The Washington herald., 1921-03-20

full Of rare welcome and discrim-
mating bounty. Those friends. said
Grandemont. should once more, II
nineteenth of January to celebrate
the festal day OF his house.
Grandemont had his cards Of in
vitation engraved. They were ex-
pensive, but beautiful. In one par
ticular their good taste might have
been disputed: but the Creole al
lowed himself that one feather in
the cap of his fugacious splendor
Might he not be allowed, for the
one day Of the renaissance. to b..
"Grandemont du Puy Charles. of
Charleroi?" He sent the invitation.
out early in January, SO that the
guests might not fail to receive due
notice.
At eight o'clock in the morning
of the nineteenth. the lower coast
steamboat River Belle gingerly ap-
preached the long-unused landing
at Charleroi. The bridge was low
cred. and a swarm OF the plantation
hands streamed along the rotting
pier, bearings ashore a strange as
sortment Of freight.
Great shapeless bundles and bales
and packets swathed in cloths and
bound with ropes; tubs and urns
of palms, evergreens, and tropical
bowers; tables, mirrors, chairs,
couches, carpets, and pictures-all
carefully bound and padded against
the dangers of transit.
Grandemont was among them, the
busiest there. To the safe convey
| ance of certain large hampers elo-
quent with printed cautions to deli
cate handling he gave his superin-
| tendence, for they contained the
! fragile china and glassware. The
dropping of one of those hampers
| would have cost him more than he
could have saved in a year.
The last article unloaded, the
River Belle backed of and contin-
ued her course down stream. In
| less than an hour everything had
been conveyed to the house. And
came then Absalom's task, directing
the placing of the furniture and
wares. There was plenty of help
for that day was always a holiday
in Charleroi, and the negroes die
not suffer the old traditions to
lapse. Almost the entire popula.
tion of the quarters volunteered
their aid. A score of piccaninnies
were sweeping at the leaves in, the
yard. In the big kitchen at the real
Andre. was lording 1t with his old
time magnifcence over his numer.
Gus sub-cooks and scullions. Shut
ters were flung wide; dust spun In
clouds; the house echoed to voice,
and the tread of busy feet. The
prince had come again, and Charlie
roi woke from its long sleep.
The full moon, as she rose across
the river that night and peepet
above the levee, saw a sight tha
had been long mfssing from he,
orbit. The old plantation hous'
shed q soft and alluring radiance
from every window. OF it's two
score rooms only four had been re
furnished-the large reception
4 chamber. the dining hall, and tw'
smaller rooms for the convenienc
of the expected guests. But lighte'
wax candles were set in the win
dows of every room.
The dining hall was the che
d'oeuvre. The long table, set wit
twenty-five covers, sparkied ike
winter landscape with its snow
napery and china and the icy CLEAN
| OF crystal. Inc cndSte Deduty VI th'
room had required small adornmen'
The polished floor burned to a glow
ing ruby with the reflection of can
die light. The rich wainscotini
reached half way to the ceiling
Along and above this had been Sc
the relieving lightness of few wa
ter-color sketches of fruit an
flower.
i The reception chamber was fitte,
In a simple but elegant style, 1t
arrangement suggested nothing o
the fact that on the morrow tn
room would again be cleared an
abandoned to the dust and the spi
der. The entrance hall was impos
ing with palms and ferns and tn
light Of an immense candelabrun
AZ seven o'clock Grandemont. &
evening dress. with pearls--a fam
lily passion-in his spotless liner
emerged from somewhere. The in
n vitations had specified eight as tn
dining hour. He drew an armchai
upon the porch, and sat there smok
ing cigarettes and hRif dreaming.
y The moon was an hour high. FIT
=.