Oriental gongs trembled as the beautiful young dancer swayed into Khmer rhythms. The bell tones of her name signify "Goddess of Flowers," and certainly Princess Bopha Devi, 25, eldest daughter of Cambodia's Prince Norodom Sihanouk, looks as serene and elegant as the white frangipani blossoms that she usually scatters through her hair. Now she was wearing the 6th century headdress, valued at $200,000, that marks her position as prima ballerina in Cambodia's Royal Ballet. It is a 2,000-year-old tradition that the leading dancer be the daughter of the king--and though Sihanouk has renounced his royal title, Princess Devi is prima in the hypnotic dances, which, she says, are "witnesses to the past grandeur, glory and imperishable grace of our original civilization."

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The luck o' the Irish must have rubbed off on Raymond Guest, 60, retiring this month after three years as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Last September, Guest bet $2,400 at odds of 100 to 1 with London Bookie William Hill that his then unproven two-year-old colt, Sir Ivor, would win or place in this year's English Derby. Sir Ivor then won three consecutive starts, and last week--by now an odds-on favorite --he ran away from a field of twelve other horses to win the English Derby by 1 1/2 lengths. So in 2 min. 38.73 sec., Guest won $282,961--a purse of $140,461 and a bet of $142,500.

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A familiar name in the law courts popped into view once again: Danny Escobedo, 30, subject of a 1964 Supreme Court ruling on a defendant's right to counsel, was sentenced in Chicago to two concurrent 20-year terms for selling marijuana. It was the second narcotics conviction for Danny in three months: last February, he was sentenced to 22 years for selling heroin. And next week he faces a charge of robbery. Escobedo is appealing the February narcotics rap on the ground that tape recordings introduced into evidence constituted unconstitutional eavesdropping.

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It was a sultry night at Holland's sea-coast spa of Noordwijk, and the guests at Hotel Huis ter Duin were finishing a late supper when in drooped Mia Farrow, 23, fagged out after a day on the set of a gay little flick called Secret Ceremony. From then on the facts are hard to come by, but according to witnesses, Co-Star Robert Mitchum, 50, bounded to his feet and smothered Mia with a kiss--so all-consuming that Mia allowed her dangling cigarette to burn a hole in the suit of a somewhat wobbly diner. "I don't like that!" he protested, staggering to his feet and menacing poor Mia. Neither did Mitchum, who plastered a plate of salad on the Dutchman's face. In return, the gentleman heaved a salad at Mia. Before the waiters broke up the festivities, the air was full of cucumbers and tomato slices. Custard pie, anyone?

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Add two to the rolls of celebrated sons and daughters heading for films and fame. That mat-chested fellow with the open shirt happens to be Assaf Dayan, 21, son of Israel's superhero, Moshe; the lass wrapped around his waist is Anjelica Huston, 16, Director John's girl. Though they look like a pair of Carnaby Street mannequins, they are starring as lovers in Huston's latest film, A Walk with Love and Death. Assaf has been before the cameras several times in Israel, and it is not likely that Huston will harbor any qualms about working with his daughter in her first start. It was exactly 20 years ago that he directed his father, the late Walter Huston, in the classic Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

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Even the pros in golf need a little divine guidance at times, and when Evangelist Billy Graham, no mean golfer himself, was in Atlanta for a pro-amateur round before the Atlanta Classic tournament, he took the occasion to hand out a few tips from "the greatest pro of all time--the Lord Jesus Christ." Proper stance: "We must take a stand on what we believe in." Proper grip: "Get a grip on life." Hitting the ball from inside out: "True also in life, since the Bible says you have a body with a spirit inside it." Keeping your eye on the ball: "Keep looking for Jesus, the author of our faith," Following through: "God's rules can be rough, but we all have to play by them."

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Those income-tax sleuths in Washington figured they had found another taxpayer with a mistake on his return. So out went a form letter to one William R. Clark, a 40-year-old Government employee, asking him to report to his local IRS office. Clark showed up punctually and was hunched over his forms when a supervisor passed the cubicle--and did a double take. "Aren't you Ramsey Clark?" asked the flabbergasted IRS agent. "Yes," nodded the Attorney General of the United States, who then quietly turned back to his papers. The error, as it turned out, was in Clark's favor; he had paid too much in 1967 taxes, and collected a $500 refund from the Government.

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"Biased, one-sided, dishonest, shoddy, shallow, oversimplified, misleading and distorted." Pretty strong words for a Cabinet member to use, but Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman was in a foaming rage over CBS's recent "Hunger in America" documentary, which had levelled an equally angry attack on Government food programs. Freeman demanded equal time from the network to refute the "greatest abuse ever seen on the tube" and "to assure the hungry of this nation that the Department of Agriculture is doing what it can for them--and wants to do a great deal more." He charged CBS with "gross errors of fact," but the network disagreed and denied Freeman's request. "We were right," answered CBS News President Richard Salant. Besides, "equal time only applies to candidates for public office, and I don't know what Freeman is running for."

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