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Mary's Masquerade
(Edison)
By MARJORLAINE MARCHANT
When a great American President ' takes to hunting bears, and a great American public elects to foster a love of these animals in the hearts of its children by placing a miniature sandy facsimile of the same in every pair of baby arms, the incomprehensible thing is why in the world the preference is given to bears of German make !
But "Made in Germany" they must be, and the specimen that Mrs. Van Court lifted from her sparkling dinner table filled all requirements. His head was set on at just the right angle of impertinence, his embroidered mouth curved disdainfully and his eyes twinkled with most unbearlike mischief.
"Teddy, I'm going to put you right here between Sarah Monell and Gordon Randolph. Sarah just loves all your kind, and Gordon is an unmitigated tease, so you will be sure to find them kindred spirits. Now, let me see — six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen places — that's right. And the flowers are arranged very well ; Jenkins has quite outdone himself."
Just then that necessary adjunct to dinner-parties, then under commendation, entered with a note.
Mrs. Van Court opened it and read it with dismay.
"Oh, Robert!" she exclaimed as her husband entered. "What am I going to do ? Sarah Monell has bronchitis and cannot come tonight, and that leaves me with thirteen at the table."
"Well, my dear, that wont make any difference. You can have her plate taken away and nobody will ever notice it."
"Oh, but I couldn't sit down to a table with thirteen people ! I should be perfectly miserable and something dreadful would be sure to happen. You know that I never even think of
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going shopping on the thirteenth because I would have to send everything back, and I wouldn't have thirteen articles on my list for anything. Oh, dear ! what shall I do ? I 'm perfectly miserable ! ' ' And all on account of that overworked ogre, thirteen!
But, as is often the case, when a state of perfection is reached — especially perfection of misery — a change is imminent, and in this case it took the form of a telegram from Mrs. Van Court's niece announcing that Madame Andriot had given her three days' vacation from boarding-school in which to celebrate her sixteenth birthday, and that she was coming home that evening.
A happy thought dawned upon Mrs. Van Court. She dried her eyes and proceeded to communicate her plan to her husband. Why not let Mary put on one of her evening gowns and be presented to the guests as a friend from the West ?
But Mr. Van Court objected. The child was entirely too young; she would not know how to behave and would probably disgrace them with an account of some dreadful boarding-school escapade.
Mrs. Van Court besought him sweetly, then eloquently, and finally tearfully, but he was firm, and she retired to her boudoir for solace. Here her niece found her a little while later.
i ' Why, Aunt Louise, what is the matter?"
"Oh, Mary, I'm in such trouble! Miss Monell is ill and cannot come to our dinner-party tonight, so there will be thirteen at the table. When your message came, I thought we could save the situation by letting you put on one of my dresses and introducing you as a Western friend, but your uncle wont listen to the plan. He says that you are too young. I