Evening Star Newspaper, June 25, 1933, Page 70

OCIAL SNOB By H elen Augur Every Group Has Them —But When the Crowd Went High Hat Margery Rebelled — and All Because of the Stray Young Man at the Third-Rate Clam House. ~——a HE year before, they’d done a good bit of crashing. But this Summer, when they’d all come back to Cotas- set, Riss had announced that crash- ing was vulgar, and that she'd never drift casually through any Long Island doqorway again. Margery Venn was thoroughly relieved. She’d hated slipping into dances from the Sound or through the hedge. But she was younger than the rest of the Crowd, and they’d adored her and bossed her since she was a baby. She’d backed up Riss so wholeheartedly about crashing that the crowd was flabber- gasted when she defended the man on the raft. They were all lying as usual on the Cotasset Club beach, hating to go home to lunch, when Riss sat up and said, “There he is again.” “Who's where again?” Don Munson in- quired drowsily. “The man out there on the raft with the Rcbinsin Crusoe hat. We've got to shoo him ofl.” At that, Sam Richards and Paul Stone sat up, too. Riss had made the crowd crash- conscious. On the club’s farthest raft, so far that it was a little solitary island, the intruder lay on his stomach, his head under its ri- diculous straw hat propped on his elbows. Paul grunted. “Reading. Darned if he isn't.” Margery was thinking. “They’ve discovered him and he's been so peaceful out there.” She’'d envied the stranger. Don Munson shook Paul's shoulder. “Come on, fella,” he said. “It's probably some one from Clam House. Let's chisel that chiseler off our raft.” Margery was suddenly furious. Perhaps it was Don’s tone, proprietary and smug. “Don’t you dare go near that raft,” she flashed. HE crowd was flabbergasted. Riss, her sleek, black head erect, said she couldn't under- stand people who were anti-crashers one day, and the next to turn the club into a road house. “Riss,” Margery said slowly, “I've gone along with you this Summer about no make- up till evening, and no cutting-in without in- troductions, and all that. I don’t like sloppy manners, either. I hate crashing more than you do. But——" “Well?” Riss demanded acidly. “Well, it sounds horrid, but I'm willing to bet that if Mrs. Carter Reynolds and her Long Island set came out tomorrow for crashing, you'd tag along.” The crowd watched her iry to stalk down the beach. She wasn't a successful stalker, she was too small and softly rounded. They watched her dive with a beautiful clean are. Riss smiled. ‘“She’s over it already. Lunch- time. fellow snobs.” After her fifth dive, Margery glanced at the descrted beach and swam out to the raft. She circled around it, making no more splash than a seal, then lifted herself up silently. For 10 minutes there was quiet, an absolute and heavenly quiet. The stranger didn’t know she was there, and soon she forgot him. The gentle sound of a book closing made her remember the stranger. He was sitting up, with his arms around his knees, looking at her. “Nice out here,” he said casually. “Heavenly,” she sighed. “I meant to leave you alone, you know. I didn’t mean to in- trude.” She'd forgotten the raft didn't be- long to the stranger. “You're the least intrusive person I've ever seen,” he assured her. “So are you.” Her violet eyes turned to his frankly. “Let’s start a club,” he suggested. “An ex- clusive club. Intruders excluded.” She hesitated. “But let's find another raft. This one belongs to a club already, a very in- trusive club.” “Oh.” He looked embarrassed. “I thought it was just a natural island. I'm sorry.” “That’s all right,” she assured him hastily. “That’s why I swam out. I wanted to warn you.” “Thanks,” he said rather shortly. “I'll keep oft She was distressed. ‘““Oh, no! That's not what I mean. 1 wanted to warn you against the crowd. You see, the club’s trying to be very snooty this Summer’—she saw him struggling with a grin—“and they got the silly idea that you were a—were from Jim's Clam House.” She made a gesture toward the Jjovial third-rate establishment down the beach. “As it happens,” he said shortly, “I'm staying at Jim's Clam House.” She didn’t know what to say. She looked blankly at him, caught the sudden twinkle in his eyes, and they both laughed. He had the most enchanting smile. It ran away with her judgment. 8She said blithely, “I'm going to give you a guest card, Mr.——" “John Hill.” “Margery Venn.” She reached out a small hand. “Thank you, Margery Venn. But really you mustn’t bother about me. I dom't know a soul in Cotasset, and I'm not wsed to"—he struggled a bit—“to this sort of place, you kmow. Anyway, I have only #we weeks’ va- oabion, and I like to read.” “Then go ahead and read,” she said, trying to smooth down his diffidence. “Just stay on the raft. You don’'t have to meet the crowd.” OR the next two mornings the crowd let them alone. Mornings of peace, drowsing in the sun, talking when it suited them. They had no inquisitiveness about each other. Mar- gery felt she knew all about John Hill, just as he must know about her. On the third morning John began reading aloud in a lazy voice: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree, Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. The cadences inclosed her like the waves lapping the raft. Margery slept. “So sorry to intrude,” a voice caroled. The crowd was clambering up on the raft— briny, noisy, laughing. Margery looked at John Hill, and the shrug of his shoulders told her their peace had ended. She introduced Riss, Louise, Sam, Don, Paul. He gave each a little nod, then gazed at the distant Connecticut shore. Margery knew what to expect. Clarissa Yorke had come to find out about John Hill. Swiftly Margery reviewed what she herself knew, after three mornings. John was studying law in somebody’s office in New York, he didn't like his stepfather, his bathing suit was last year's and his hat looked like flotsam fished out of the sound. That was all. Riss talked of polo, regattas, debuts at the Colony Club, Betty So-and-so, Jay This-and- that. But John nibbled at none of her lines. She even asked him if he knew the most in- effable hostess on Long Island. “You know Mrs. Carter Reynolds, of course?” John looked as if he were at the end of his rope and Margery intervened. “Riss is that way,” she told him. “She’s always looking for somebody that knows Mrs. Carter Reynolds. None of us do. But Riss is always hoping.” John shot Margery a lcok of pure gratitude. She had given him a moment’s advantage and he squared his big shoulders. THE SUNDAY STAR, WA “Miss Yorke,” he said quietly, “I brush my teeth and change my c¢ollars, but I just don't fit in your crowd. I'm a total loss socially. I'm much more at home with Jim of the Clam House.” “I'm desolate to think I've been boring you,” Riss said elaborately, and turned her back squarely on him. Paul and Don, a bit flustered, started noisy setting-up exercises. And Margery grinned in triumph at John Hill. Behind his back she could see Riss pick up his book, leafing it over with the idle air of a shopper who doesn't intend to buy. In just a minute Riss would be swim- ming away, the crowd after her, and there would be peace again. But Margery was wrong. Riss turned to John with the friendliest smile. “We're all playing mixed doubles at my house this afternoon,” she said. “Won't you ccme along, Mr. Hill?” The crowd strangled down its amazement. But Riss ruled the crowd and it followed her lead. Don, of all people, offered to lend John Hill a racquet. Paul volunteered to call for him at the Clam House at 4. Most amazing of all, John accepted this sudden cordiality gratefully. Perhaps, Margery reflected, he hadn't loved being alone <n the - raft with her. Perhaps, all this time, he'd been just plain lonely and too proud to admit it. " he's in everything up to his ears fiow," Margery thought a week later. She was alone on the raft. John was usually off fishing or sailing with Don or escorting Riss on her morning errands in Cotasset. Riss had informed the crowd that she thought John Hill a born charmer. She’d set Cotasset into a social delirium for him, got him mvi- taticns to everything,on the horizon, and given a dance for him herself. He had been assigned a locker at the club, lent white flannels, pre- sented with dancing pumps by Jam. Margery sighed and stretched her .egs. Riss was clever. Sometimes she made dazzling re- marks that every one said should be in print. “Perhaps they have been,” Margery thought, and then mewed aloud at herself. “Cat,” she said. “Kitten, I would say.” And John rose out of the water behind her. “No,” Margery confessed. “I'm just an immature cat. I can prove it to you. You're here because Riss has gone to New York, and Riss has gone to New York to spend her whole Fall allowance on Summer clothes because there's a new——" But John's hand had closed gently over her mouth. “Dcn’t say it. Don't feed my vanity. I'm fairly reeking now——" “I'm glad you admit it,” she said. “I suppose I shall have to join the social stampede and give you a party, too.” He studied her face. “Yes, do,” he urged. “It was such a bivic to my vanity think the crowd didn’t like me. . . Unreasonable to want people to li ”» you . . . “You'd feel better. You give me a party, and then, before my vacation’s up, I'll give one t4 the crowd.” He paused. “I wonder, now. You families wouldn't let you come to the Clan House. And this raft’s a bit small.” “Besides——" She hesitated. “Besices what?” “Well, this raft really belongs to the Intruders| Excluded Club, doesn’t it?” “Yes,” he said, with such an intimate n his vcice that Margery felt its warmth d inside her. ARGERY'S party was simple. Riss had imported her paraphernalia from New Yor! from orchestra to ices. John was straight and unaffected, and for her party Margery wanted what was it? “Integrity”—she found the word, and, sing: ing, laid a sweet white dress on her bed. The night was so lovely that Mrs. Venn less the perfect hostess and the more charmin mother, and Judge Venn was tempted out o his study to watch the dancing. John H listening more and more absently to Riss’ caught Margery's smile at last and vanished with her. In a dream, they walked close to the Sound “It's hypnotic,” John sighed. “This mocn. light, this you in the moonlight. You're s0 ©00 and unreal.” She stirred. “I'm real, John.” And she w suddenly warm and trembling in his arms. “If I kiss you once more,” he sa’i presently, “I'll never be sane again.” “Would you mind terribly, John?” “No, my sweet. But you make me forget everything. Tomorrow, I supose, we must re. member the respective positions of our re- spective families——" “Don’t,” she said. “It doesn't matter.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “will you come to the raft early? And wc'll get through the dreary! business of hows and whens——" T 11 the next morning Margery left the raft and swam back to shore. The crowd seemed peevish. “Looking for your boy friend?” Riss inquired. “J——" Margery couldn’t speak. Two hours on the raft alone, and her delicious new world had grayed and grown old. Riss was studying Margery’s face. “John’s gone,” she said, very gently for Riss, Margery sat down on the sand, and bound her arms tight around her knees. “Gone sail- ing?” Her voice was smothered. “No, Marg,” said Don Munson, giving it to her straight. “John’s through with us, and