Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14
Adamantine Alice and the Famed
Debutante's Despair Engage in
a Little Drama All Their Own.


the girl for the evening.
The girl shrugged her shoulders
with that candor which is only pos
sible when one is morally certain
one will never see the man again af-
ter the close OF the dance. and muir
INJURED, "oh, no"--faint satisfac-
ton clouding her utterance.
That's a nice way to talk" grum-
bled the man.
She looked at him. and demanded:
''well-are you engaged"
"No, sir" he responded, and lighted
q cigarette with emphasis.
She iaughted in merriment that
rose instead of abating. That's
nice way to talk"
He put down his cigarette and
looked at her with new appreciation.
"You pack mean wailop." he decid-
ed.
From the country club piazza their
location was unquestionably roman
tic. The younger set who came out
on the piazza to breathe between
dances would say that they had pos
sibiiities. The older set would mere
1y sigh and repeat their familiar
blatancies about observation-disclosures
youth oon- and oh : to be
-there-again!
The critical youth of the day, how
ever. was too keen TO enjoy a situa-
ton until that situation should be
tried and tested. So. although they
sat beneath a moon that poured hint
ing light and shade over the golf
links In front of them and the little
woody lane at one side. they looked
at each other in cool stock taking.
and were hardly aware that June APP
pealed all about them.
twas an interesting step in the even
ing's formula. He had been present
ed early in the evening. and had kept
in Houch with her since then, making
lordly invasions from the stag line,
and rushing just enough other girls
to keep interest uncertain. There
was nothing large and crude about
his method of attack; and a girl al
ways appreciates flnesse, although at
times she might not like it too we'll.
THEY had finally condecended to
j waste some of the deiirious mu-
sic and sit out and talk. This
was arrived at by the simple and d.
rect method of hitting one full in the
face. He had said:
Look here, you're, interesting;
come on-we'll sit this out"
And she. following him, had muir
INJURED: THANK you too much: If
you get boring. we return. If not.
we do anyway"
They had been fitting with words
for ten minutes. She was more
beautiful and less striking than the
popular ballroom type. Her gown
accented her face instead of her face
accenting her gown. She wore her
looks. her clothes, her line. with an
indifference that killed in different
ways and directions. That same in
difference had Melted her the nick
name OF "Adamantine Alice" by
which she had been known at most
eastern points of collegiate interests
a little earlier in her career. But she
was now twenty-three-unoff iciaIly.
She had passed the dead-line. Seven
years of fame and fortune was all
any girl had q right to expect from
the colleges nowadays. And she had
been adamantine a little too long.
He was very tall and resentfully
ood-looking; and he, too, had a re-
vealing nickname. He was known
quite generally as the "debutante's
despair
Their paths had been parallel and
never had met in the course of their
activities. They knew nothing OF
each other save what they were dis
covering by thrust and parry. But
she was beginning to realize that he
must have a title that somewhat ap-
preached her own.
He was smoking steadily now. re-
garding her as steadily from behind
hts cigarette glow. She became i'm
patient. Men always could pass off an
awkward or delicate or interesting
situation by twiriing with a cigarette.
Gone were the days when girls Twill
ed q kerchief or fan, and cast down
their eyes, in situations"
GIVE me a light" she said
abruptly.
The two smoked and looked at each
other. r,
He spoke softly. You have very
beautiful arms" he said.
She rose and crushed her cigarette
beneath her silver heel. I'm going
back" she said. II ought to have
known, IL ] sat out as much as ten
minutes with . man. that he'd have to
repeat himself"
There was a fraction of q pause
while he wildly tried to remember
what he had said in the course OF
their tourney. She watched him with
something that almost approached q
lser OF triumph. Girls often remem-
Der conversation in detail, while few
are the men who can retrace their
rhetorical steps with any degree OF
accuracy. He had not happened to re-
peat this particular remark. but she
must diSconcert somehow.
His recovery was magnificent. TAX
ing her arm with wide assurance, he
branched off into new territory.
Were not going back until we look
at the moon--that IS. unless you're
afraid to compare yourself with her
radiance"
She allowed her steps to be guided
over the links, where the moon
blazed down upon them. How like q
man. to call the moon q woman" she
mused;. and still neither of them look
cd ut the subject of their converse
ton. ''You know perfectly well tbs
moons man."
Perhaps you're right" he agreed,
and she looked at him suspiciously, 1t
came. mo woman would stay up