Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-01

VIZ HAT more might have been said
wv there was no telling, for Aunt
Hortensia came bustling down
the lawn with yardlength of commit
tee lists and tasks for Gloria. Before
her tempest of garrulity, Royce took
flight. Gloria was kept on the run for
days and nights. She worked as only
| rich women work when some orgy or
charity is on foot.
Gloria in turn kept everyone II her
neighborhood scampering. Her father
her fathers secretary, her brother, and
his secretary, even her brothers wife,
she made use of.
Lois responded to the lash with an
enthusiasm that surprised Gloria. She
began to understand that idleness had
been a more cogent excuse for frivolity
than she had believed when Lois gave
1t. She saw that Lois heart, which
had yielded too easily to the blandish-
ments of Freneau, yielded as easily In
the allurements of unselfish labor.
The plans for the Polish fete were
changed again and again. The boy Stas
was so much in the way that Gloria set
him task to keep him out from under
her feet. He brought in the children of
the vicinage and established himself as
their leader.
Some Of the rich tots, like their par
1
woeful snobs. These latter twitted Stas
with his origin. whereupon he had re-
sorted to the wild arbitrament of bat
tie, and two or three small bloody noses
ruined two or three handsome suits OF
clothes. After that Stas was the accept
ed leader.
In his researches among the picture
books he found pied Piper of Hamlin"
and made his Aunt Gloria" tell him
/ led hot -ha CHI
be the pied piper and he would organize
an army of children for her to pipe
away. She kissed him for the inspira-
ton and that event was one of the sue
cesses of the afternoon. Mobs Of peo-
pie thronged the Stafford estate on the
afternoon of the festival and the roads
outside were quadruply lined with au-
| tomobiles.
| There was no hesitation about en-
pIoying piratical methods Of extorting
| from the rich as much money as they
had been reckless enough to bring with
| them The hollow eyes of the ragged
starvelings of Poland would have filled
with wonder If they could have seen In
far-off America the well-fed silk-clad
aristocrats revealing in their behalf 1t
was a strange way of getting food for
| the hungry, but it was the fashion of
the day, and the most important of all,
1t accomplished its purpose.
The world was so packed with tragedy
and so bounded with cries for pity that
1t took something more than sorrow
to wheedle funds from the weary pub
lis. 1t took beauty and entertainment
! Gloria furnished these in full measure
at her festival. In her ragged doublet
and hose, with her feathered cap atilt'
she danced and piped, and the children
! followed about the lawn with moving
audience till she led her little army into
the great cave that Pierpont had ordered
| constructed in one of his hills.
The mothers left behind pretended to
weep for their lost ones, and they begged
the pied piper to return. So Gloria
| contrary to tradition, came back from
the cave, and, surrounded by her kid
naped troop, bowed and bowed.
THE CONCLUSION.
| y LORIA was good and tired when
the last of the spectators had
- gone home impoverished. She
stretched herself out on the divan in