The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-11-17
BLACK OXEN :: :: By Gertrude Anterior

vanity perishes only in the grave.
Beside him stood q man some ten
years younger who was In the
graying period, which gave him
q somewhat dried and duslxy look:
but whose figure was still slender
and whose hard outlines Of face
were as yet unblurred by flesh.
They were, Of course. faultlessly
groomed, but II met in the wilds
Of Africa, clad in rags and beared-
ed like the jungle, to the initiate
they still would have been New
Workers..
''Come inl Come inp' cried the
Judge heartily. Madame "a
tiany will be down in a minute
she prefers to be called Madame
Zattiany, by the way. Thinks
titles in America are absurd unless
wearers were born to them-more
particularly since continental
titles today are worth about as
much as rubles and marks
Mr.. Clavering. you know Mr.. os-
borne7 Madame Zattiany kindly
permitted me to bring him as
she was having q little party.
Families old friends"
His Ancestors.
Clavering placed two fingers In
the limp hand extended and, met
the cold appraising eye calmly.
| The New York assumption that all
other Americans are rank out
siders, that, in short, not to have
been born in New York is a social
and irremediable crime, have often
annoyed him but never caused him
to feel the slightest sense Of
inferiority. He had his own an
cestors, as important In their way
as any bewigged old Dutchman--
all Of whom. he reminded himself,
had been but honest burghers
| in Holland. But he admired their
consistency. Tho rest Of the
country had been commenting
bitterly on the New York
attitude since the eighteenth cen
fury. And when you got under
their protective armor they were
an honorable and a loyal lot.
Meanwhile 1t paid to be as rude
as themselves.
IT am delighted that Madame
Zattiany has decided to come out
OF her shell at last" said Judge
Trent, shaking vigorously. 1--WE
been urging it for some, time.
But she has had long and har-
rowing experience, and seemed
to want only to rest. / think
the stir she made at your first
nights. Clavering, had something
to do with it. There was time,
| you know, when she never APP
peared without making e. sensa-
tion-like poor Mary before her
but young an she IL all that seems
almost too remote to recall OF
course, IL she had been able to
live in London or Paris after the
war It would have been different,
but she was stuck In Buda Pesth
and Vienna-ahg'
Madame Zattiany had entered
the room. She wore pale green
chiffon with floating sleeves that
left her arms bare. In the sub.
dued light she looked like girl
playing at Undine.
Clavertng heard Dinwiddie give
q sharp hiss. Cad! More like
Mary than ever. Nile-green was
her favorite color"
She greeted the Judge and
Clavering with her slight flicker.
ing smile and then turned to tho
other two men.
This must be Mr.. Osborne, as
Judge Trent pointed out Mr.. Din
widdie to me one day on Fifth
avenue. It was kind Of you both
to come In this informal manner.
appreciate It very much"
Her manner was a little ike
that Of princess giving audi
ence, Clavering reflected, a man.
ner enhanced by her slight ac-
cent and profound repose, the
negligent lifting Of her hand to be
kissed; and as she stood graciou-
you kept watch beneath my win
unhoped-for felicity che looked
less American, more European,
than ever. But Clavering won
dered for the first time If that
perfect repose were merely the
expression Of a profound indiffer-
ence, almost apathy but
no. she was too young for that,
however the war may have
scared her; and she was smiling
spontaneously. there was a gen.
uine note Of pleasure in her
voice as she turned to him.
ut was more than kind Of you
to watch my house until the DO.
liceman came" she said on q
lower key. at was really alarmed
when remembered that broken
window and all those dreadful
stories in the newspapers. But
you kept watch beneath my win
dows like a preux chevalier and