asy meet here (Newport, R.I.) yesterday, just straight flying and
passenger carrying. Dandy party given for me after it, by Thomas J.
Watersell, the steel man. Have read of such parties. Bird party, in a
garden, Watersell has many acres in his place and big house with a
wonderful brick terrace and more darn convenient things than I ever
saw before, breakfast room out on the terrace and swimming pool and
little gardens one outside of each guest room, rooms all have private
doors, house is mission style built around patio. All the Newport
swells came to party dressed as birds, and I had to dress as a hawk,
they had the costume all ready, wonder how they got my measurements.
Girls in the dance of the birds. Much silk stockings, very pretty. At
end of dance they were all surrounding me in semi-circle I stood out
on lawn beside Mrs. Watersell, and they bowed low to me, fluttering
their silk wings and flashing out many colored electric globes
concealed in wings and looked like hundreds of rainbow colored
fireflies in the darkness. Just then the big lights were turned on
again and they let loose hundreds of all kinds of birds, and they flew
up all around me, surprised me to death. Then for grub, best
sandwiches I ever ate.

Felt much flattered by it all, somehow did not feel so foolish as at
banquets with speeches.

After the party was all over, quite late, I went with Watersell for a
swim in his private pool. Most remarkable thing I ever saw. He said
everybody has Roman baths and Pompei baths and he was going to go them
one better, so he has an Egyptian bath, the pool itself like the
inside of an ancient temple, long vista of great big green columns and
a big idol at the end, and the pool all in green marble with lights
underneath the water and among the columns, and the water itself just
heat of air, so you can't tell where the water leaves off and the air
above it begins, hardly, and feel as though you were swimming in air
through a green twilight. Darndest sensation I ever felt, and the idol
and columns sort of awe you.

I enjoyed the swim and the room they gave me, but I had lost my
tooth-brush and that kind of spoiled the end of the party.

I noticed Watersell only half introduced his pretty daughter to me,
they like me as a lion but----And yet they seem to like me personally
well enough, too. If I didn't have old Martin trailing along, smoking
his corn-cob pipe and saying what he thinks, I'd die of loneliness
somet