The Washington herald., 1922-08-08

himself. 1t was barred from the
public library, of Burlington, Iowa.
and q mid-Western columnist an
nounced by innuendo that Richard
Caramel was in a sanitarium with
delirium tremens.
The author. indeed, spent his days
in a state of pleasant madness. The
book was in his conversation three
fourths of the, time-he wanted to
know II one had heard the latest"
he would go into a store and In a
loud voice order books to be chargeo
to him, In order 70 catch q chance
morsel of recognition from clerk or
customer. He knew to "a town In
what sections of the county it was
selling best; he knew exactly what
he cleared on each edition, and
when he met any one who had not
read it. or, as it happened only too
often, had not heard of it. he sue
cumbed to moody depression.
So II was natural for Anthony
and Gloria to decide. in their jeal-
ousy, that he was so swollen with
conceit as to be a bore. To Dicks
| great annoyance Gloria publicly
boasted that she had never read
The Demon Lover" and didn't in
tend to until every one stopped talk
ing about 1t. AS a matter of fact.
she had no time to read now, for
the presents were pouring in-first
scattering. then an avalanche,
varying fro the brio "a -brac of:
forgotten family friends to the
photographs Of forgotten poor re-
lations.
Maury gave them an elaborate
drinking set." which included silver
% Lat IoI
openers. The extortion from Dick
was more conventional-a tea set
from Tiffany's From Joseph Bloeck-
man came a simple and exquisite
travelling clock. with his card There
was even a cigarette holder from
Bounds; this touched Anthony and
made him want to weep-indeed.
any emotion short of hysteria
seemed natural in the half dozen
people who were swept up by this
Tremendous sacrifice to convention.
The room set aside in the Plaza
bulged with offe ferings sent by Har-
ward friends and by associates of
his grandfather. with remembrance
Of Gloria's Farmover days. and with
rather pathetic trophies from her
former beaux. which last arrived
with esoteric. melancholy messages.
written on cards tucked carefully
inside. beginning II little thought
when" or I'm sure I wish you all
| ,he happiness" or even when you
get this I shall be on my way to"
The most magnificent gift was
simultaneously the most disappoint-
ing. 1t was concession of Adam
Patch's-a check for $1,000
To most of the presents Anthony
oil 10
they would necessitate keeping
chart Of the marital status of all
their acquaintances during the next
each one, tearing at the tissue papeS
and excelsior with. the rapacious-
ness of a dog digging for a bone.
breathlessly seizing a ribbon or an
edge of metal and finally bringing
to light the whole article and hold
ing 1t up critically. no emotion ex-
cept rapt interest in her unsmiling
face.
Look. Anthony
Darn nice. isn't it"'
No answer until an hour later
when she would give him a careful
account of her precise reaction to
the gift, whether ii would have been
improved by being smaller or larger,
whether she was surprised at get
ting it, and IL so, just how much
surprised.
Mrs Gilbert arranged and rear
ranged a hypothetical house. dis
tributing the gifts among the differ
mt rooms. tabulating articles as
''second-best clock" or silver to use
every day." and embarrassing
| Anthony and Gloria by semi-face-
tious references to a room she called
the nursery. She was pleased by
old Adams gift and thereafter had
IL that he was a very ancient soul,
as much as anything else" As
Adam Patch never quite decided
whether she referred to the advan-
cling senility of his mind or to some
private and psychic schema of her
own, it cannot be said to have
pleased him. Indeed, he always
spoke of her to Anthony as that
old woman, the mother" as though
she were a character in a comedy
he had seen staged many times be-
fore. Concerning Gloria he was
unable to make up his mind. She
attracted him but, as she herself
told Anthony. he had decided that
she was frivolous and was afraid
to approve of her.
Five days!-A dancing platform
was being erected on the lawn at
Tarrytown. Four days.-A special
train was chartered to convey the
guests to and from New York. Three
daysI--