Evening star., 1928-11-18

setting down of slightly vitriolic pas
sageS in a secret scrap-book, adorned
with caricatures Of their acquaintance,
also executed with mordant wit.
The scrap-book Simone begged her to
Keep secret, under pain Of her dis
pleasure The mending and fixing
were useful occupations.
Mary Jane could take pair OF sill
yer cloth slippers, ridiculously tiny
thingc, Kicked off by Sinn0ne after a
dance-slippers ruined and wrinkled-
end return them, after a half-hour's
work. shining in all their pristine glory.
Not only shoes. but dresses. too we're
restored to newness. Simone's frocks
were discreet, yet daring. Wonderful
frocks and wonderfully did Simone
wear them.
CINlONE was mana ging, at this time
~ Irritation with Fec Vondegratz.
Prince Vondegratz, partly Russian.
partly German, and possibly partly
Austrian, Hungarian, Polish and
Czechoslovakian. a gentleman Of elias
tic nationality. who claimed different
country before. during and after the
war He was tall. with smooth dark
hair. very blue eyes and spoke with 4
slight. ever so slight lisp.
Simone was used to young men
melting as soon as she condescended to
favor them with her notice. Foreign
crs were liable to be less easily melted,
but even they succumbed in time. 1t
never occurred to her that Vondegratz
was playing the same game in which
she herself was so Skillful.
Unlike the silent and stationary
Mary Jane. she never noticed the fact
that the blue eyes were ice blue, very
cool and amused, and that his temples
had a way of suddenly contracting and
leaving his face blank of expression.
Simone found herself more and more
charmed by Vondegratz. She broke
dates with more reckless abandon to
be with him.
"I wouldn't daily with the notion of
vondegratz. if I were you-w.ich I'm
not, by long shot," Mary Jane said
one day.
Why not?"
But her sister advanced no reasons.
The smash came one night at a
dance in private house. Simone, the
successful, was crazy with worry, un-
der her calm exterior because Vonde-
gratz had avoided her so markedly.
"Feo-Feodor-what is it?" she
whispered, running up to him, and let
ting every one see her discomposure.
tie smile and regarded her with his
pleasantly supercilious blue gaze.
do be calm, my dear child. 1t has.
after all, happened before. that one
wearied a little of a lady. I shouldn't
let it disturb me. if l were you. You
have so many admirers"
And he left her standing there
while he went over and renewed his
addresses to Nine. valeda, the beau
tiful South American.
Simone stood there for a second, her
white eyelids closed with an expression
of sudden pain. Then, without stop
ping to add anything to her chiffon
evening frock, she rushed past the
astonished footman and ran on out
into the night.
Mary Jane got up from the bench,
where she had been sitting with the
same unhappy Princeton boy for over
an hour, excused herself, much to his
delight, on the ground Of a headache,
and, hurrying with speed remarkable
in one so clumsy, emerged from the
dressing room with two wraps in hel
hands and was out the front door four
minutes after Simone.
It was a cold night. She found her
sister three blocks UP Sixteenth street
clinging to the railing Of garden, and
shaking with chill
She bundled Simone into the heavy
fur coat, and, grasping her firmly by
one hand, pulled her into the street and
stopped a taxi
Never mind" she said in answer tc
the drivers protest that he was hur-
rying to fare who had telephoned 10!
a cab. Double what they'd give YOU
to take us home. and then you can &c
back for them!" The driver succumbed
-
going to hold him up if he didn't oblige
her. She seemed a determined sort o1
lady.
II told EN- you'd suddenly remem-
hered a diamond bracelet and hac
Rbna e look for it." said Mary Jane