The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1935-01-25

may possibly have considered that
champagne was the best treatment,
since it's a fact that he'd done mourning
to dim the lights, purify the atmos-
phere or quell the almost dealenng
sound. No one who didn't employ nus
or her utmost vocal power could nope
to be heard above the uproar, yet tnere
was another point which Miss irue-
love noticed as well.
Though everyone in sight was shout-
ing and screaming, almost all OF tnem
kept turning their heads as II search
ing for something more interesting else
where. It was as though each reve.ler
felt secretly but powerfully that the
next table, or the table beyond that,
was where the real fun was going on.
Odd, thought the little governess, 10"
nothing in her experience had ever
suggested that money wasn't de-
icious thing to have. And nobody, she
misunderstanding herself - would
have come here unless they wanted to
come here, or with any other object
than generosity or enjoyment. Yet
everywhere she saw that same haunted
hunted, thwarted expression. No ones
attention seemed fixed on anything.
Even Rosalie, though two young gen.
tlemen were addressing her now, kept
pouting and glancing over her should
er.
Well, WELL we swear we're not trying
to be cynical again, and, indeed, there
is far more calling for pity than any
other quality in this kind of New Years
Eve. The rich must have been so
, hopeful or hospitable to have come
| here, the bandits the dance band
now-is playing so industriously and
indefatigably, the staff-from Minis
| trelli to the smallest page-boy, from
the head wine-waiter to the lowest in
visible scullion-are all working as hard
as they know how; and if some of them
get a little sharp-tempered sometimes,
well, who wouldn't on a night and in
melee like this?
| Yet this girl Griselda Truelove, who'd
never been at such scene before, who
had clear and observant eyes, who
| shouted at nobody and to whom no
| body shouted-for all knew that she
was governess now, and it was OBJ
| viously best and safest to leave prob
lem like that alone; this girl Griselda,
we say, might well be one of those on
| lockers who see most of the game.
And since the game which Griselda saw
consisted, apparently, of a vast num-
Der of persons examining themselves in
to an inadequate space, eating and
| drinking far more than was good for
them, shouting, staring and breathing
increasingly foul air; since no one had
m 1n6 fn ~ oil hi civ,
pleasure seemed to be about the last
thing that they were getting out of
it, and since it was unquestionably
costing them something entirely unim-
aginable the onlooker couldn't
help thinking it all rather strange, and
certain aspects of it even rather sad.
But here she must remain, lonelier
than ever now that so many of the
party had risen so as to fight their way
toward the dance floor, where a solid
mass was palpitating in what appeared
to be indescribably discomfort. Nay,
in what they themselves described as
Absolute Torment when they returned
with bruised shins and torn dresses.
"Ghastly," they yelled.
Foul" they shouted.
"Gosh," they beloved, what an ap-
palling scrum!"
All perfectly reasonable comments.
to which host and hostess must now
give weary and desperately agreeable
mods. For, Of course, no one could pos
sibly leave before midnight. Well, Of
course not, when midnight was the
whole reason for being here at all.
So then there was great surge in
which dancers we're herded with far
less consideration than hunger-march-
ers, were showed, jostled and forced
back to their tables so that some
Oriental acrobats might take their
place.
Then that was over, and back they
all pushed and struggled, and-amaz-
ing and incredible as it might appear
still further celebrants arrived from
something between a miracle and an
exhibition Of frank brutality by actual
ly finding room for them. So frightful,
indeed, were the congestion and con-
striction now that Miss Truelove's chair
was tilted forward on its two front legs,
wedged in this position by another
chair which had been whanged against
its back. She said, "Oh!" and made
fru1tleSS effort to Shift the table.
She tried to look round. She said:
DO you think you could possibly"
And broke off; for the occupant Of
the other chair, had turned round at
the same moment. There were perhaps
nine inches between their respective
faces, and Miss Truelove gave sud-
den uncomfortable gasp:
Mark" she said.
"Gosh!" said Mark Matheson; and
then something like another miracle
took place. You'd have said it was ut
terly impossible for either of them to
move, but love, it appears, doesn't only
laugh at locksmiths. There was creak,
there was splintering sound and Mr..
Matheson was on his feet. He said:
What on earth" He said: Here
come out Of this. I must talk to you'll"
Griselda was standing up too, now