The Washington times., 1923-11-16


"Mary Ogden" as Clavering called
her for want Of the truth, was at
each. She never rose in her seat
again, and, indeed. seemed to seek
inconspicuousness. but she was al
ways in the second or third row
of the orchestra, and she wore q
different gown on each occasion.
AS she entered after the curtain
rose and stole out before it went
down for the last time, few but
those in the adjacent seats and
boxes were edited by any details
of those charming creations, al
though it was noticeable that the
visiting Of both sexes was most
active in her neighborhood.
For by this time she was 'sthe
talk of the town." or of that i'm.
portant and excessively active
minded section of Greater New
York represented at flrst-nights.
The columnists had commented on
her, One had indited ten lines Of
free verse IN her honor, another
had scared on the wings OF seven
feenth century English into q
panegyric on her beauty and her
halo of mystery. A poet-editor-
wit had cleped her ''The Silent
Drama" Had it been wartime she
would inevitably have beer set
down as spy, and as 1t ives there
were dark differences that she was
a Bolshevik agent who had snaug-
gled vast sums Of money into the
country and passed It on to the
Reds. There were those who
opined she was some rich mans
mistress, recently imported, snatch
ed from some victim OF revolution
who could no longer afford her.
Blonde madonnas were always
under suspicion unless you knew
ali about them. Others, more prac-
teal, scoffed at these fancy theories
and asserted roundly that she was
either a Russian refugee who had
sound American or English invest
nnents, or some American woman,
educated abroad, who knew no one
in New York and amused herself
at the theater. Indeed2 Why
then should an obviously wealthy
young woman Of as obviously good
birth and breeding bring no
letters7 Something crooked. not
a doubt OF 1t. A European
girl or young widow Of posi-
ton would never come to America
without chaperone; nor an
American brought up abroad. A
woman with that AIR knows
what's what. She's simply put
herself beyond the pale and
doesn't care. Some impoverished
woman of the noblesse who has
taken up with . rich man.
The men would have liked to
put a detective on the track Of
every millionaire In town.
Clavering had confided in no
one. and Mr.. Dinwiddie, although
he had attended q party given by
one of the most hospitable Of the
Sophisticates where the unknown
was discussed from cocktail to
cocktail, and where, forgetting his
arteries he had befuddled himself
ct the generous fount, had guarded
his tongue. To Clavering he had
been unable to extend either hope
or information. Mrs. oglethorpe
had turned bleak and rigid
countenance upon the friend OF
her youth when he had called with
an eager ear, and forbidden him
tartly ever to mention the sub
1ect to her again.
Interview must have been
devilish unpleasant to curdle poor
old Jane like that" he had com.
mented. mo doubt the girl
showed her the door. Cad! Janet
But Mary's daughter could do it.
None better"
Disappointed
Clavering was deeply disap.
pointed. He turned a scowlinR
back on the gossips rending The
Topic to tatters. New York must
have new Topic every season.
This girl had arrived in a season
Of dearth. And unless she were
discovered to be living in abso.
lutte flagrancy, they would throw
down the carpet. Some went
even further. After all, what
But there seemed to be not the
remotest prospect Of meeting her,
nor even Of solving the mystery.
She had been seen striding round
the reservoir in a short skirt and
high laced boots of. soft pale
leather. One triumphant woman
had stood next to her at a glove
counter and overheard her observe
to the clerk in a sweet and rather
deep voice with an ineluctably re.
fined and foreign-accent that
gloves were cheaper in New York
than in Paris. She had been
passed several times in her smart
little car. and once she had been
seen going into the Public Ii
brary. Evidently she was no
hermit. Several Of the Sophisti.
cafaa had frianS. - .n