The Washington herald., 1916-07-23
CONVERSION.

Bruleish Castle boasted that he had
not been seated at family table in
years; He could not be driven TO any
conventional home by sighting re-
marks Z about restaurant coffee, or
lured from the Broadway jungle by
bait Of homemade bread He side
stepped all friends with married sis-
ters who looked as IL they made good
shortcake. He refused to countenance
ldonesticity by enduring It even for
a Sunday hsnd-raised-chicken dinner
His taste ran to oceans Of table
cloths and walters who acted as II
their politeness swung on oiled hinges
ana TO have orchestras instead OF
conversation and plenty Of pretty
women within eyeshot in case the
one he happened TO be entertaining
should suddenly begin to pail.
Bruleigh retained his youthful good
looks, but was rapidly nearing the
stage where the younger charmers
sometimes let their glances drift past
him to other women's escorts. He
was not old, but massage and hot
towels intended to blot out evidences
OF extravagant Indulgence seemed to
be struggling with wrinkles instead
OF merely worldliness. He was slight
ly bald; roll Of pink flesh was be-
ginning TO swell above the back Of
his dashingiy correct white collars
He shaved hard attending races or
ball games or chasing back and forth
from Paris to Palm Beach and his
tavorite Broadway. His head bulged
with those haYe-youheard stories. his
pocketbook was fat with plenty Of
dads old money and his collection
OF little red address books had reached
the fourteenth volume.
1t. so pleased him to pity married
people that he moved into the Bar
croft. the windows OF which over
looked the domestic prosiness Of in
ha bitsnts OF the Darcroft next door.
About the time Smith pulled up the
shades on his grapefruit and morning
paper each day his neiGhbors were
dutifully kissing their wives good
bye When he had been bathed and
dressed and handed hat, gloves and
stick. the wives were snatching pickup
lunches off the laundry tubs in their
kitchens He sometimes stood on his
balcony to look in on the funny. stiff
little dinners given for mothers-in-
law. or girlhood, friends or business
acQUaintances and thanked fortune
that he was not as other men.
One evening he stumbled over a lit
tie heap OF fur and sobs on the side
walk IN front of the Bancroft When
ne haQ ll1teO II, ne discovered II was
the wife OF his neishbor Just across
the fire escape After he had helped
her to her apartment and summoned
a doctor to look at her twisted ankle
he decided that at close range she
did not seem entirely domesticated
The husband who called to thank him
for his timely help also proved to be
something OF "a regular guy" The
three began 10 exchange smiles across
the fire escapes
Castle was soon convinced that the
young couple were entirely too at
| tractive to be wasted on the calm
atmosphere OF the Barefoot II they
had had the advarta ges Of his early
trainig they might now be qualifying
as darned good sports. Stella toll
Grated some of his mildly favored
stories when they met in the restau-
rant shared by the two buildings. and
even slipped a hishball. He was too
wary TO be trapped into their con-
ivcntonality, but he was fired with
a missionary zeal that would save
them from themselves. He invited
them to a gay little dinner followed
by a rolliclSing show and a midnight
cabaret supper. His was an unselfish
ambition to knock the rust spots Off
two possible pals
Any Qualms he might have had as
to their social talents faded after the
first course. Husband was gallantly
playing up to the elephantish coyness