The Washington herald., 1918-03-10

the main street of little European
village, untouched by the horrors OF
war. Stretching ahead on each
side were cottages, shops and gar
dens-auaint little buildings OF
rainbow-hued tiles with peaked
roofs and many gables, against q
background Of tree tops and green
cry. Tables were ranged along the
sidewalk, and from the windows and
balconies of the cottages-which
were the boxes-the guests looked
out at the gayety Of . village en-
fete.
Passing through to the smaller
ballroom at the other end one found
oneself in q sort OF midway, hung
around with wonderful draperies.
that some thought were Egyptian.
some called Neapolitan, and others
passed up as mere camouflage."
Anyhow. they were effective. There
were perhaps a dozen funny little
booths-a jazz art gallery, 'Dia-
mond Mabel" which proved to be
wonderful exhibition of dyed fabrics
for which Neighborhood House (the
ball was a beneflt for Neighborhood
House, one OF the most deserving of
Washington's settlement houses) is
famous; there was a naval camou-
flage booth. with a good-looking
Jackie outside acting as "capper."
inviting everybody to walk right In
and see Edison's invisible ship.
Wen show 1t to you-for a consid-
erationT There was a very popu-
lar swat the Kaiser and win-a-
poster" booth. with effigies Of Huns
taking the place OF the familiar
negro faces. at which one throws
balls. Everybody wanted to swat
the KaiserI
There was a Gypsy Lewis. Fortune
Telling Booth" wherein Mrs. James
Gypsy Queen. She makes q perfestly
and hair, and the costume is terribly
knows. Most Of the time one could
not get anywhere near the door OF
her tent, though late in the evening
1 did get glimpse OF her studying
absorbedly Tommy" Logan's palm.
while he seemed entirely satisfied
with the situation. 1 suspected at
the time that that was about the
best-payIng booth there. and the sus-
picion was verified when met Mrs.
Lewis on Friday on her way up to
an overflow meeting at Mrs. Will
lam J. Chalmers apartment in Bev-
erley Courts. SO many people had
been disappointed who had wanted
to have their palms read that Mrs.
Lewis had given up that afternoon
to them-to the further profit OF
Neighborhood House. Mrs. Chalmers,
by the way. is an old friend Of Mrs.
Lewis's, wife OF a well-known Chi
cago capitalist, who came on to be
near her son, Capt. Chalmers, and,
unable to get suitable hotel accom-
mediation, took q tiny little apart
ment, rented furnished from a bach
elor lady" in which she feels hor-
ribly cramped after her roomy Chi
cago house, but is making the best
OF it, and counting herself in luck
to get even that
You know. Mrs. Lewis has really
made a serious study of palmIstry
among several different European
gypsy tribes who take 1t seriously,
and with the adopts of the Far
East. Those near-sighted brown
eyes Of hers can apparently read
many strange things in the lines of
the hand-and she hits the nail on
the head with disconcerting fire.
quency-as the smart set in many
cities know. For she is very gem
erous about giving her time and
energy to benefits for any cause
that appeals to her-and has been
in pretty constant demand ever
since the long procession of war
benefits began. Early this season
she ran a similar booth at Hero
Land" that wonderful New York
benefit, putting in from elk to ten
hours daily for several weeks
which was rather an exhaustinE or
deal
Mrs. Lewis always goes into
things hard when she goes at all,
For this ball she had charge of the
sale Of the tables, and Of the cigar
ette girls. suspect she sold many
OF the tables several times over. I
know that early in the week 1t was
perfectly useless to try to visit with
her and maintain an intelligent
The telephone in her
apartment at the Shoreham seemed
to be keeping up one perpetual
jingle. One would get about two
words from her, and she'd excuse