The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-20
TALE OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY
mr. Kenyon's Strange Experience witha
Remarkable Client in Kansas City.
Repulsiye. bat He Had the Soul of O
flero-A hlaelstrom Of Emotion.

c. A. Kenyon, manager of the Western
Paving and Supply Company, knows how
TO tell story and tell IL well. Sitting in
his cory Office in the Ingalls, Block the
other afternoon. ne lighted a fresh Henry
Clay and began upon en- experience that
was true without exaggeratIon or addition.
"a few years ago." said be. Il was prac-
ticing law in Kansas City. On arriving at
my office one midsummer morning j found
sD odd-looking stranger waiting for me.
Ny clerk had given him seat in my
private Office, and he sat tanning himself
with an old straw hat as l entered.
lis this Mr.. Kenyon, the lawyerf asked
he. without rising. Upon my replying in
the affirmative be SAID that he had some
important litigation In that section of the
country, and had consulted Judge c.. an
eminent jurist in the State from whence he
came. who had recommended me to him.
lie had arrived in the city only that morn
ing. and came from the train direct TO my
Office.
while my peculiar visitor was relating
these facts had been making an inventory
OF his exterior He was tall. angular and
thin almost to emacIatioD. One of his
hands was much swollen. pouIticed and
bandaged, and the Odor from IL was any
thing but agreeable. His head was small,
and covered with dirty brown hair, that
stood up. and, being thin. matted together
as be ran his fingers through II. His only
beard was on his chin and was thin. and
red. and long. There was stubble of red
hair over the rest of his face. indicating
that ho bad not shaved for some days. But
his FACET was at once repulsive and fas-
ciDatinG. When my eyes first fell upon 1t
1 withdrew my gaze as one will
st his clothes. His trousers were
faded and dusty, his shirt dirty
and unstarched. his coat and vest of cheap.
faded black alpaca, and the corners of his
long coat hung much lower than the back.
indicating that be stopped in walking. and
his boots were coarse and unblacked. Then
my eyes went back TO his face. 1t was de-
formed; it was ugly. There was much III It,
that was evident. but. like page of San
serit. or an ill-written letter. it was puz-
zle. Not one definite suggestion came TO
me from its perusal liz created similar
Impression To being In great dusty. musty
Jibrary-yOu see great many books, but
cannot read their titles You know not
Whether they are PHILOSOPHERS. histories.
beautiful romances. or agricultural reports
directories, rubbish.
His forehead as high. yet narrow. and
the wrinkles in it-and they were many
seemed TO cross each other. He had lost an
eye. and some novice had inserted In its
place glass ono of larger size and different
color from the other. 1t was set and glared
at me continuously. The lashes about il
were long and gummed to responsiveness
lie wore spectacles. and had broken the
glass out of the frame over the glass eye.
Ills nose was shapely, the nOstrils thin and
quiyerIng. the mouth mobile. and the win
kles ana marks about IL. II they Indicated
anything. indicated much OF human emo
ton, for they We're not caused by age, as
lie Afterwards told me he was but hfty-tive.
las If To Accumulate his ugliness. his
teeth were irregular and long. one or two
were out and the remainder tobacco
stained. He had no complexion the skin
was weather-beaten and tanned that
&c had the appearance or being basted,
except that it was flexible. The
cheek bones were high, the eyes deep-set
and small. yet keen anu active. There was
q careworD expression on his face. and in
repOse it would relax with q nervous twitch-
ing. and his quick. nervous, nasal voice.
which was pitched high. easily slipped into
the falsetto, and as he spoke in an intensely
serious. almost dramatic. manner, this hap
pened very often. especially when he be-
came excited, or put great stress on word
or clause.
The impression which this character
produced upon me was SO vivid, and his ap-
pearance and conduct took him SO CON-
pletely ont OF the class of mOrtals that one
ordinarily meets. thar. considering the su ID
sequent history of the man. i venture TO
" 4
lie had been In my presence but ten minutes
that he was an extraordinary man in some
way. Just how did not know.
Nv hat Is your case. my frleEdP asked,
after these prelImlnarIes were over. With
quick. lerky motion he opened the travel
ing bag at the side of his chair. and, push
ing his swollen hand In at one side, scooped
out mass of yellow papers. squeezed to-
gether rather than folded, which scattered
over the floor as he did so. There is my
case said he. and relapsed into silence. L
was quite taken aback at this sudden ac-
ton.
Il tried to examine several of the pieces,
which. when smoOtbed out. looked like
leaves from the yellow BLOCK tabs often
used by attorneys, the writing on them
Was almost illegible. having been written
with q lead pencil, and was evidently @
4 copy of the evidence of some one. in the
were unnumbered, and even if it had been
possible to read what b ad evidently been
! so iaboriously written. for there was q
Rreat mass of it, there was no continuity to
II. so could not tell what it was about
sufficiently to get any definite idea of the
contents. And yet. he had settled back
waiting. as if to say: There il all is
He seemed quite disappointed that il
was OF little or no value TO me. and that
the labor might have been saved. He
besved a sigh like one who has made q
great effort only 10 have it prove frultIess,
and told me that he had worked night ana
DAY over week with his swollen hand,
holding the pencil as one holds knife,
copying it. and il amounts TO nothing. 1t
cost me great PAIN said he. great PAIN
Tell me your trouble in your own way,
give me little account of your life. and
will probably be able TO advise YOU said /.
lie closed his eyes moment, and then
said:
Tell you all Tell you my life, No. No,
IT Is too long. too much.' and he shook his
head omInously. "a though memory were
cOursing over the past Finally he con-
sented. and continued:
lover thirty years ago / was a young
man, living in the little town of Lansing.
in the State of Michigan. courted. loved
and was married TO Jennie c.. somewhat
against the wishes of her brothers and par
ents. She was sweet. quiet and beautiful,
with disposition placid rs n summers
the negative pole of my fiery, nervous tenn
permanent. She was lmprpsslonable but
true. Her brothers and parents were ever
predicting that she would soon tire of me-
end. while apparently friendly. were, by
1nsinuatton. by coming over mylfaults. and
by SOWING the seeds OF discord, ever seek
Ing 10 make their prediction come true. OF
tins i became aware. and resolved that
they should not wean her away OF take her
5rom me-
with the progress OF his narrative his
face became animated. and HIS speech
almost dramatic. and as he spoke the last
bowed, as II In deep thought aud then.
looking directly at me. said between his
asr teeth:
have got her yet. but Oh my God,
bow have suffered and struggled; nothing
bnt love could have borne 1t all IL went