes
Ah, that steel was not the blue o.
the diaphanous gown which the prett,
Winter Garden dancer wore across the
table from him: oh. how the red o
that red label differed from the red o
the red roses! It was not at all tn
red of the red lobster! 1 a. i,
In his dining he had reached tha
stage where over-stimulated emotion
found an outlet In the bitterest sell
condemnation which he yet had man
aged to evolve since the beginning o
his selfconde demnstory days--that IL
since he had been awakened to tn
kealizRtion of the disappearance of hi