The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-07
VICTORY PARTY
CHAPTER "

They gathered that night at Stone House to celebrate the vic- tory of the Whirlwind side and the increment of Cynthia Merriwethers poocketbook which had accrued thereby. All of Gull Point gathered with the exception of Mrs. Porter West, who simply could not face the situation. and Henry Prentiss, who had a miserable appointment in tie city.
 When he spoke of that appoint 1nent, Cynthia gave him mock ing glance and said, Why don't you go on and bring her to the party?"
 Plentiss smiled in his insuffer- ably genial fashion. Tt isn't 8 she at sll," he said. And furthermore, she wouldn't fit in'
 'Then help yourself"
 Help? A man needs help, all right, when the chickens come home to roost. can tell you that"
 You're being a little unkind. ] suppose you know it."
 T don't mean to, Miss Pretty I simply have to do a rather un- pleasant job, and I'd like it over with once and for all"
 She laughed. Don't be seen where Winchell could spy you out. That's little enough to ask isn't it?"
 czoss my heart and hope to die.' he said, and drove away.
 The part went easily and pleas- antly and quietly. Someone should write his doctors thesis, one of these days, upon the immense diff ference between the parties that blossom and flower and die in this world of men.
 The fundamental gap lies between the unhappy folk who are deter mined to enjoy themselves in spite of everything, and the more for- tunate lot who know perfectly well that they are out for delightful and satisfying evening, and settle naturally to the living of 1t.
 The former drink and laugh and make love and offer forth their God-given personalities with an al- most desperate extravaganza. The latter accept as their right and proper due such drink and laughter and manifestations of the tender passion as the moment might spell, letting the temperament, or char Ecter. or whatever the word may be. follow its given bent.
 At Stone House, human being ex- pected good wine an damusing talk and girls of a certain beauty. Also assorted small jokes of a more or less practical nature never very funny but always entitled to a po- lite smile-a roulette table for those in such mood, bridge and swim ming and tennis, and the rather specialized pleasure of strolling to- ward the stables and being patro- nized by the grooms.
 And, of course, 1t was the rule that everyone must, at some time of the evening or another, pay his devoir to Colonel Merriwether. It was not the Colonel's habit to mingle with his guests or partici- pate in their anus ements.
 The ducal throne, so to speak, was his high-backed oaken chair. behind his broad oaken desk. The desk. in turn, occupied the precise center of his library, and the u- brary was handsome room with one of it's walls made out of French doors. The French doors gave upon the terrace, which was of flagstone, and the terrace (one step down) dominated the lawn.
 But the view through the French doors was not confined to terrace and lawn. It commanded, as well, the deeper end of the swimming pool, the stlinted lemon trees which guarded the entrance to the tennis courts, and the garden of rose trees which fell away at the left toward the summer house.
 It was the Colonel's custom to have upon his desk humidor of sound cigars, and it was his whim to have also a silver-framed pho- of the horse which had last won admiration in the community ,f Gull Point. Sometimes hunte: sometimes a polo mount, sometimes ] saddle hack or show animal = put always different, and always the l jroduct of Mitchell Grace. man-of- Ill-talents, who could snap a shut CT as readily as he would tactfully | Esniss an unwelcome stranger.
 Likewise, the Colonel ordinarily eqtiired a manServant to be pres mt in the library. with a small Ortable bar from which drinking natter of sound design (never the Illy CT the capricious) might be AryGd. Mitchell Grace himself was