Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-09

Just behind her looking hot dagsers int,
her shoulder-bades, and Molly. suppress
ing giggle as she noted the purple con
oolence ribbons nailed on with furniture
| tacks, gazed calmly through her at tht
! other social Lucrezia Borgias, whom she
had passed at one ruthless bound.
| Also, she cast her eyes downward. with
| much satisfaction, at her own extrava.
santly simple frock of pearl-woven white
chiffon. Only youth and good figure
| could dare a frock like that and happy
| In her new enemies Molly glanced at the
! dance program which had been made out
for her.
She caught her breath with lncredulous
Joy as she saw her allotment Every
notable In the gathering was on her card,
leginning with the Governor. Number
rine was Sledge, and she wondered, with
dawnng horror, what sort of figure he
would be In the dance.
She had little time for reflection, for
the music started up just then, and at
the same moment the eminent socioloEist
began to talk to her about a new roller
coaster Installed last season at Coney
Island and his pain in never having had
a ride on IT..
Professor Watt danced without knowing
II. and talked without effort. and laughed
without deiberation; and when he led her
into the drawing-room, she was Offering a
silent vote of thanks TO the maker Of
her program. Mayor Cameron, however
gave her no chance to enjoy the scien-
list. He rushed up with visiting mill
llonaire. introduced MN and dragged
away Professor Watt, VII with the celer-
itv of n switch engine.
The visiting millionaire was gray
haired sport, with white mustache,
but ruddy face, who knew more about
lead ore than any man in the world.
knew more about money than he did
about lead ore, and knew more about
making himself agreeable to Young girls
than he did about making money. A
couple of native milionaires tried to
attach themselves to the party but the
outsider drove them jealously away, and
dashed straight along with the line of
entertainment which had made him a
welcome visitor wherever rice powder was
known
Molly was truly sorry to see him go. but
the Governor. finely groomed, elderly
chap, whose fundamental brogue was
irish. whose manners were Southern, and
whose mustache and goatee were French.
led her away for the next dance. and
breathed harmless old fashioned batteries
into her ear until It tickled. 1t was all
very interesting, and n triumph for her
too; but nevertheless. she was pleased
when her sudden friend, the Mayor. took
her away from the Governor, and for her
between-dance diversion made her a pres
ent of an interit-featured young man who
ran an inherited railroad to make money
and ran il quite well enough. but who
raced yachts for a living.
Thus sped the evening, with Molly
climbing the dizzy heights of popularity
in hourly increasing excitement She not
only had a notable partner for every
dance, but brilliant partner for every
tete-a-tete between numbers, and the al
most equally happy, though not so highly
favored, Fern warned her, in n glggling
whispered moment. to keep her back to
the wall, lest she be stabbed. Her cup of
happiness was full when the famous mu-
sician, near-sighted man. who wore his
hair short, and inspected her rapturously
through half-inch-thck glasses, composed
a sparkling rondo for her at piano in
quiet little alcove, and named it Molly,
and wrote 1t on her dance card. all in the
space of seven minutes. True he had
danced with her two numbers before, and
had had time to think of her; possibly
TO think of her in rondo term
Occasionally she caught sight of Sledge
in the thronE although she had not seen
him on the floor. and she realized that
her number with him would be a sit out"
Perhaps that was why it had been put
down SO far in the program, when she
would welcome a rest 1t was like his
doing, for she had to acknowledge that
he was at least far-sighted,
one thing perplexed her: He was much
less awkward and much more at ease here
than he had been at her party.
Whenever she saw him he was talking |
gravely with men of large affairs, and |
to her surprise. she observed that in |
every case. he was accorded notable re-
speCt. Even the musician seemed abb |
interested in him, and her lead
ore millionaire came back to him again !
and again. She wondered why men
sought him, and she was still wonder
ing when the eminent socioloEist lairly |
snatched her out OF the arms of the .
Mayor, after the eighth dance.
Come and watch me smoke a ciga-
rette," he begged her, i've been trying
TO set chance to talk with you again
the entire evening. but there's always
around you that the attempts made me
feel undignihed."
You'd worry lot about that" she
guessed.
Wouldn't I?' he laughed. "wilI you
chill if we step out on the terrace?"
"I don't know how" she happily told
him, and they hurried outside, where he
led her TO a seat in the moonlight, and
1eftly made her comfortable with three
from as many chairs.
Sledge and Senator Alerton passed
hem as he lighted his cigarette, and he
ooked after Sledge until the match
burned his fingers
There is the biggest man | have seen
n a long while" he remarked, as he sat
beside her on the settee
They say he is not only the boss of
he city, but of the State" replied Molly,
very much interested. You knew that.
iIdn't you?"
"Of course" he acknowledged. "but
think that would influence my
Judgment, I have studied a great many
men of more power and influence than
lie has at present, but none of them, so
ar as / can recollect, seemed to have his
elemental force, Wherever he was born,
he would have been a leader, He is a