The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-10-08
A SHORT STORY


reel, as someone who didn't belong
Not that she's SO freaky, or that there
wasn't plenty of other queer ones in
the company. Course them big Alice
blue eyes of hers was kind of bulgy
and starey, and she had sort of weird
do on her ash blonde hair, something
like the couture effects a head wait
ress or movie ticket queen will invent
Also that fringed smock affair, with all
the bead work on it was a bit strik-
ing.
But expect it was her walk that
really got me gawpin' after her.
Threw her shoulders into every step,
as if she was tryin' to put body
English on her stride, or like she was
coming over ploughed field. You
know Mannish. And / remember
nudgin' Wee and remarkin'. Say,
who's the young lady husk with the
heavy tread?"
"I'm sure haven't an idea, Torchy,"
says Wee. "But then, one is liable to-
see all kinds here"
It's fact. Anyway, every time I've
been favored with an invite to Dun
more Hall, which has been twice be-
fore, I've wondered where this Mrs
Oakley Jones collected 'em from. l
suppose it's one of her fads. She's
a faddy party, Mrs. Jones. She can
afford to be, for Oakley is president
of the baking powder trust, or some
thing like that. Well, it might be
chewing gum or bath tubs, or vacuum
sweepers. Don't matter.
But whatever big combine he's the
head of it's dividend producer. You
can tell that just by co4ntin' the two
buffers and the full chorus of maids
f1oatin' around, even if you didn't no
tice the deer park and the marble
swimmin' pool and the Chinese rugs
and the garage that looks like a young
city hall. The 4O0-acre estate that's
spread around Dunsmore Hall, in
cludin' half dozen of the Shinnecock
Hills "a couple of ponds and a private
9-hole golf course, ought to give you
the idea that there was he-sized in
come somewhere in the background.
And you'd never suspect, to look at
Oakley Jones, that he could connect
with a kale harvest like that all by
himself A mild-mannered, soft-talkin'
inconspicuous party, Oakley; a short
dumpy gent with watery blue eyes
and thin grayish hair. Just as likely
as not, too, while the place is swarmin'
with weekend guests who are pullin'
all sorts of interestin' stunts, you'll
find him out back of the service wing
practicin' mashie shots on the lawn,
with maybe chauffeur as an assistant
gardener retrievin' balls for him. They
say he's perfectly punk golfer, but
nobody works harder at it than him.
He'll do his three rounds in the morn
in and then spend most of the after
noon tryin' to chip peck of prac-
tice balls over hedge into a wash
tub. Maybe Bruzinski, the great vio-
linist, is entertainin' mob in the big
hall, or Sothern and Marlowe, or one
of the Presidential candidates, or a
Russian dancer is holdin forth inside,
but Oakley will dub away with his
mashie persistent.
Mr.. Ookley Jones. though, will be
right in the limelight. Trust her.
She'll be fioatin' around, smilin' and
noddin, introducin' folks here, shooin'
a flock of maids there, snappin' her
fingers at butler, and generally stage
managin' her Sunday afternoon show.
It's no SLOUGH of job, I'll say. For
when you've rounded up three or four
celebrities and near-celebrities, and
have collected maybe half hundred
guests from all over that end of Long
Island, with the idea of keepin' EN-
all entertained for three or four hours,
as well as provided with food, you
can't just sit back and trust to luck,
You've either gotta have good pro.
gram to follow or else be a shifty inn
proviser.
This tall, willowy lady with the
dark brown eyes and the slim. nervous
fingers seems to be equal to it, though
She don't start anything she cant
finish, Mrs. Oakley Jones. What if the
Newport set did try to put up the
bars on her few years back? AIM
she shown 'em they amt the only
ones that can win space in the societ,
column? I'll tell the jury she is. i
was her idea, you can bet, of buyin
an English country house. havin' i
taken apart and shipped over here t.
be set up on the top of this Loni
Island Hill. And If there's anything
outside of England that's more Englisl
than Dunmore Hall I'd like to see it
Univ 4hau ovon oo1ahrata Whit Sim