The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-29


and he continued: Il s'pose not; moth
ing under Murias for you, eh? Don't
smoke myself-too expensive. / sell
these things though-one hundred per
cent. and not bad value after all. All
I make that way put away-do some
thing with it some day. At present /
live on nv so.ew-or less, if possible.
Look here?"
"Well?' l said.
"See my front and cuffs? Look very
well, don't they? Grand idea-cart-
ridge paper. Gentlemanly appearance
at precious little cost. Good wrinkle
but no good to you, Of course. Ave a
drink"
said: 'sNo." and held out my hand.
ooh, come and have drink" he urged,
and yielded. The habit of going with
out lunch is hard one to acquire, and
felt faint Besides, could pay him
back some day. We went into a pri-
vate bar, in Chancery Lane, and had
some ale. He said of course l usually
drank better tack than that, but he
couldn't spring it. A man came in as
we talked; florid with drink and affa
bic. Excuse me a minute" said Bon
tor. Directly afterwards I saw him
speaking to the stranger: the pipe was
held up for inspection. refused, re-of-
fered, haggled over, and finally
changed hands. Bontor came back
gleefully, thinking a half-crown and
a form. ''Have another?" said he; but
my pride had by this time returned. L
declined. perhaps little too haughtily,
and we parted.
was going TO say that things went
from bad to worse with me, but that
would not be exact. They stayed Is
they were, and / almost forgot to be
discontinued. ! still lived on the fag
ends of literature. l took up scrap
of the Daily Telegraph one day in
Lockhart's cocoa rooms-it must have
been some years after | met Bontor.
1t was only the advertisement sheet,
but read It. as men in my case do. l
read the prospectus of a new company;
valuable proprietary article was to
be sold. 1t seemed. The vendor was TO
receive sixty thousand pounds sterling
III LID ITO. lldlA III CASH anu Ilc1I1 III
fully paid up shares. Further down 1
saw that Mr.. Philip Gloster Bontor
was to join the board after allotment
/ laid down the scrap of paper and
walked out. Within a hundred yards
/ met Bontor. l had no desire to slop;
it might have seemed invidious under
the circumstances, but almost involun-
tarily l stopped. l thought shade of
annoyance crossed his face, but he
stopped and held out his hand. He
was portly now, with dark mustache
and hard eyes. He had lived hard, but
looked well. He had not the manner
of a gentleman, however, as l hatter
myself / always had, even with my
misfortunes. he was pompous and
somewhat condescending as he said
''Why, Grant. what are you doing in
the city? Thought you would be some
where about Bedford Park or Ken
sington. Don't hear of you much late
". How goes it?"
Imuttered something about 'sbstruse
researches" when he looked at me
keenly and said coarsely: Not doing
well, eh? Don't look it,
1 said I was doing very well. but he
continued hurriedly: Know a man
named Schnitzel-going TO start new
society paper. Want job?"
/ was tempted to say Yes" but to
such cad as Bontor / could not hum
bic myself. 1 said, proudly: No"
''As you please" he replied We'll,
times money! Good-by.' 81
1 walked away without answering.
had expected kinder treatment from
an old schoolfellow
saw Bontor's name occasionally in