The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

2 THE ARGOSY. hemian—and yet, I suppose it did represent one usage of that handy-box of aterm. I'll describe a party I went to there, and you can see for yourself what sort of a girl Vicky Van was. ‘“ How late you’re going out,” said Win- nie, as I wriggled into my top-coat one night. “It’s after eleven.” “Little girls mustn’t comment on big brothers’ actions,” I smiled back at her. Win was nineteen, and I had attained the mature age of twenty-seven. We were orphans and spinster Aunt Lucy did her best to be a parent to us. We got on smoothly enough, for none of us had the temperament that rouses friction. ‘ Across the street?” Aunt Lucy guessed, raising her aristocratic eyebrows a hair’s breadth. ““ Yes,” I returned, the least bit irritated. “ Steele will be over there and I want to see him—”’ This time said eyebrows went up frankly in amusement, and the kind, blue eyes beamed as she said: ‘* All right, Chet, run along.” Though I was Chester Calhoun, the junior partner of the law firm of Bradbury and Calhoun, and held myself in due and consequent respect, I didn’t mind Aunt Lucy’s calling me Chet, or even as she sometimes did, Chetty. A man puts up with those things from the women of the household. As to Winnie, she called me anything that came handy, from Lord Ches- terton to Chessy-Cat. I patted Aunt Lucy on her soft old shoul- der and Winnie on her hard young head, and was off. True, I did expect to see Steele at Vicky Van’s—he was the club chap who had intro- duced me there—but, as Aunt Lucy had so cleverly suspected, he was not my sole rea- son for going. A more urgent reason was that I always had a good time there; the sort of a good time I liked. I crossed the street diagonally, in de- fiance of much good advice I have heard and read against such a proceeding. But at eleven o’clock at night the traffic in those upper side streets is not sufficient to en- danger life or limb, and I reached Vicky Van’s house in safety. aa It was a very small house, and it was the one nearest to the Fifth Avenue corner; though the long side of the first house on that block of the avenue lay between. The windows on each floor were brilliant- ly lighted. I mounted the long flight of stone steps, sure of a merry welcome. I was admitted by a maid, whom I al- ready knew well enough to say ‘“ Evening, Julie,” as I passed her; and in another mo- ment I was in the long, narrow living-room and was a part of the gay group there. “Angel child!” exclaimed Vicky Van herself, dancing toward me. “Did he come to see his little ole friend?”’ Laying her two hands in mine for an in- stant, she considered me sufficiently wel- comed, and danced off again. She was a will-o’-the-wisp, always tantalizing a man with a hope of special attention, and then flying away to another guest, only to treat him in the same way. I looked after her—a slim, graceful thing, vibrant with the joy of living, smiling in sheer gaiety of heart, and pretty as a pic- ture. | Her black hair, arranged in the newest style, covered her ears with soft loops and exposed the shape of her trim little head. It was banded with a jeweled fillet, or what- ever they call those Oriental things that pretty girls wear, and her big eyes with their long, dark lashes, her pink cheeks and curved scarlet lips seemed to say, “ the world owes me a good living and I’m going to collect.” Not as a matter of financial obligation, be it understood. Vicky Van had money enough, and, though nothing about her home was ostentatious or overornate, it was quietly and, in the best of taste, lux- urious. But I was describing Vicky herself. Her gown, the skirt part of it, was a sort of maize-colored thin stuff, rather short and full, that swirled as she moved and fluttered when she danced. The bodice part was of heavily gold- spangled material; and a kind of overskart arrangement consisted of long gold fringe made of beads. were shoulder-straps of these same beads, and the sleeves were not there. oO comicbool< Instead of a yoke there CO