The Washington times., 1921-03-23

out aS tne MoOesty. ~ 10" 80
staterooms for guests besides crew
| quarters. The dining saloon, for
| ward, was a dream. There was a
beautiful piano and phonograph. Mr..
Stillman has a wonderful bedroom. a
double room. with two beds and done
in pearl Cputty' the decorators call
IT. with black stripes. on Mr.. Still
mans room is a boudoir with the
| same color effects.
THE draperies match. Also the
rich shades. The boudoir contains
two dressing closets and lovely
mirror. Both bedroom and boudoir
furniture, I am told, are Louis XIV.
style. The dressing tables are COW
cred with cretonne. The carpet IN
Mrs. Leeds room Is blue.
~ call 1t Mrs. Leeds room because
she was the only steady occupant OF
the boudoir.
Everything about the boat was
sumptuous. There were ten wondrous
chairs, with hand-painted backs. in
the SALON.. The service was of solid
silver. The china was genuine and
! rare. Even the cocktail shakers were
of pure gold. Mr.. Stillman insisted on
shaking up his own cocktails. Mrs.
Leeds was fond of them-also an oc-
casional nip Of absinthe.
AFTER the Modesty was put in COM
mission we anchored off the New York
Yacht Club. Early in September there
was q small, formal, and not very
lively dinner party. Mrs. Stillm IN and
Mr.. Prentice were there; also Mrs.
Percy Rockefeller, Mr.. Stillmans sis
ter.
ALSO early in the fall, and a
couple OF days after this little dinner
party. Mrs. Leeds came aboard for
the hrst time since the Modesty was
commissioned. She came in the
morning, alone. Right then our sus-
picions were confirmed. You know
it's a rule on a yacht that when q
woman comes aboard alone NUNS
| the word
THAT first day we took a sail up
the Sound and returned in the night.
Mrs. Leeds stayed on board all night
using her beautiful little boudoir.
Mr.. Stillman seemed very attentive
| to her, but somehow 1 gained an i'm
preston that was later strengthened
that she was not so fond of him as
| he was of her.
This was the lady's nrst visit.
There were many others-always the
story was the Same. Mp. Stillman
would entertain respectfully one even-
| ing and then devote himself TO Mrs.
Leeds the next. No other incident
la month or six weeks later-early in
November, 1920, should say.
ANOTHER WOMAN ABOARD.
J Then one evening Mr.. Stillman
brought another woman aboard. She
was about as tall as Mrs. Leeds, but
her slimness gave her an appearance
Of hat 70 he hoA rIr dich
hair, not yellow-reddish, like Mrs.
Leeds.
The following morning we saw a
little gray car come shooting down
to the landing of the New York
Yacht Club. 1t was Mrs. Leeds car
and she was driving.
"She came out to the Modesty and
| called for me. She seemed greatly
excited. She said to me: Steward.
woman has been aboard. Who 10
she?' Somehow 1 got the impression
she was having Mr.. Stillman followed
and had the goods
you the mistaken. I haven't seen
any other woman She said: Well,
don't believe you. / have lost a
wrist watch and some jewelry and
believe that woman took II. I want
to search the yacht
She was excited and insistent and
| together we searched the vessel. We
went everywhere. As usual, I made
up blum bed in a spare state
room.
SEARCHED MATTRESS.
| at had not been used. But Mrs.
\ Leeds Insisted on turning the mat
tress back and searching 1t as we'll
as the beds in Mr.. Stillman's room
and all about the boudoir. But she
didn't find anything. Finally. she
went away. and never heard
whether she found her. missing jew
elry.
| 81 thought at the time she had
der to gain an opportunity to search
the boat and find out something about
her rival. The rivals name? Blessed
| IL / can recall 1t. I remember, Mr..
Stillman said to me when she came
aboard: This is Miss So-and-So,' but
/ can't remember the name. Anyway,
she never came back. / sort Of felt
Mrs. Leeds had taken care of that!
Il did not see Mrs. Leeds for a
good while after that The Modesty
late in the Fall went to Mrs. Clar-
ence H. Mackay's hunting preserves
at GARDENERS Island. Then up the
Sound so Mr.. Stillman could attend
football game at New Haven. Mr..
Prentice was with Mr.. Stillman. Mrs.
Leeds was not taken along and am
sure Mr.. Prentice knew little about
her. Mr.. Prentice was a very fine
man and I don't believe he would
stand for much immortality.
| Late in November, as l recall, we
went to Norfolk, Va, and then to
w. e. Corey's place, forty-five miles
from Norfolk, where Mr.. Stillman
Mr.. Prentice and Others went duel,
hunting. We were in Norfolk last
Christmas and received orders to
proceed to Miami. This was late in
January and Mr.. Stildman and Mr.
Prentice Joined us.
CAME ABOARD EVERY DAY.
I'VE arrived in Miami on Febru.
ary Z, 1921. Because we drew SC
much water we had to anchor in
the causeway. The day after we
MOVING. PACKING & STORAGE