The Washington herald., 1920-07-13
Dinner at
CONTINUED PROM PAGE ONE.

and the tvory-white face Of Amy
Ffoiliott, ~ she cfinSs desperate
~ with esch slender hand. Fear
mas come and gone; T. has left
ner expression pensive and just
q little pleading. for life IL not
so bitter.
And then the clatter and swoop
OF Mounted Policeman Van Swell
Ter! Oh, II was-but the story
mas not yet been printed. when
n Is ysu shall learn how he sent
MS bay like q bullet after the
lmperilled Victoria. A Crichton,
croesus, and q Centgur In one.
ne hurls lie sincijIe ccnbfna-
ton Into the chase.
When the'story is printed you
VIII admire the breathless scene
where Van sweller checks the
neadlong team. And then he
looks Into Amy Ffolliott's eyes
and sees two things--the possi4
pillties OF happiness he has
long sought. and q nascent prom
ise OF 1t. He Is unknown to her:
but he stands IN her sight illum-
mated by the hero's potent glory.
she his and he hers by all the
golden, fond, unreasonable laws
OF love and light literature.
Ay. that Is a rich moment. And
II will stir you to find Van Swell
Ter In that fruitful nick of time
thinking of his comrade O'Roon,
VINO Is cursing his gyrating bed
and incapable legs In an unsteady
room in a West Side hotel while
van Sweller holds his badge and
his honor.
Van Sweller hears Miss
Ffolliott's voice thrillinsly ask
Ing the name of her preserver.
, IL Hudson Van Sweller. in police
mems uniform. has saved the life
OF palpitatlng beauty in the park
where Is Mounted Policeman
O'Roon. in whose territory the
deed Is done? How quickly by
q word can the hero reveal him.
self. thus discarding his mas
querade OF ineligibility and doub-
ling the romance! But there Is
his friend!
Van sweller touches his cap.
It's nothing, Miss" he says,
sturdils; that's what we are paid
for-to do our duty" And away
he rides. But the story does not
end there.
As l have said. Van Sweller
carried off the park scene to my
decided satisfaction. Even to me
he was a hero when he foreswore.
for the sake OF his friend, the
romantic promise OF his adven-
ture. 1t was later in the day.
amongst the more exacting con-
ventlons that encompass the So
ciety hero, when we had our live
Hest disagreement. Abknoon he
went TO O'Roon's roomShd found
him far enough recovered to re-
turn to his post, which he at once
did.
At about 6 o'clock in the after
noon Van Sweller fingered his
watch. and flashed at me a brief
look full OF such shrewd cunning
that l suspected him at once.
Time to dress for dinner, old
man" he said. with exaggerated
carelessness.
Very WE'LL" / answered. with
out giving him a clew to my sus-
picions: Il will 60 with you to
your rooms and see that you do
the thing properly. 1 suppose that
every author must be a valet to
his own hero"
He affected cheerful acceptance
of my somewhat officious proposal
to accompany him. I could see
that he was annoyed by it and
that fact fastened deeper in my
mind the conviction that he was
meditating some act of treachery.
When he had reached his apart
ments he said to me. with a too
patronizing air: There are. you
perhaps know. quite a number of
little distinguishing touches to be
had out of the dressing process.
Some writers rely almost wholly
upon them. / suppose that l am
TO ring for my man and that he
Is to enter noiselessly. with an ex-
pressionless countenance"
He may enter" i said. with
decision. and only enter Wallets
do not usually enter a room shout
ing college songs or with st.
Nitus' dance in their faces; so
the contrary may be assumed
without fatuous or gratuitous
asseveration."
Il must ask you to pardon me-"
continued Van Sweller, gracefully,
for annoying you with questions.
bur some of your methods are
a little new to me. Shall I don
full-dress suit with an immac-
ulate white tie-or is there an
other tradition to be upset?"
You will wear" replied, eve
ming dress. such as gentleman
wears. IL 1t is full, your tailor
should be responsible for it's
bagginess. And 1 will leave 1t to
whatever erudition you are sup
posed to possess whether a white
tie is rendered any whittier by be-
ing immaculate. And I will leave
1t to the consciences OF you and
your man whether a tie that Is
not white, and therefore not inn
maculate, could possibly form any
part of gentleman's evening
dress. If not, then the perfect
tie Is included and understood in
the term dress and its express
ed addition predicates either a
redundancy of speech or the spec
tacle of a man wearing two ties
at once"
With this mild but deserved re-
buke 1 left Van Sweller in his
dressing room, and waited for
him in his library.
About an hour after his valet
came out, and / heard him tele-
phone for an electric cab. Then
out came Van Sweller, smiling,
but with that sly, seeretive de-
sign in his eye that was puzzling
me.
Il believe" he said easily, as
he snoothed a glove, that I will
drop in at - for dinner"
l sprang up. angrily. at his
words. This, then, was the pal
try trick he had been scheming
to play upon me. I faced him
with a look SO grim that even
his patrician poise was Npsta..a