Show que en adlle CA L ay Fra immes on frances parkinson beyes service CHAPTER IX continued 22 mrs hammel stirred her cup of chocolate reminiscently when I 1 first came here sh she e said 1 I thought thou bt I 1 want to have anything thin to do with the newspaper wom en miss sharp wrote me and asked me for an interview and I 1 declined to give it to her tier her reply was a masterpiece she told me that her bread and butter depended on getting something about me but that a after fter all was beyond the point if her newspaper secure a real interview with me it would fake one if she write that article false or dr true some one else would if I 1 would operate cooperate co with ill the newspaper women give them what they had a recognized right to ask of me as vice presidents wife id never regret I 1 it if I 1 told them anything in confidence that confidence would be respected in n short that they were prepared to help roe me in every way they could if I 1 would only let them if I 1 all sorts of false and sensational reports would inevitably appear about me 1 I sent for miss sharp and had a frank talk with tier her weve been the best of friends ever since and kept her word absolutely oh thanks began anne ill 11 mrs airs hammel interrupted she belon belons belongs s to a rather interesting organization the womans comans national press club all the society editors do im going coln to one of their monday luncheons luncheons jolly informal affairs as guest of honor next nest week I 1 wonder would you like to come with me it could be very easily arranged have a good time and well I 1 think it would be a good plan all around 11 anne s quick gratitude was so real that mrs airs hammel hamme was more touched than she betrayed and of course you must start right in niacin making g calls today diplomatic da day y find a list of the embassies in your copy of the congressional directory if your husband d brought yours up tip from the office lies hes been very remiss every senators wife has one with her name stamped neatly in the lower rl right li hand tha corner mrs s neal conrad will look very nice yo 1 see only the ambassadresses ambassadress es remember the ministers wives come first to you arid and return cadime Es tavis call of course ashes really a dear though very shy you dont need to be afraid of her then go through the cards that were left you yesterday and return the calls of any leave cave dwellers who may be receiving saturday and sunday monday go to all the supreme court ladies tuesday of course go to the congressional ladies if any have called on you no well then easy wednesday I 1 think if I 1 were you id go to SOP see mrs airs standish Stant lish the wife of the secretary of state ashes a perfect dear and have such a good time at her house you may not get much farther anyway then next nest thursday if I 1 were you I 1 should receive again myself and er do it right after that you on ought to receive and make calls on alternate thursdays till youve been the rounds rut but this time id er mrs roper and mrs airs ranger hanger will tell every one they see of course about yesterday and next thursday thurida y your house will be packed with people come to see if they were told the truth arid and my what a disappointment get mrs airs himmel hammel gave vent rent to hearty laughter id like to be there myself my dear to see the fun it if I 1 can possibly make it I 1 shall be she rose and kissed anne on the cheek klin along now and get to work my dear she said ive lots of con in you tills this confidence was not misplaced doggedly even as she had scrubbed floors and taught school doggedly anne set to work to pay her off official iclal calls I 1 I 1 s but neal came home on the street cars from the senate office building and the children walked home from school so that she would not have to go for them it was barely half past three the next nest thursday when as mrs hammel II amnie had predicted annes callers began to come the polite ambassadresses ambassadress es instantly returning their official visit the supreme court ladles ladies whose program was not yet very full mrs standish always sweet eff efficient lelent and poised the ex cit ement eaters caters and curiosity see seekers ers regaled by mrs koper and mrs airs ranger miss sharp and several oilier members of the Wor comans womans rians national press club who had been most agree ably impressed by anne when she had come with mrs hammel Uain mel to their mon day luncheon the professional callers who are the bane of every woman in in official life and who go from house to house either because they are utterly idle or because they are actually hungry supplying themselves in the latter case with unlimited sandwiches and cakes A scattering of tourists and government workers arom from the conrads own state Mir ministers ilsters colonels a judge or two with their wives in short the kaleidoscopic fragment of washington life which confronts the official hostess on her day at home the door was opened for these callers by a wholly correct butler from Rau who was in great demand for at homes anne stood in front of a bright little fire which glowed under a mantel banked with flowers to receive her guests her golden hair wound like a coronet above the curls which framed her rosy face tier her slim fl figure ure supple and graceful under its sheath of rose colored satin neal scintillating scintilla ling with cordiality sartorially perfect in gray trousers and cut away stood beside her an immaculate maid the stiff embroidered bre telles of her apron snowy against her black blach silk uniform was hovering over a tea table on which sliver silver dishes contain ing tomato jelly sandwiches angel food tiny frosted cakes and tinier biscuits stuffed with chicken salad were scat scar over an embroidered tablecloth tahle cioth A e r s 7 g and of course you must start right in making calls and pouring the tea bland and ben benign an above the silver service sat mrs hammel the leader in the society section of the inquirer on the following sunday was written by miss sharp A picture of anne surmounted it this picture left nothing to be desired neither did the headline vice presidents wife pours for mrs conrad neither did the text test which accod parilea these mrs airs neal conrad whose husbands recent appointment to the senate has been a matter of national interest made her bow to official society in washington last thursday at the delightful reception which she gave in the charming charmin residence on new hamp shire avenue which she and senator conrad have leased for the winter mrs airs conrad was charmingly gowned in a lanvin confection of pink one of the many beautiful dresses which she brought home with her from paris where she and senator conrad spent the summer mrs hammel ammel tl who has been one of the first to welcome mrs airs conrad with whom she has many tastes in common to washington ark prk presided at the perfectly appointed tea table among the many distinguished guests were noticed there was more a great deal more but that was all that mattered the first bar hard weeks had been lived through the first dreadful mistakes lived down the features about the washtub and the cow forgotten anne had begun to arrive CHAPTER X 1 I do solemnly swear that I 1 will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic that I 1 will bear true faith and allegiance to the same that I 1 take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose e of evasion and that I 1 will well and faithful faithfully y dischar discharge e the duties of the office in which I 1 am about to enter so help me god neal facing the vice president with his back to the senate chamber stood beside senator brown repeating the words a phrase at a time after mr hammel anne sitting in the senators gallery her cold hands clenched tightly in her lap colder chills of excitement cit ement creeping up tip and down her spine and stabbing swiftly at her heart looked down at him with misty eyes it was the opening day of congress and neal had repeated the oath of office administered to a new senator and then literally had taken his seat anne had not been to the capitol since she had bad visited it years before on her honeymoon journey to washington in ton she confronted the doorman of the senators gallery without qualms but he was struggling 1 ling with a persistent mob which was striving to get past him and which even his m massive bulk and grim manner could not entirely stem mrs conrad he snarled peering deerin at her with suspicious bulging eyes senator conrads wife say that dont go down any more lies iles got three wives in there already there was a titter of derision about her and anne felt her cheeks growing hot hol 1 I will try to get some one ona to identify me she said with a composure which she was very far from feeling that wont be very hard a merry voice boomed behind her and curnin turning suddenly she almost bumped into mrs hammel ammel ll come and sit with me my dear delighted to have you you tou know mrs airs hastings dont you the speakers wife Y you ou and mrs airs standish are friends already of course now then right down there on the left no not in the front row those are th the seats reserved for mrs shaw but the ones directly behind TO BE CONTINUED |