The Washington times., 1924-01-03
BLACK OXEN : By Gertrude Atherton

to hot water in the bedrooms, par
ticularly as Mr.. Dinwiddie had
had no time to assemble a corps
of servants, and as Mary washed
her face and hands in what felt
like melted ice, the shock made
her tingle and. she would have
liked to sing.
The Bell
A deep bell sounded. Doors
flew open up and down the cor
rider, which was immediately
filled with an eager chatter.
Rollo Todd stamped down the
stair singing "Oh, Hunger. Sweet
Hunger" The others took it up
in various keys, and when Mary
went down a moment later they
were all Iswarming about the din
ing table at the end Of the living
room.
This room which was fully SO
feet long and half as wide, was
lit by lamps suspended from the
ceiling and heated by an immense /,
fireplace in which logs, that
looked like half sections of trees,
were blazing in pile as high
as a small bonfire. The walls
were sealed and decorated with
antlered deerheads, woven bright
Indian blankets, snapshots of Mr..
Dinwiddie's many guests, and old
Indian weapons. In one corner,
above divan covered with gay
cushions, were book shelves filled
with old novels. A shelf had
been built along one side of the
room for fine specimens of Indian
pottery and fine basket weaving.
The comfortable chairs were in
Vulnerable, and there was another
divan and victrola. The guide
had filled the vases with balsam,
whose pungent odor blended with
the resinous fumes of the burning
logs; and through the open door
came the scents of the forest.
Ideal place for everything but
spooning," cried Todd. "The
woods and the lake are all right
in fine weather, but what do you
expect us to do If it rains. mine
host? DFyou mean to say you
haven't any little retiring rooms?"
mot a thing unless you retire
to the gun room. but who comes
up to the woods to spoon In the
house?"
"Rolly never spoons anyhow"
announced Eva Darling, whose
blue eyes. however, were anguish
ing toward the table. But 1t
makes him unhappy to think he
can't burst in on somebody"
Hold your tongue, Evy. You
don't know what you're taek're
about. Because I'm quite
insensible to your charms :
dent fool yourself that I'm an
anohorite. merely prefer
brunettes."
Come. come. children Mr..
Dinwiddie was rubbing his hands
at the end of the table covered
with blue china and mounds Of
homemade cake. stop quar-
relling and sit down. Anywhere,
No ceremony here"
Some of the guests were in
their seats. The others fairly
swooped into theirs, entirely re-
CARELESS of anything so unseat-
able as neighbors. Mrs. Lar
sing, a tall, red-haired. raw-boned
New England woman, had en-
tered, bearing an enormous platter
of fried trout, fresh from the
lake. Larsing, burnt almost as
dark as an Indian, followed with
a plate of potatoes boiled in
their jackets balanced on one
hand. and q small mountain of
johnny cake on the other. He
returned In a moment with two
large platters of sliced ham and
cold boiled beef, and the guests
were left to wait on themselves.
The dinner was the gayest Mary
had ever attended, for even the
Sophisticates, however lively, pre-.
served a certain formality in town;
when she was present, at all
events. Rollo Todd broke into
periodical whoops, to Mr.. Dinwid-
dies manifest delight. The others
hurst into SoOp uhila uuaft hno For