TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 13, 1921
Who W1I the Picfosf Vsdogir
; ', . Hou 7 0-Y ear-Old James J. Van 'S SlSf
'? ci-r ;' ';! !)'! Alen Has Stirred Paris and New- fi "HJ .
Hou; 7 0-Y ear-Old James J. Van
AZen Has Stirred Paris and New
port by Building a New Home
and Casting an Appraising Eye
at Three Widows
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richest
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k..-.-.1Wl. i." Hnir-f 'in tn il-J" ' S
s
' Jam J. Vaa Aim. the rich widower
who went to Tarla to have hta
"fllBK" at TO.
(OWE EOT! one is tempted to eay
when a man past the three-icore
and ten, at which the prophet
ended human activities. Is suddenly
thrown into the Interesting: position
cf being married to one of three
striking social lights, and Is regarded
as a great eatch. '
That Is Just exactly the situation of
James J. Van Alen, world-famous aa
a social arbiter at Newport.
And the women In ye case, all of
them known where-er society Is
spelled with a cagital letter, are pay
ing JuBt as much attention to the
young man who has started out to
have his fling in life after the 17th
mile-post Is passed as though he
were come young and handsome
wain who had yet to make his ad
vent Into mature life.
Paris sends along the tidings that
Van Alen la going to add matrimony
to the things he had planned to do
when he renounced his American resi
dence recently and solemnly an
nounced that he was going to France,
where "prohibition had not operated
to take any of the fixs out of exist
ence." When Mr. Van Alen made up
his mind to shake Newport and reside
Mrs. Alfred E. Korria ef Philadelphia
and Newport, is rffarded hj many
aa likely to be Hn. Vaa Alen No. 2.
fore she returned to her American
home, bent upon "bringing out" hef
daughter Geraldine. v
Geraldine had the mother's fatal
gift of beauty also, and the present
Plnce of Wales, ancing with her
during his tour of the world, enthusi
astically, proclaimed her as not only
the best dancer he had ever known,
but as the prettiest girl he had teen
in this country. She became engaged
to Whitney Warren Jr.. representa
tive ot one of the best known New
York families, and society got a
double sensation when it got the
news ot the breaking of the engage
ment and the filing of the mother's
divorce suit all in a single month.
Since that time one heard little of
the mother or daughter, until the re
cent gossip that connects her with
the change of residence of Mr, Van
Alen. Indeed, the society Journals
had it that the divorce settlement did
not leave her with any vast fortune
and that both mother and daughter
William Miller Graham, sralaed by the late King Edward, (a receiving
snaeh attention from Mr. Van Alen.
intended to take flier In trade, as a
matter of pure revenue."'
Lady Newborough, who was also
a Kentucky woman Grace Bruce
Carr Is the third of the wonderfully
striking trio now foremost in the
tea-room chatter that makes Van
Alen its topic. There had come for
some time the report that Mr. Van
Alen had been unusually attentive to
her, and upon a recent summer he
created no end of comment by follow
ing her to whatever European center
seemed to interest, and It was noted
that while she publicly appeared to
be annoyed by the obvious attentions,
she always had him among those
present at her affairs, and he got the
lion's share of her own attentions.
The spiteful of the social' set
charged that it would be a great
catch for Grace Carr. and. referred
to the fact that even her marriage to
a member of the British aristocracy
did not serve to open the doors at
Newport any too wide a fact that
she Is supposed to have resented to
the point that would have added
much xest to the conquest by which
the said doors might be pried from
the very hinges.
Lady Newborough Is the most Brit
ish of the Americans who have mar
ried titles in England. She even out
Britlshes the natives In speech, dress
and mannerism, and there Is where
she acquired no little of unpopularity
that was evident when she came to
Palm Beach for a visit. It was then
remarked that society did not break
its neck to do her honor.
But, as Mrs. Van Alen, It would be
a different story.
abroad, he said that the restrictions de Talleyrand, the former Anna Gould,
Lady Newborough. former Grnee Brnee Carr of Kentucky. beauty whose chances of eaptnring the
widower are estimated to be excellent.
on a cocktail shaker that sent him on
his way to the French capital. There
was nothing, at the time, to give rise
to the now common report that he i
to take a bride.
Now there comes every indication
that the magnificent home that is
being built for him in Paris, not far
from the pink palace of the Duchess
of the ISth amendment had left him
In a frame of mind In which he could
notlonger be happy on this side of
the water. '
'1 m going abroad,' he told
friends, "to have my fling In life."
Certainly It was not for the lack
of alcohol that he determined to mi-
is not Intended for any bachelor
establishment.
And Paris is asking which of the
three beauties who have been chiefly
rn the gossip list will grace the new
mansion.
First in the list cmes Mrs. Alfred
E. Norris. a charming divorcee of
grate, for his own palatial home at Newport and Philadelphia, whose only
Newport. Wakehurst, la reputed to
hold the richest collection ot liquors
and wines that ever assembled under
one roof. Some of the liquid Joy that
hides in the cellar, waiting, as Colo
nel Ingersoll once said, to kiss the
lips of man. came down from the
Napoleonic era. and goodness knows
that he will find precious little of
such nectar In France after the in
vading and defending millions got
through with their visits and visita
tions. But It was the restrictions that
came to the colony aa a wbole, and
daughter married Kaoul Alevra and
Is now living in Bucharest. There
isn't any question that the dashing
"Mrs. Alfy" has been occupying a
large place in the Van Alen regaVd
for a long time, and when tbe other
two, now leaping to the front in the
chat that deals with the intentions of
the Newport veteran, are mentioned,
the regulars think that they will have
to make progress before they side
track the pretty divorcee who has so
long been in the graces of "Jimmy."
The most recent trend .of the
marital gossip deals with Mrs. W Hi
lar career In society wound UP in the
divorce courts of the west, and who
suddenly ceased to win constant men
tion following the suit. It seems now
that the striking personality of this
remarkable woman has staged a come
back, and that Van Alen figures
largely n her new plans.
It is recalled that Mr. Van Alen
was the chief factor in aiding Mrs.
Graham when she made her first
essay at Newport recognition back tn
the days when oil well money was
not legal tender at Bailey's Beach.
Van Alen. ever hind to climbers, held
out a' hand to her. and it was to his
good offices that she owed much of
the early success that came in her
social campalgna.
To understand the possibility of the
speculation regarding her chances for
occupying the Paris mansion, one
. must recall that it was her own win
ning presence and manner that took
her from the estate of a carpenter'a
in America." and she never lost the
hold she bad on ills interest to the
very day of his death.
Mr. Alladin and his lamp never
had much more experience in wonder
working than she. She conquered
prince and notables in London ..and
Paris in the days when Van Alen
himself was really among the young
PRAIRIE SOCIAL IS EQUAL OF
JAZZ AFFAIR IN CITY LIFE
Little Slracit, Parlor Fiddler, Dancing on Oilcloth Floor With Embel
lishments Make Up Saskatchewan Party.
T'
HE loveliest setting: a little
oh! such a little shack aet in
the deen bush, poplars so tall
that to us of the prairies they seem
year, and he probably see. her tn to shut out the, sky. masses of white
the light of the days when her graces
made so profound an impression upon
him.
Her career has no idle moments.
When she married Graham and the
oil atrike brought them wealth, there
came a lull when it seemed that for
tune was about to flit, and she se
cretly went to the stage for instruc
tion with a view to retrieving the
family estates before the footlights
No less a luminary than David Be
lasco trained her, and she had ready
for presentation a play of her own
writing when the news came that
luck had again turned and that the
daughter in a little Kentucky town Graham fortune would aurvlve with-
to the proud position where she was out a crimp.
Ib.iact that on & to ut a muffier iam iUiltr Ciabaio. wboee. tptcucu-
known as one of "King Edward's set'
during the days when that jolly mon
arch and past master in appraisal of
feminine worth held sway In Merrie
Englande.
When the departed monarch was
prince of Wales he picked her as
"the original moat, beautiful vmaa
Counts fought a duel for her favor
in Paris, a devoted admirer to whom
she paid little heed dove from the
deck of a channel boat to recover a
handkerchief which she had care
lessly dropped overboard, and there
was mighty little In continental con
jutt l$t did not com her way be-
blossom on some ' unpronounceable
shrub, real lilac yes. come and smell
it Just aa fine as that in tbe garden
of childhood in the old country.
Of course there has been a fright
ful scramble to get to the "social."
The cry of the husbands goes up
from every home oa such occasions.
"No, you couldn't pay me to go. Tou
can drive yourself quite well; the
trails aren't too bad. I'll look after
the kids."
So some husbsnds stay at home,
and. presumably, treasure their
peaceful evening; other, come and
are to be found later in corner, with
a sleeping child on their knees.
A few come and dance, but the ma
jority crowd into the kitchen whence
they melt towards supper time, after
perfunctorily murmuring, "Can I help
you?" and stand on the fringe of the
throng and discuss the weather, the
grasshoppers and so-and-so's new
engine.
la an old-time "social" there was
oh, most distinctly an odor of rye
whisky near these patriarchs, but
now why, now, Saskatchewan Is dry
with an aridity that has to be felt to
be appreciated.
In the "parlor" a fiddler scrapes
frantically In the heat, while all who
can find standing room stamp round
in the males of a "square" to the
bidding of the caller-out. who shouts:
"First couple lead right up and pass
through, balance two and swing that
pretty girl behind." "Ellimen. left
and grand right and left"; "Birdie In
the center and three hands around:
Birdie fly out and Tommy go in, and
three hands around; Tommy go out
and give Birdie a swing, and three
hands around."
Is the dancing graceful? Oh, be
charitable! The floor is oilcloth, and
when you have avoided the stove, the
table with the lamp, the clustered
husbands and babies, there Is still
the cellar . door that cutout square
of oilcloth with iron ring, which the
hostess presently lifts to reveal a
yawning chasm.
She disappears down this and re-
cream from the cow, no make-believe
stuff.
Someone says the water is boiling,
and there Is a murmur of "lunch."
All the women crowd Into the 10
foot by 12-foot kitchen and begin to
unpack newspaper parcels of weird
shapes.
One takes round a dish pan full of
cups, a second a pile of saucers, a
third coffee which has been made in
the wash boiler, a fourth sandwiches,
a fifth iced cakes all baked in meat
tins and cut with an old carving
knife, but yet of a lightness to be
envied by the Old Country cook, who
achieves a round lump of weight and
currants and calls It a cake!
The crowd, so anxious to "hand
round," melts to the same old few
when washing-up comes.
The dancing goes on until S, 4
perhaps '6 o'clock. Sleeping babies
are disentangled from the wraps on
the beds, weary husbands hitch up
the horses. The "social" Is over.
And, perhaps we have had Just as
good a time as you have had in a
London restaurant with a jaxz band!
Woman Farmer in The Dally Mall.
Dinosaur's Haunt Yields Itolii s.
CALGARY, Alta. The haunt, of the
dinousaur In the Red Deer valley are
to be screened by the department of
trade and commerce. The place wheie
these relics of millions of years ago
are found is about 110 miles east of
Calgary, in a canyon of the Red Deer
river, which is Just as beautiful as
the Grand canyon, but about one-seventh
its size. It is the only place in
turns with, a pitcher of cream real Alberta where the cactus srowa.