Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-10-15

hurst eyed him stonily through a
raised lorgnette. One or two low
Kisses were heard, and over at the
other end of the room somebody
opened the window In a marked man
ner.
Raymond Parsloe Devine hesitated
for a moment then. realizing his
situation, turned and skunk to the
door. There was an audible sigh of
relief as 1t closed behind him.
Vladimir Brusiloff proceeded to
sum up.
NO novelists any good except me.
Sovietski-yah! Nastikoff-bah! 1 spit
me of zem all. No novelists anywhere
any good except me. P. G. wode-
house and Tolstoi not bad. Not good.
but not bad. No novelists any good
except me-
And, having uttered this dictum.
tho human violet removed q slab of
cake from nearby plate. steered 1t
through the Jungle. and began to
champ.
II
1 a dead silence. There could never
be that in any room in which Vladimir
Brusiloff was eating cake. But GER
tainly what you might call the gen.
eral chat-chat was pretty well down
and out. Nobody liked to be the first
to speak. The members Of the Wood
Hills Literary Society looked at one
another timidly. Cuthbert for his
part, gazed at Adeline: and Adeline
gazed into space. 1t was plain that
the girl was deeply stirred. Her eyes
were opened wide, a faint flush GRIM
soned her cheeks. and her breath was
coming quickly.
Adeline's mind was in a whirl. She
felt as If she had been walking gaily
along a pleasant path and had stopped
suddenly on the very brink Of a preci-
pice. 1t would be idle to deny that
Raymond Parsloe Devine had attract
ed her extraordinarily. She had taken
him at his own valuation as an ex-
tremely hot potato. and her hero
worship had gradually been turning
into love. And now her hero had been
shown to have feet Of clay. 1t was
hard. I consider. on Raymond Parsloe
Devine. but that is how 1t goes in
this world. You get following as a
celebrity. and then you run up against
another bigger celebrity and your adj
mirers desert you. One could moralize
on this at considerable length, but
better not, perhaps. Enough to say
that the glamor Of Raymond Devine
ceased abruptly in that. moment for
Adeline, and her most coherent
thought at this juncture was the re-
solve, as soon as she got up to her
room, to burn the three signed pho
tographs he had sent her, and to give
the autographed presentation set of
his books to tho ice man.
Mrs. Smethurst, meanwhile. having
rallied somewhat, was endeavoring to
set the feast OF reason and flow of
soul going again.
And how do you like America, Mr..
Brusiloft7' she asked.
The celebrity paused In the act of
lowering another segment Of cake.
Damn good" he replied cordially.
II suppose you have travelled ali
over the country by this time
You said it." agreed tho thinker.
Have you met many Of our great
public men7'
'Yais. Yais. Quite a few Of the
nibs. The President. meet him.
But" Beneath the mating q
discontented expression came into his
face, and his voice took en- q peevish
note. '.But not meet your real
great men-your volterragin. your
Yarker Sheeeon. not meet them.
That's what gives me the pipovitch.
Have you ever met volterragfn and
Yarker Sheeson"
+ = Il
4 STRAINED, anguished look came
n into Mrs. smethurst's face and
was reflected in the faces Of the other
members Of the circle. The eminent
Russian had sprung two entirely new
ones on them, and they felt that their
ignorance was about to be exposed.
What would Vladimir Bulsilon think
of the Wood Hills Literary Society,"
Tho reputation Of the Wood Hills
Literary Society was at stake,
trembling In the balance, and COM
ing up ter ~ tAira time. In dumb
agony Nh sustharst rolled her syes