The Washington herald., 1918-05-12
1OClefSi
IN WASHINGTON
E. c. DRUM-HUNT.

words. in her habit; I never saw
her look better!
Speaking of the French High
Commission and engagements. war
times have furnished setting and
Inspiration for few prettier ro-
mances' than that of Miss Amy Ben
nett and Claude Langlais. II one
will divest oneself Of prejudice
against international marriages
and who has not done that, in these
days when everything international
is romance, and almost everything
romantic Is internationally must
be confessed that this particular
match seems to be one OF those that
were arranged in heaven or some
other place where they do such
things correctly.
In the first place, it's bound to be
congenial, for there is a founda-
tion of common tastes, interest and
inheritance. Miss Bennett is the
daughter of a newspaper family,
her. father being Ira Bennett, the
talented and clever editor OF the
Post. NJ. Langlais Is the son OF
a newspaper family. his father be-
ing the owner of one of the i'm
portant Paris journals, and also OF
a leading provincial paper. A typic-
al young Frenchman, the son has
had the advantage OF the best edu-
cation, the widest culture, the as
sociatiofi that gives the cosmopoli-
tan view as no society can give II
so well as that of Paris.
But that isn't all they have in COM
mon. When Miss Bennett was wee
girl her parents, unwittingly but wise
ly, set about to prepare her for ex-
actly the place in which her marriage
will place her. She was taught
French, and taught 1t seriously and
sincerely; and she was never allowed
to forget II. Instead, having acquired
a real understanding Of the tongue,
she explored the realms of culture
and elegance which that knowledge
unlocks to the willing investigator.
What wonder, then-well, what won
der! II there's any room for wonder
ment, IT will disappear when you
know both Of them.
OF course when the war burst over
his country young Langlais went to
the army. That was the only thing
for a young Frenchman to do, the
only thing to be thought of. He was
just a strip of boy, then, but had
been trained to arms and to that
splendid patriotism that has enabled
France to save the world. He did the
simple duty that was set for him; and
one horribly dark night a huge shell
dropped too close OF him, and he was
buried, unconscious. Nobody knows,
not even he, how long he was oblivious
of everything; when consciousness
came back he realized that he was
hurt. though not in great pain. He
had a numb leg; he rubbed 1t with
his hand. and the hand was wet and
warm. He was bleeding. He man
aged to wrench himself free, while
the shells continued bursting about
him: and at last, badly wounded, af-
, ter a night of horror, he got back to
his own lines.
That's the story in very brief form
as 1t has been pieced together from
the fragments that this modest youth
has permitted to be pumped from him
from time to time. He was not strong
, enough to go back to the fighting lines,
though he hopes to do so later. That's
where he thinks he ought to be, where
he wants to be. Meanwhile he is
serving his government here, and the
service has proven delightfully."- dan
gerous; instead of being wounded
again he has been taken prisoner! If
they don't live happily ever after,
there's no use trusting Cupid's judg-
ment any longer.
I noticed at the ball last week al
the Willard for the French Washing
ton Diet Kitchen Association that the
French officers danced; the first time
have ever seen them do it. Both
those in uniform and in "cits" did it.
Heretofore they have only been spec
tators at the various balls, stating
that it was against the military regu-
lations to dance. Evidently something
has happened to the regulation for
they all did it that evening. There
were a number of old friends at that
ball, people whom one use to meet
at social functions and then drifted
away as people in Washington have
a way of doing. Among those who
have drifted back after an absence OF
several years is Capt. Demetrio Cas-
tillo. the handsome young Cuban army
officer who was in Washington for
several years after his graduation
from West Point. He left here to re-
turn to Cuba and since then has been
in Europe for several years, 1 am
told. He used to wear a uniform only
on state occasions, when he made a
very striking figure in his white cloth
uniform. At the ball he was in KHAKI
and only a close observer would have
noticed that he was not an American
officer.
Addison Flournoy was there in uni
form also. having been commissioned
a captain not long ago. He was only
in town for a few days. He and his
brother Richard were in Mrs. walsh's