The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-23
CHAPTER K (Continued)


brance for peoples preferences, and
those who were lucky enough to
receive flowers from her felt their
resentment at any neglect vanish
by magic when they noticed how
infinitely she had studied their
taste in her selection.
Naturally, there was good deal
of tongue-wagging over Greta's
changed behavior. Mini Pollack,
struggling along in not-very i'm
portant position at one ct the less
fashionable theaters, was badgered
day and night by inquisitive re-
porters.
Karin Mollander would shrug her
shoulders when Greta's name was
mentioned. What surprised the
gossips most, however, was that
they no longer saw Greta going
about with her former idol, Naima
Wifstrand.
There can be no doubt that
Greta was far from we'll when she
arrived in Stockholm. Her nerves
were in a bad state. The whole
atmosphere of Stockholm, too, was
not exactly calculated to raise the
depressed spirits of one who had
known it in far happier times.
Only a few months had elapsed
since the Kruger crash, and the
Swedes, who took this business
personally, were still bowed under
the shame which, they imagined,
had lowered Swedish prestige all
over the world
Saddest Of all, death once again
had robbed her of one of her clos
est friends. Marta Halden had sur
vived Stilier little more than a
year.
TT soon become evident that, If
i Greta was to avoid a complete
breakdown, she would have to re-
tire to some quiet country retreat
and recover her shattered nerves
away from the noise and annoy
ance Of the city.
Greta Carlo never has had a
home of her own. She shares to
some extent that indifference to the
unnecessary frills of civilization
common to most intense artistic
natures. So when she decided to
spend the summer of 1882 in
Sweden, Sven Gustsfsson started
looking round for a suitable home
for her.
Eventually he found an ideal spot
or the island of Ingaro. The house,
named Botorp, after its owner, was
designed by an eminent young
architect, Hort, who had gained
great reputation as builder of
country houses.
All Hjort's genius in country
house construction was lavished on
this pretty little yellow mansion,
half -overgrown with vines and
nastrurtiums. 1t stands upon the
southern slope of a hill, facing the
sea. Behind it are age-old forests
of oak and pine. The little waves
of the Yungfrusund or "Maiden's
Fiord" lap, the foot of the hill
below
The whole ground floor of the
house is occupied by one large
room. Glass partitions divide it
up into drawing room, dining room
and small sitting room. Hand
woven Swedish rugs of colorful de-
sign lie spread upon the parquet
floor, and the furniture is mixture
of modern comfort and period"
line.
Greta herself chose the principal
bedroom, which faces south, and
has a long window leading on to
the balcony overlooking the sea.
Here she loved to spend long, lazy
hours after her morning dip
With the morning coffee and the
inevitable cakes beside her, and
lots of magazines, and a couple of
cats, of which she is Unfortunately
fond, playing about her chair, she
felt content and comparatively
happy.
EEW guests were permitted to
Il share the privacy of Botorp
with its new mistress. 1t became.
for the time being, the family
headquarters. Sven and Peggy mo-
tored Fru Gustafsson over. They
insisted on her taking the best
guest room. and for the first time
in her life the old lady found her
self being waited upon, whether she
would or poi
The family party was completed
by Sven and Peggy's baby daughter.
named Anna Margaretta, after her
grandmother and her famous aunt
but Familiarity abbreviated to An
ma -Greta."
Her habits soon became known to
the public-and once again her
troubles started. The people would
leave her no peace. Newspaper re-
porters, inquisitive tourists, auto
graph hunters and the rest dis
covered her retreat and used the
most flendish ingenuity to trap her
into meeting their demands.
She gave up swimming and row.
ing when she found that even in
the water she could secure no
privacy. Her shattered nerves.
which she had hoped the peace of
the countryside would restore, suf-
fered more than ever from these
perpetual shocks.
The extraordinary measures she
was obliged to take to enforce dis
cretion, even among her nearest
relatives, reduced the whole house
hold to a nerve-racking state, and
once more she had to solve her
problem by resorting to flight.
nor a woman anxious to hide her
IL identity in public, Greta Carlo
shows singularly little resource.