Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-19
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Star.)
CHAPTER XXXV.
Tho Eptp

il conventional evening black that uni
forms eager and blase men alike, and
the mannequins of their joyous world
in the peacock resplendence that Levels
the cheap and the superb; Plerrots
and Columbines. eyes shining with the
thrill of youth that crosses every
threshold with merry speculation-in
endless stream they drove from every
reach of the Riviera TO the gates OF
Nilla Annette.
Beyond the gates, the gardens, and
terraces. miniature lakes and fairy
like structures in deliCately pink
stucco. were bathed in full silver
flood Of artificial moonlight. On the
lakes tiny gondolas tloated laZlly,
through waters rippled by dimly il
Illuminated fountains that spouted faint
perfumes.
Hidden somewhere in a bower of
orange trees an orchestra played its
lamentations and its ecstacies of sum
1ner night passion. Tall palms, feath-
cry topped. black and fantastic, made
bowers around benches and tables;
great stretches of the lawns had been
Carpeted with crush blOssoms-pu
pie lilacs. rhododendrOns, hyacinthS
and clematiS. Now and then from the
branches of a pepper or fig or pine
tree, some fascinated bird OF semi
tropic plumage, too curious TO seek
its nest. gazed down upon the scene
with gem-bright, inQuisitive eyes.
During the day the gates had been
closed to all visitors. Only the work
men caterers, electricians, and the
spluttering, queer-mannered men who
herded troops of dancers and more
pondesCript performers, had been al
lowed to enter the grounds. mere
had been frantic efforts in many
quarters to break through the barrier
so firmly guarded by watchmen, but
none had been successful. Even the
telephone, except that line which
reached the offices of the servants,
had been shut off SO it was that
even the intimateS of Villa Annette,
those who had watched the prepare
tons from day to day, were utterly
amazed at the splendor, the lavish
reSs, the consummate artistry OF the
spectacle into which they strolled.
Teddy Dorminster, who had been
one of those whose call during the day
had been futile. stood amazed when,
with his sister, Betty Weymouth, at
his side, he turned about. on the high
est terrace, to look over the sloping
lawns. Betty exclaimed:
Truly, lan appropriate Whim for
Golden Girl
Daring, brilliant. extravaganza"
Lord Teddy murmured. But just
the sort of thing we might expect
from her, It's not barbaric; there is
nothing Haunting. 1t is Il splash of
countless money and magnifcence. but
a mellow splash. Somehow | can see
n note of usefulness in it all" Betty
Weymouth was silent a moment.
Then she said:
DO you know. Teddy, I think
you're right. There's something in
this scene tonight, in this fete, that
isn't mere extravaganza; it's uncanny,
I know, but l believe there's sadness
in it, some place"
Yes. Like a beautiful woman.
There's JOY always. but for some one.
sadness, too
Betty looked at her brother quickly,
end UNDERSTANDINGS The sadness he
sensed would be for him-that the
girl whose spirits We're being given eX-
preston tonight was beyond his hon
est want of her. Come Betty
said. this is no time to be contentious.
There's Roddy kenilworth. looking
none the worse for that thrilling adj
venture he's rumored to have expert
enced last night with Joanna. Per
haps he'll tell us something. Nobody
seems to know the straight of it,
Kenilworth, who frankly admitted
that he was provoked by Joanna's re-
fusal to hear from him during the day,
treated the inquiries by Lord Teddy
and Betty whimsically. Whatever
you've heard isn't true ne said.
And what's true isn't interesting.
Just a comic opera hold-up, with some
thing fishy about it. The Monaco
police notified me today that all valu-
ables taken by the bandits had been
mysteriously delivered to them in a
package with the terse suggestion
that they be returned to their
owners"
But joanna" Betty Weymouth
asked. You should never have taken
ugly hints about"
Kenilworth ignored the probing. 1T
IS 10 o'clock already" he observed,
land neither she nor Yvonne has APP
peared. Both of them have an
admirable sense of the dramatic"
Footmen in scarlet and gold moved
among the guests. bearing trays on
which cobwebby glasses and silver de-
canters clinked Wines CT Brittany
deaux flowed freely. \ young debu-
tante from America, one of those
whom Joanna used to copy but who.
now, planned long and earnestly to hit
upon ways of copying her, exclaimed
t. her cOmpa Mon:
Its like a scene in a stupendous
movie, only SO different. A movie
party is alwoys so coarse and cheap. |
Here everything is on such a scale
Of splendor that it is romantic. There
IS so much wine and champa gne about |
hut no one is silly"
On the carpet Of flowers a troop of
dancing girls from Cairo whirled into |
their rhythmic involutions, their sinu |
Gus bodies giving cadence to mute
language of love. An English count |
eSS whirled away on the mimoSa bow |
cred dance floor with a partner Dor |
rowed for the moment from a cele
hrated beauty from the chorus of the |
Tolies Bergere. An Indian prince, |
scornful of the rules of his caste, |
wrapped a spell with his somber black !
eyes about a gentle girl in satin and
pearls A deputy Of France discussed
his wife with a Monte Carlo maScotte
IN whose saucy head reposed the Sc
rrets of many other wives.
Into this enchanted garden the
Eolden Girl walked at last, with
Nvonne beside her. In no bit of her
that the eye could discern was there
n memory of the night before;
of the bitter, disastrous hour in
the little room at the clubhouse
on La Turbie; of the desperate
drive down the mountain, or OF the
scene at the fireplace with Yvonne
end John as the actors. The poise
of her was regal. arrogant. The
crowd that watched the turn of her
head, the simmer of her gold brown
hair. the dancing of a thousand phan
toms in her deep brown eyes, saw
only the pride and consciousness of
her golden aura and her self-fndul-
Eence 1t seemed to every one in that
CAV crowd that when Joanna had
looked upon them, had accepted greet
fngs and expressions of wonder, she