The Washington herald., 1922-09-18
The Beautiful
And Damned
continsss from Yesterday.
By r, Scott Fitzgerald.

private pnysfclan. Deing one OF the
benefeiaries. would testify that he
wasn't feeble-minded. And he
wasn't As a matter of fact he
probably did just what he intended
to do with his money-it was per-
fectly consistent with everything
he'd ever done in his life"
'well. you see. feeble -mindedness
Is a great deal like undue in
fiuence-it implies that the property
wasn't disposed OF as originally in
tended. The most common ground
Is duress-physical pressure"
Anthony shook his head.
Not much chance on that, I'm
afraid. Undue influence sounds
hest to me-
After more discussion, 50
technical as to be largely unin-
telligible to Anthony, he retained
MIR. Haight as counsel. The lawyer
proposed an interview with ;ShuS-
tleworth, who. jointly with Wilson.
Hiemer and Hardy. was executor
back later in the wees
II trsnspired that the estate con-
sisted Of approximately SIO.060,seo.
The largest bequest to an in
dividual was of S1,00O.00O, TO Ed
ward Shuttleworth. VINO received
. in addition $4,000 a year salary
as administrators of the Sc. 100000
trust fund. left to be dpied out u
..na raj
cities practically at his own discre-
tion. The remaining ss.9oo.o00
were proportional among the two
cousins ia IDAHO anG about twenty
hvc other DeuedciarIcs. FRIENDS.
secretaries. servants, and en-
pIoyes. who had. at one time or
another. c4rncd :he seal OF Adam
Patch's approval.
At the end of another fortnight
MIR. HaiSht. on a retainer's fee of
$4,000. had begun preparations for
contesting the will.
The winter of Discontent.
Before they had been two months
In the little apartment on Flfty-
seventh street. il had assumed for
both of them the same indernable
but almost material taint that had
impreznated the gray house in
Marietta. There was the odor Of
tobacco always-both of them
smoked necessarily; il was in their
clothes, their blankets, the cur
tains. and the ash Uttered carpets.
Added to this was the wretched
aura of stale wine. with Its IN
evitable suggestion. OF beauty gone
foul and revelry remembered in
disgust. About a particular set OF
glass gobIets on the sideboard the
odor was particularly noticeable.
and in the main room the
mahogany table was ringed with
white circles where glasses had
been set down upon it. There had
been many parties-people broke
things; people became sick in
Gloria's bathroom; people spilled
wine: people made unbelievable
messes of the kitchenette.
These things were a regular part
Of their existence. Despite the
resolutions of many Mondays it was
tscitly understood as the weekend
approached that it should be OBJ
served with some sort of unholy
excitement. When Saturday came
they would not discuss the matter.
but would call up this person or
that from among their circle OF
sufficiently irresponsible friends.
and suggest rendezvous. Only
after the friends had gathered and
Anthony had set out the decanters
would he murmur casually: 81
guess I'll have just one high-ball
myself"
Then thev were of for two
days-realizing on a wintry dawn
that they had been the noisiest
and most conspicuous members OF
the noisiest and most conspicuous
party at the BouI Mich. or the
Club Rance. or at other resorts
much less particular about the
hiIarity Of their clientele. They
would find that they had, some
how, squandered $50 or $50. how
they never knew: they customarily
attributed il to the general penury
o: the friends" who had accom-
panied them
II began to be not unusual for
the more sincere of their friends
to demonstrate with them. in the
very course Of a party. and to pre-
dict a somber end for them in the
loss OF Gloria's looks" and An
thongs constitution" The story
of the summarily interrupted revel
in Marietta had. OF course, leaked
out In detsil-"Muriel doesn't mean
to tell every one she knows" saia
Gloria to Anthony but she thinks
every one she tells is the only one
SheF soinC to tell.'-and. diapha-
nously veHed. the tale had been
given a conspicuous place in Town
TattIe. When the terms Of Adam
Patch's will were made public and
the newspape s printed items con-
cerning Anthony's suit. the story
was beautifully rounded Quito
Anthony's infinite disparagement.
They began to hear rumors about
themselves from all quarters. ru-
mors founded usually on a soCpcon
OF truth. but overlaid with prepos-
ferrous and sinister detail.
Outwsrdly they showed no signs
oC deterioration. Gloria at &c was
st:Il the Gloria Of 20; her complex
ion a fresh damp setting for her
candid eyes: her hair still a childish
glory. darkening slowly from corn
color TO a deep russet gold; her slen-
der body suggesting ever a nymph
running and dancing through
Orphic groves. Masculine eyes.
dozens of them. followed her with a
fascinated stare when she walked
through a hotel lobby or down the
aisle of a theater. Men asked to be
introduced to her, fell into pro-
longed states of sincere admira-
tion, made definite love to her-for
she was still thing of exquisite
and unbelievable beauty. And for