The Washington times., 1918-06-09
Surprising, More Dramatic Than
the Real Life Career Of This Young Adventures

maelstrOm. The young and tivaciOus Nine.
Nezie was the queen Of this company.
One of the Entertainments" staged by her
for the pleasure of her friends, the German
officers and their guests, still is talked Of with
never failing interest throughout the island.
This was splendid banquet at Nine. Storch s
house, to which were invited the officers of the
informed German ships and such other Germans
as were close in Nine. Nezie's confidence.
In the centre Of the room in which the affair
was staged fountain was especially constructed
by order Of the hostess. Before the night of the
"party" arrived Nine. Nezie allowed the word
to 60 out that one of the features of the evening
would have this fountain for its background.
The German officers knew what this signifed and
prepared for it.
In the Baechanalian revels which are 50 Gus
tomary in the barracks towns of Germany and
Austria fountain in the banquet room often Is
an important factor, especially when the feminine
guests of the celebrating officers are apt to be
eOmplacent. 1t is the setting for a revival OF
one feature of the ancient "Lex Primae Noets"
the claw of the first night which was one of
the perquisites of the powerful mobiles who held
the peasantry of the Balkans HungaryHand Aus
tria in virtual slavery. To feast at which the
fountain is to play its part the German officers
and other male guests always go with gold coins,
jeweled pendants and bracelets for feminine
adornment in their pockets. Thus supplied
Nine. Nezie' s guests gathered for her dinner en-.
tertainment
When the merriment was at its height the
charming hostess raised her wine glass and pro-
posed a toast-"to the fountain At once
there was great elapping of approval The
men gayly jOstled each other into one adjoining
room, while the young women disappeared into
another
A few minutes later, at a signal from within
the banquet room, the men crowded in. They
found Nine. Neze and others Of the young
women who had eonspired with her in prepare
ton for this event. Invested of their gowns, their
bodies thinly yelled by a ilmy, eIinging drapery,
which they held wrapped around them. They
laughed with impish glee as the officers, their
military decorations glittering in the mellowed
lights, circled close.
Each man drew from his pocket handful Of
gold coins or jewel, held it aloft to tempt the
young woman of his especial favor. If the prize
pleased her she gayly nodded her head, the coins
or the jewels were tossed into the fountain pool
and the young woman, with a merry shrek
and, to the great amusement Of the company,
leaped into the pool after the tokens She re-
manned splashing like frisky dryad in
the water until she had been Joined by
all her companions.
In the days when the claw of the first
night" was evoked at will by the barOns
of Hungary, Austria and the Balkan
States the custom of the fountain was
frequently celebrated among the mobiles
themselves when one of their number
took Young woman from the peasantry,
as was quite often the case On such
occasions, when the company gathered to
celebrate the wedding feast was of kim
dred spirits, the peasant girl would be
compelled to enter fountain pool I'M
clothed. The noblemans guests would
gather around the pool and bid - for her
by tossing into the water fat purses or
flashing jewels. To that one which "bid"
the most generously by tossing to her
the richest gifts she would be compelled
to reach her hand, that he might lift her
out of the water into full view of the
assembled company, with the aeeompa-
nying right to claim her first earesses.
1t was barbarous custom, surpassed
in its cynical disregard of womanly mod
esty only by the less restricted claw
which permitted the baron to arbitrarily
claim the first caresSes of all the peasant
brides on his estate when their husbands
were of their own class.
At Nine. Nezie's affair each young
woman was lifted out of the fountain by
the man whose gifts she had accepted by
diving into the water for them.
1t was a typical fete-typieal of the
ing debauching extravaganza with which
Germany's agents and spies spent the
money with which they were so literally