The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-19

"AxYBop1 ELSE STAYING IN THE HOUSE,
wAITER?"
er, who was stirring the fire with one
hand and strolSing fat black cat with
the other.
Anybody else staying in the house,
waiter?"
The waiter dropped the poker and
turned round sharply with profes-
kional smile of greeting.
"Yes, sir, one gentleman"
"What sort of a gentleman?
"Young fellow, sir, very quiet, gentle
manly looking young fellow. sir. Only
arrived yesterday, sir. London gentle
man, think, sir"
Has he ordered his dinner here?o
.'Yes, sir, in the coffee room. Six
O'Clock, sir"
"Hum. He's going TO dine alone in
the coffee room on Christmas day, and
Tme going TO dine alone in my sitting.
room. wonder whether he'd think it
an impertinence II i asked him TO dine
with me?"
Scans say, I'm sure, sir. i can't say
up to now, sir"
Mr.. John Oldroyd had come to NAL
xern for few weeks because he was
suffering from an old enemy, rheuma-
tism, and a man at the club had tod
him that Malvern was an excellent
place for rheumatic patients. People
arrived cdtherelimping andhobbling, and
after few weeks there were climbing
the hills before breakfast, and perform
ing marvellous feats of pedestrianism
all day long.
il didn't matter very much 10 John
OIdroyd where he went, and he hadn't
taken into consideration that he would
be in hotel on Christmas day. because
wherever he had been he would have
been equally cast upon his resources
for the festivities of the occasion. He
had made fortune in South Africa by
aluclSy mining speculation after know
ing all the horrors of being pennless
loafer in new land, and he had come
back to England with the reputation of
being millionaire. But he had left no
friends in South Africa, and he had
come back TO none i'm England.
His wealth would have given him
hosts of acquaintances, but he had
never been man TO encourage ac-
quaintances. lie was CHEEKY and ami
able to everyone in business, but out
of business he was what is vulgarly
crfieti ..stane-ellisl,-" ". lie very soon lat
people know that he had no desire for
company. aud he had never been known
to accept an Invitation, however hearth
ly IL was proffered.
And here was this man who had never
cared for the society of anyonc-who
had lived the life of recluse i'm the
grandest hotels of Europe. suddenly
sm,ften with a desire 90 have a COM
panion at his Christmas dinner table
et the little Malvern hotel.
When the idea first came 10 him In
the morning, as he sat looking out of
his sitting-room window at The quiet
little mountain town covered with snow
and silent as the grave. save for the
changing of the abbey bells. he had
shrugged his shoulders, and put it down
10 ill-hcalth. Late in life. he was de-
Neloping nerves" He thought IL
might perhaps be the result OF the
rheumatic attack from which he had
been suffering which were
getting more frequent and more severe
every year. and tho seeds OF which had
beer sown in the old days when he
roughed il in d wild, inhos3itable coun-
try. and spent long days and nights
In the cold and damp, with pipe of 20
bacco for his only luxury. and an old
horse rug for his only blanket.
II suppose rs nerves he said. "but
J never felt like IL before, and it's not
at oil pleasant sensation. Why the
dickens should want somebody 10 dine
with me this evening? I've dined alone
dozeils Of Christmas days before. and
rothing's troubled Inc. not even my
conscience. But now"
And then he bad fresh symptom.
which alarmed him more than the idea
of nerves. He began 90 think--to con.
iure up memories OF the past. 30 see
hack into his life--far. far back to n
time that he had forced himself for
years TO forget.
What he saw made his lips qlivcr.
and a gray look came into his face. and
sent him downstairs I'm bury 10 i'm
>xrtfcy the waffIr a. to the possibility