Evening star., 1933-04-03
LUXURY LINER
BY Gina Klaus
COPYRIGHT. 1898. BY GINA KAus.)

became speechless. Bartlett sometimes
abandoned his set smile for a laugh.
But half an hour later .Stephansor
had met Friederike Mergentheim.
1t was on the tennis court. Before
dinner they decided to have some ex-
ercise. They sauntered along the prom
enade deck, looking at the arcade shop
windows. Luise fell in love with q
marvellous ermine fur wrap, convinced
that it would cover her shoulders before
they entered New York Harbor. Then
they went to look at deck games, stop
ping for while to watch Switchboard
Finally they arrived at the tennis court
A mixed doubles was in progress. It
wasn't exactly championship tennis
| The match was between Friederike
Mergentheim, a Dutch woman, and two
of the ships officers. Whatever 1t
might be from the point of view of
sport, Baroness Mergentheim made it
appear like one of those divine games
in which the immortal graces while
away their eternal youth. Whenever
she missed the ball it was not from lack
of skill, but so that Stephanson might
run after it, pick it up and return 1t
| to the young divinity.
Luise seemed not to have quite
grasped what had happened. She ex-
pressed the wish to change for dinner
and disappeared, wrapped in the rosy
illusion of her supposed success.
Stephanson whispered to Bartlett.
And it was Bartlett who asked Fried
erike, with the unceremonious chivalry
of an American. to join them at dinner
when the set was finished.
owe aro fu,O 1onn1v y,oor-v 1,o cof ~
and Stephanson added, I'VE would be
most happy"
Friederike was still breathless from
the game. She held her racquet in
both hands, and now Thomas saw her
at close range and realized how beau
tiful she was. Her hair had the warm
tone of polished cherry wood, her eyes
were deep blue, like Ceylon sapphire,
and were effectively set off by almost
black eyelasheS. Except for slight
touch Of lipstick discreetly applied, She
was without any other makeup. Her
skin was mother-of-pearl and rosy, like
the inside of a shell. To Thomas taste
she was little too tall. He also
thought her too beautiful, too perfect,
too queenlike. She accepted Bart1ett's
invitation. No, no mothers or aunt's
permission was necessary. I'm quite
alone on board" she said. Thomas
heard this with indignation. I will
remind her Of her sick brother, he
thought to himself
When, half an hour later, he sat
down in his dinner jacket at the Of
f1cerS' table, he was not a little sur
prised to hear everybody to the right
and to the left Of him gossiping about
Stephanson's passion for the beautiful
Baroness Mergentheim. His picking
up her tennis ball had already become
legend, like the giving of the golden
apple by Paris to Aphrodite. No one
would believe that this was a mere
chance happening.
The lady next to Thomas-"Fred-
erick the Great" had invited several
ladies to join their table maintained
that Friederike had been staked by her
relatives for the purpose of this con-
quest. The purser whispered into
Thomas ear that one of Friederike's
partners at the historic tennis match
had arranged the whole business in the
interests of a group of capitalists who
couldn't find any other way to get in
contact with Stephanson. In short, it
was all a move in the game Of big
Doctor, won't you come into the
lounge and have glass Of champagne
with me?"
Thomas found Luise Clemens at his
side in full regalia. She smiled-oh,
what a pitiful, artificial stage smile!
"All these Americans are awfully
nice" she said in stage whisper, so
that the whole of the officers table
could hear it, "but such terrible bores."
Thomas rose and accepted 1t was
not difficult to read from her face what
terrible hour she had spent with her
American hosts She had come to din
ner confident Of victory, and did not
notice until the third course how be-
witched Stephanson was with Fried
erike. And all at once her courage
evaporated Her disillusion was so
overwhelming and sudden that Luise