The Washington times., 1919-09-14


their "forty love" and the love game was
won by Mrs. Cushing and her partner, ].
Gordon Douglas.
With this love game, the championship
for doubles of the Newport courts went 10
the two partners who have been the most
observed of all observers all Summer at
the Casino.
Loud cheers and knowing smiles fol-
lowed the winning Of the sets in which
Mrs Cushing, the beautiful widow of How
ard Cushing, the artist, and Gordon Doug
las, divorced husband of Mrs. Annie
Kountze Douglas, played against Mrs.
Arthur Scott Burden and Drexel Biddle,
the young son of Craig Biddle, of Phila-
delphia.
Back of these exciting games lay an
other and very different contest, for all
Newport was keenly "on" to the fact that
Mrs. Cushing, the vibrantly beautiful
woman in yellow" whose rare and amaz-
ing coloring inspired her artist husband in
his best work, was being courted by way
of tennis by two prominent men of the
colony, williams P. Burden and J. Gordon
Douglas.
It is many moons since Newport has
been Afforded so delightful a spectacle as
the perfectly open contest between these
two men for the love of a woman whose
beauty has been many times immortalized
on canvas by an adoring husband. Fol
lowing Howard Cushing's work from the
time of his marriage it is easily seen how
his wife coiored all his art. Even in
doing the mural decorations for Mrs. Harry
Payne Whitney's studio Mrs. Cushing was
her husbands theme. In the striking nude
on the dolphin, panel that raised storm
of gossip, the artist was still faithful to his
favorite model for her coloring and facial
characteristics as unmistakable. One Of
the last paintings he did Of her was the
glorious Woman in Yellow" and the por-
trait is considerably talked Of this Sum-
mer by Newport.
The contest now engaging Newport's at
tention actually began last Summer, only
no one realized it, because Mr.. Douglas
was then married and had no intention Of
competing for the lady.
Mr.. Burden, however, was free to win a
bride, and began his drive soon after Mrs.
Cushing arrived at her Newport cottage.
eWinnie" Burden, as he is called by his in
Inmates, is a widower of wealth and much
social prominence, for he is a son of the
late James Abercrombie Burden and a
cousin of Evelyn Byrd Burden, Arthur
Scott Burden and Mrs. David Dows. who
was the lovely Gwendolyn Burden,
His wife was Natica Rives, perhaps the
most beautiful girl that Newport has ever
married on. She was a daughter CT the
late Oliver H. P. Belmont Ly his first wife
Not long after her marriage she was found
dead in her bed, and her husband has never
been seriously interested in another
woman until Mrs. Cushing appeared on the
scene as a widow.
When Ethel Cochrane Cushing and
Burden Joined up as tennis partners early
last Summer no one in the colony dreamed
that the beginning of a genuine romance
was being staged. They played swfully
good tennis, and won over all cOmers, even
against such veterans as Craig Biddle and
Mrs. Barger Wallach. But it was tennis,
and not love, that apparently occupied The
two principals. This season, however, love
and tennis are all mixed up with Burden
and Douglas attacking each other from
every vantage point. In way Mrs. Cush-
ing, while always the prize for which they
are fighting, might also be likened % the
ball which is constantly being tossed
across the nets.
When the season closed last Autumn,
with Burden and the lady winners, all the
women of the colony decided that Mrs.
Cushing had made up her mind to become
Mrs. Burden. Otherwise, why did she { e
up all other social pleasures in ordsr TO
join Winnie on the courts? And, un-
doubtedly, her partner would have I'D a
clear field if Mrs. Douglas had not secured
a divorce and so left her former husband
free TO fall in love once more.
When the tennis teams were made up
for this years tournament, Newport got a
shock, for instead Of Winnie, they found
Douglas paired OF with the woman in
Yellow"
How can this be? Is Ethel done with
WINNER asked more than one woman
in the colony
No. indeed!" still others would reply,
Eve hear she Just wants a change. She is
afraid of one-man partner"
1t developed speedily that Mrs. Cush-
ing and Douglas had been playing together
quite a lot over at Forest Hills and on one
OF the private courts in New York. New
port was puzzled and ypbsv ,,,,,Io5 tto