Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

that they were actually gone There are cir
swore at Paul with most cordial profanity. He
had gone out attfred In my dressing
suit. 1rrefragable proof; his OWL habiliments
Che had but the one set OF garments) hung In
the closet.
Every man has his vulnerable point. had
liked Pauls views Of a universal Brotherhood;
there was something ennobling In the renun-
citation of selfish individual claims; but man
has, nevertheless few tnalienable rights and
one OF them Is certainly the undisputed tenure
OF his solitary dress-sult.
This was communism, was 1t? This was the
upshot Of those fine theories! Here was l, a
piodding, hard-working fellow, who had econo-
mlzed In an sorts OF ways to keep himself in
lazy vagabond who spent his time in quarrel
ing with the universal instead Of making his
living like other men!
Where could he have won my clothes? What
need existed of his making an appearance In
frultless evening attire among his shabby b.
hemian coterie?
Time passed while was in the clutches Of
this painful dilemma. Should send an eS-
cuse to the Thatchers, or commit the glar1n2
Improperly OF going to the dinner In my rougl
morning clothes? Even IT Tom and his father
overlooked the fault the fair Lulu would OBJ
serve 1t with feminine fasttdousne5s, ana make
up her mind that was altogether sunk beloN
her ideal. But had no messenger TO send
and determined to go and avenge my wron IS
BY telling every body the reason Of my bei1gt n
this plight. There was no end to the clever,
satrtcal observations concerning Paul and his
IdDIdSIit
Mr. Thatchers.
found that the family had already sat down
to table, and was at once ushered into the
dining room. Mr.. Thatcher nodded to me and
held out couple OF fingers; Tom was brusque
and gave my clothes an odd glance; buJ the
fair Lulu was gracious and a thousand times
more lovely than ever.
l had no eyes for any body else until she said
SWeetly, mi. Brisbane, let me introduce you
to Mir. Forbes"
l looked up. needed all my self-command
not to cry out. There sat Paul opposite, well
dressed, calm easy, assured. returning my
glance with humorous expression on his
handsome face.
Chow are you, Brix?" said he. "You were
late Ia coming home tonight"
Lulu looked at me with interest. $50 you
and Mr. Forbes are acquainted?" said She
"Brix and / are brothers" Paul answered for
deemed my lost faith In mankind. II Is dis
tinct blessing to me that Brix is alive. Poor
wretch that am, without any OF the rewards
which sweeten lonely destiny, it has done me
good to know a man like Brix. l may say
was stranger and he took me in" q waited
GREATNESS TO hear II he added, ''naked, and he
clothed me. )" but he broke off with half laugh
and a sm1ln glance at me,) then added: eyes,
Miss Lulu, Brix and are friends
Lula smiled at him. She evidently consld-
cred it fellowship like that of lame ct la
bette,
sat dumb. My wit was generally too early
or too late. l knew not in what form to attack
Paul-whether fearlessly to expose him as a
wolf In Sleeps clothing, or humiliate, sting
and wound him by satire. l could not, how
ever, find chance to speak, sat like an awk-
ward boy. OF course my dinner was spoiled
/ made mistakes in my wine, and Mr.. Thatcher
came TO my relief with oficious instructions
that he did not intend the Clos Vougeot to go
with the salad. Wherever failed Paul shone
He was well dressed. whereas l was i'll dressed;
he was chatty, even brilliant, whereas l was
sulky and silent. | discovered that he had
spent month with The ThatcherS in Italy. 1t
was easy to see how they regarded him-a
man not TOO young, far from rich, yet who had
seen and possessed the best part of the world
sort OF Ulysses. l was rayless beside him.
When l finally rallied and made some trtiing
observations, they fell fiat, while Paurs least
remark was pOndered and treasured.
Ipleaded an engagement, Illness, something,
and LETT the house as soon as we rose from the
table. went home and sat up modify until
Paul came ill., foresaw climax OF emotion,
wrath and the end OF our friendship. He en-
tered just past midnight with jaunty air.
still up?a said he, putting his hand on my
shoulder. by the way, Brix, had I dreamed
that you We're invited to the Thatchers to-
night we would have tossed up for the dress
suit"
Crossed up?' retorted fiercely. This is
distinctly too much
"What is too much?'
~ have not been backward in comforting
whatever benefits could grant consistent with
my own self-respeet,, l gas3ped, ''but for you
You don't mean to say, Brlx, that you be-
grudged me the use of this coat and waistcoat
and trousers"
wanted to be rough with him; 1 wanted to
express with the utmost force my rage at the
affront, the wrong, he had put upon me- But
he had so surprised manner, he seemed so
retired so ingenuously into his philosophical
theories concerning the tnaienable right OF
one man to the possessions Of any other man.
he looked at me so reproachfully and eyinced
such disappointment at my decline from the
plane of lofty dlsinterestedness on whlcn he
had placed me- that began to believe that l
really was a selfish brute.
He went on to tell me that he had loved the
fair Lulu for more than year. and that it was
his intention to offer himself to her the very
next evening, when he had promised to act as
her escort to concert.
"Sou sha'n't wear my dress Clothes" /
gaSped violently.
He bemoaned his destiny like an artless
Child: he complained of the cruelty of the
one failure the more, but the worst failure OF
his life. He had no money to buy dress
clothes for himself, yet if he presented him
self next evening to Lulu In hts shabby velve-
teen. 1t would be such palpable shock to her
susceptiblitieS that he would be liable to lose
the ground already gained. But almost worse
appointment In my dlsinterested fraternal at.
fection. He ought, he said, to have accepted
my offers of friendship, counting upon them 10
meaning formula, "Todo csc a Ia dSposiclone
de v" He should not have put my uncompro-
missing egotism to this test.
| was amenable to such treatment. "Oh,
take my clothes" Iscr1ed wildly. "Take any
thing. Don't think Of me or Of my claims in
the least. I've got better necktie than that,
and pair Of diamond studs. Put them on to-
morrow night. Let Lulu believe they are
yours. Look your best in them. Win her If
you can"
Paul wruDg my hand.
'.BriX." he returned with fervor, ~ Will"
He did so. He went out next evening fault
less In my attire, and returned triumphant:
Lulu had accepted him. Old Thatcher had
found no fault with him, and the thing was to
be an engagement.
/ found certain morbid pleasure in making
Paul wedding present Of the clothes he was
wearing. l am the sort of man who cannot
stand up against destiny, and Is forced to &C
commodate himself to the inevitable. Paul
was extremely grateful, and upon the break
Ing up OF our menage, which followed hard
upon his engagement, insisted upon making
me present OF the skeleton.
Brother Gardner on Family Govern
lnents
"Las' night, jist as de ole woman was grind
In up de butcher-knife to cut her corns, dar
cum knock on de doah," began the president