The Washington times., 1934-12-04

Lawrence ana a dark, QdnQSOIle
stranger. Thinking that life is
generally kinder than one de-
serves, slid neatly into my
place.
Mrs. Cummings said:
''Mr. Beverly Nichols, of Lon.
don. You know the others, l
am sure"
Mr.. Nichols was so amusing
and cheerful-and young-that
felt Immediately at ease.
Never should we have been late,
i at once explained, if hadn't
lost the calendar on which I
carefully wrote down the fam.
lily engagements. A new cal
endar turned out to be for next
year. Even in washington one
couldn't run ones 1884 affairs
on a 1885 basis. So I had
trusted to an obviously fatal
memory.
Mr.. Nichols replies, in the
sympathetic way of charming
and intelligent Englishmen, that
he, too, had suffered calendar
tragedy. What with rushing
about to dinners and lunches in
all parts of New York and Long
Island, looking in at lectures,
at penthouse cocktail parties,
at night clubs in Harlem, going
to the theaters (jolly fine plays
he'd been seeing, too), and
Sampling the taxi dance halls
you know, the new ones where
one pays so much a dance-he
actually wore out the little cal
endar he'd brought over from
England with him. And the only
new one he could find was like
wise one for 1885.
He had tried laboriously to
change all the Mondays to Tues
days-no, the Tuesdays to Mon
days. But he'd got most fright
fully involved. And was forced
to trust his head instead.
A very wise head to trust, I
should say, judging from the
brilliant pieces Mr.. Nichols
writes for the London maga-
zines and papers and his newest
book, "Cry Havoc" which tells
of the munitions racket. Not
forgetting his newest play, "AVa-
lanche," for whose opening in
Vienna at Christmas time Mr..
Nichols is returning to Europe
tonight.
The conversation at dinner
dealt agreeably but not oppres.
sively with Anglo-American and
other international affairs. Mrs.
Benton McMillin much too
handsome in a gown of ruby
velvet) talked entertainingly
about her experiences in South
America. Emily Newell Blair
led the Attorney General to the
subject of international law.
Mrs. David Lawrence knew some
of Mr.. Nichols friends in Lon
don.
Harry Blair asked Mr.. Nichols
about Ireland. And Mr.. Mich
OILS regretted that he had never
been to Ireland and that the
only way he ever managed to
see the things at home he
should see was to have the luck
to take an American visitor
sightseeing.
After dinner other interest
ing people came in, Mrs. Ickes
brought her daughter-in-laW,
Mrs. Wilmarth Ickes (the Secre-
tary was on his way to Warm
Springs Bob Allen arrived and
was promptly discovered by Mr..
Nichols as a clever journalist.
John and Genevieve Herrick, al
ways so welcome at any party
(Genevieve has a smart new
frock-dark pansy color and al
most the same shade as the
gown of Celia Cummings, hur-
ried in from another dinner.
A group of Town Hall enthu-
siasts came last and had with
them the happy atmosphere of
their first meeting. Three hun
dred people turned away at the
door, they said. A marvellous sue
cess!
Mr.. Robert Erskine Ely, direc.
tor of the New York Town Hall,
told me he was delighted with
his Washington stepchild. Mr..
George V. Denny, associate New
York director, who has been ad'
vising Mrs. Richard V. Oulahan
and Miss Grace Roper, Washing
ton directors; DR.. John w. Stude-
baker, Mr.. and Mrs. Lothrop
Stoddard, and President Coonley
all of them were in smiling
humor and quite properly pleased
with their venture.
Romance, so Teddy Weintal.
the young Polish diplomat, told
Phyllis, is like meringue glace
best enjoyed after the roast