stella 's story continues family legend , neighborhood gossip , and parish gossip all seem to agree that stella went wild after her parents ' death while cortland and carlotta battled over the legacy fortune and how it should be managed , stella began to throw scandalous parties for her friends at first street ; and the few she held for the family in 1926 were equally shocking , what with the bootleg beer and bourbon , and dixieland bands and people dancing the charleston until dawn many of the older cousins left these last parties early , and some never returned to the first street house .