Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-06-07


all should arrive at the club masked
Archibald Welkins consequently left
! the limousine to be used by his wife
and her friends, and taking the bag
containing his costume, which was sup
posed to resemble King Charles II,
drove In his roadster to Tom Bayne's
house. where he found a group of men,
some of them already in their ffnery,
some dressing all with cocktail glasses
in their haHds.
By the time he had donned the regA
wig and knee breeches, and drank
three cocktails. ne began to change his
mind about the fancy dress ball It
was an amusing idea, this secrecy. He
was going to have good time. Never
theless. when he asked Eleanor what
she was going to wear she should have
told him. He still felt some resentment
about that.
Tom Bayne had an excellent cellar.
With dinner he served large highballs,
and his Scotch was exceptionally
good. AS Archibald Welkins was leav.
ing with the others, he caught his re-
Election In a mirror and approved
thereof. The jewelled star shone bril-
l1antly upon his breast; the black silk
stockings admirably set off his leg,
which was good leg, and the long,
dark, curly wig gave him, he thought, a
mysterious appearance. What did he
care, after all, about Eleanor'S refusal
to tell him what her costume was to
be? He wasn't going to worry about
Eleanor tonight. Not hel He had
offered to-that was enough. She
didn't know what he was wearing,
either. Yes, he was going to have a
good timel
With an Arab sheik, a Chinaman,
and soldier in the buff and blue Of
the Continental army as his passen-
gers, he drove to the club, handling his
roadster dashingly, and to avoid being
recognized by his car, parked beside
the drive at some distance from the
door, and walked with his companions
to the clubhouse.
The doors and the French windows
were open; dancing had already start.
ed; they could hear the music as they
walked across the grass. Inside the
ballroom Welkins paused to review the
animated spectacle. Masked soldiers,
clowns, coolies. court beauties, bull
fighters, odalisques, woman jockies,
gelsha, harlequins. cowboys, Spanish
senoritas, mandarins, pirates, nymphs,
Turks. vaQueros, peasants, whirled to
the music of the jazz band.
Looking them over as they circled
past, he presently thought he recog-
nized his wife. She was dressed-if
indeed 1t was Eleanor-as a French
court lady, with patches, a high,
powdered wig and panniered gown Of
Powered silk, and was dancing with a
Roman gladiator. He watched her
around the room. Her height, her fig.
ure, her carriage were Eleanor's, and
the costume had dignity Characters
tic Of his wife's taste. When she had
passed several times he was quite GER
tain of her.
Presently he became interested in
Cleopatra, who foS-trotted into view
with Napoleon. Eleanor would have
made handsome Cleopatra, too, but
he felt sure she would never appear
in public in such scant attire.
That Cleopatra woman was certainly
attractive, though! He cut in on her
and, as they danced, talked in a false
voice, endeavoring to guess at her
Identity. But the fair Egyptian was
popular. An Indian Rajah soon
snatched her away, leaving King
Charles II free to seek out fascinating
Columbine who, several times, had
passed near him in a dance, and
seemed responsive to his glances.
Presently, with a beau of the Colon
ial period, she came down the floor, a
sprightly figure in short black satin
dress with waist cut to q deep V In
back, springy little skirts, thin open
work stockings and ballet slippers.
With her huge white ruff and her black
cooked hat pulled down at a saucy
angle over bobbed red hair, she looked
the incarnation of irresponsible gaiety.
He cut In and found that her dane
ing confirmed his impression. How
light, how responsive she was
ave been aiming to catch you'll" he
told her, disgusting his voice by pitch.
ing it low.
"'Ave you, MONSIEUR she chirped
swell, zen, we are sympathique, for ]
too ave look at you, you beeg, and.
some mani" The mink. She gave his
hand a squeeze-which he promptly
returned.
"Are you French?" he asked in his
assumed voice. "or are you putting
on that accent?"
"What you sink, monsieurT
II think" he said, that if you're
putting 1t on you do 1t very we'll"
IAN you, you bad, weeked kingi
Ow is your Nell GwynT she asked.
"Never mind Nell Gwyn," he said.
sits you I'm interested in. Don't tell
me you're just a nice little married
woman In disguise-wife Of some man
who commutes to business In New
York and drives ball around these
links on Sundays"
"You 'ope I'm real naughty French
girlT' she asked, archly.
"Indeed 1 dor
swell, zen, follow mel And with
that she disengaged herself and fitted
swiftly through French window Lead
ing to the terrace.
Pursuing, he lost her momentarily,
for In the darkness her black dress
p1Vp hnr on odunDfoOo h,,t no che