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The money went out as fast as it came in. In the spring of 94, Vernon bought the Ely estate on Manhasset Bay, near Long Island Sound. An upscale area rich in fishing, boating, and horseback riding, Manhasset Bay was a lovely spot for weekend relaxation, convenient enough to the city for quick getaways. Although the area had been served by the Long Island Railroad since 895, Vernon preferred hopping in his roadster and driving back and forth, to the enrichment of the town’s coffers (he was regularly pinched for speeding). Vernon paid $70,000 for their estate, to the amusement of locals, who reported that it was worth $40,000, tops. As if that expense weren’t already out of their league, they added a houseboat/dressing room, and all of their friends and acquaintances came out to spend weekends (with the Castles footing the food and servants’ bills). Vernon took up polo, playing proudly with Broadway stars Will Rogers and Fred Stone.“That dancer didn’t scare worth a darn,” said an admiring Rogers. “We all had many a tilt with him and he never flinched.” Vernon thoroughly enjoyed being a man of property and “was always galloping around somewhere, playing polo or tennis,” said Irene. The front door had a glass upper pane,and when the doorbell rang,Vernon would get on his hands and knees and crawl up to it, trying to identify the caller by peeking through the keyhole before deciding whether to answer or not. One of the main advantages of the Long Island estate was as a boardinghouse for their ever-increasing collection of pets.The star of the assembly was Tell von Flugerad (“Tell” for short), a German shepherd Vernon purchased in Europe in the summer of 94 for $,000. Soon, Vernon had twelve police dogs,“most of which I have bred myself ...we have cows and horses as well as the kennel of dogs.”While in Coney Island, scouting locations for a summer dance palace, Vernon and Irene drove past a donkey  “THE SPIRIT OF SUCCESS . . . OOZES FROM THESE TWO YOUNG PEOPLE” CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 103 farm and sped in for a look around.They spotted a donkey foal, and Irene fell in love. “The owner insisted upon giving it to her,”Vernon said, “so we took it home in the back seat of the car. It’s surprising how difficult it is to make a donkey sit down in the back of an automobile.” In addition to the German shepherds and Zowie the French bulldog, the Castles always kept at least one tiny yipping lapdog, which one reporter nearly sat on as it curled up under a comforter. Irene, obviously not a cat person, laughed,“We call her Kitty and Pussy and talk to her just like she is a cat. She wags her tail and never knows how she is being insulted.” The Castles bragged shamelessly of smuggling “Kitty” into England past quarantine in bags or wrapped in blankets: “She’s so used to it that if she has a pillow thrown on her or is sat upon suddenly she never whimpers.” Irene’s son notes that Vernon and Irene “got famous so quickly, I would liken them to professional athletes: one day they’re in college and the next they’re getting $0 million salaries—money goes to their heads.” But the Castles got such fun out of their overpriced new home: togged out in riding clothes, tearing around on horseback, buying dogs, dogs, and more dogs to fill the house and the yard, having weekend house parties, putting in new tennis courts. They certainly didn’t inspire Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, but the Castles were a precursor to that new money, relaxation -at-any-cost Long Island lifestyle. While Irene laughed at Vernon being “charmingly irresponsible,” she was no financial genius herself. Elisabeth Marbury recalled being handed a $,500 bill by a collector for a horse Irene had bought while on tour. “Their day was never complete unless they had bought something,” Marbury sighed.“Motor-cars were purchased with a joyous carelessness I have never seen equaled. Fur wraps fell upon Irene’s lovely shoulders like manna from heaven.” Irene lamented Vernon as “a soft touch . . . a benevolent Bank of England .” He overtipped and overspent. Attending a car show in Manhattan, he drove home in a $5,000 Minerva, a high-end Belgian model known as “The Car of Kings...

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