Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-01-14

l world.
Tony Collasso was an Italian illus
traitor who 'odsed and painted in
| studio-apartments In Washington
Square, South, His companions were
various, numbering among them a
group Of those pygmy celebrities OF
whom one has never heard until by
chance he meets them, and of whom
| their intimates speak as of immortals
TO Collasso's studio Samson was
called one night by telephone. He
had sometimes gone there before to
sit for an hour, chiefly as a listener
while the man from Sorrento bewailed
fate with his coterie. and denounced
all forms of government over insipid
Chianti.
But tonight he entered the door to
find himself in the midst of a gay and
boisterous party. The room was al
ready thlckly logged with smoke. and
dozen men and women, singing
snatches of current airs, were inter.
| esting themselves over a chatting dish.
The crowd was typical. A few very
minor writers and artists, model or
two, and several women who had
thinking parts in current Broadway
productions
At eleven o'clock the guests of honor
arrived In a taxicab. They were Mr..
William Farbish and Miss Winifred
Starr. Having come, as they explained,
direct from the theater where Miss
Starr danced in the first row, they
were in evening dress. Samson men
tally acknowledged, though with in
stinctive disfavor for the pair. that
both were, in a way, handsome. Col
lasso drew him aside to whisper inn
portantly:
Make yourself agreeable to Farbish.
He is received in the most exclusive
society, and is a connoisseur of art.
II he takes a fancy to you, he will
put you up It the best clubs. think
shall sell him a landscape"
The girl was talking rapidly and
loudly. She had at once taken the
center of the room, and her laughter
rang in free and egotistical peals
above the other voices.
Come, said the host, Il shall pre-
sent you"
The boy shook hands, gazing with
his usual directness into the show
girls large and deeply-penciled eyes.
Farbish, standing at one side with
his hands in his pockets, looked ON
with an air of slightly bored detach-
ment.
His dress, his manherisms, his bear.
ing. were all those of the man who has
overstudied his part They were too
perfect. too obviously rehearsed
through years of social climbing, but
that was a defect Samson was not
yet prepared to recognize.
Someone had naively complimented
Miss Starr on the leopard-skin cloak
she had just thrown from her shapely
shoulders, and she turned promptly
and vivaciously to the fiatterer.
1T is nice, isn't it?" she prattled,
1T may look little up-stage for girl
who hasn't got a line to read into
the piece, but these days one must
get the spotlight, or be a dead one
1t reminds me of little run-in 1 had
with Graddy-he's our stage-director
you know" She paused, awaiting the
invitation to proceed, and, having re
ceived it, went gayly forward. Il was
ten minutes late, one day, for rehears
al, and Grady came up with that sar
castle manner of his, and said:. Miss
Starr, don't doubt you are perfect
ly nice girl, and all that, but it rather
gets my goat to figure out how, on
salary Of fifteen dollars a week
you come to rehearsals in a million
dollars worth of clothes, riding in 6
limousine-and ten minutes later
She broke of with the eager little
expression of awaiting applause, and
having been satisfied, she added: :"
was afraid that wasn't going to get {
laugh, after ALL
She glanced inquiringly ct Samson
who had not smiled, and who stood
looking puzzled.
i "a penny for your thoughts. Mr.
South, from down South" she chal
lenged.
~ guess I'm sort of like Mr.. Grad
dy," said the boy, slowly. 81 was jus
wondering how you do do it,
He spoke with perfect seriousness
and, after a moment, the girl brok
into prolonged peal of laughter.
"Oh, you are dehcious!" she e1
claimed. IF l could do the ingenu
like that, believe me, I'd make som
t hit" She came over. and, laying
t hand on each of the boys shoulder
, kissed him lightly on the cheek
: That's for droll boy!" she sait
That's the best line I've heard pulle
5 lately"
: Farbish was smiling In quiet amusC
a ment. He tapped the mountaineer O
3 the shoulder.
: I've heard George Lescott speak {
: YOU" he said, genially. I've rather
e fancy for being among the discovel
r ers of men of talent. We must Sc
J, more of each other"
d Samson left the party early, an
t with sense of disgust.
; | Several days later Samson va