Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-08


,Oyts rose anu rvfAAfheo.
Il want to tell you ms story because
| have Claire ana ner mother both here.
and ! may never nave such chance
again. for they belong in this, and they
don't like to have me tell IL very well
either. but II happened this way:
I'VE were staying at a place up In the
Catskilis near MIR. Laurence Hutton's
country home. and Charles Dudley War.
ner was staying there too. After We had
been there short time ! was called
away for ten days. and while / was gone
DR. b. L. Martin visited Mr.. button
Now. DR.. q f.. Martin Is an American
gentleman. who has lived SO much ~
England that ne has-wel!-absorbed many
English ways He Is very natty and
spruce about his clothes always wears
gloves, and so on. Wen, you know, al
these country places they toss every new
conner up in a blanket. so TO speak, get
all the good they can out Of him, and
then drop him and pick mp somebody else.
/ so when | came back they had forgotten
| all about DR.. Martin. and | never heard
/ him mentioned. but the Warmers tthey are
In this story. too, they Invited him to
call on them II he ever came to Hartford,
! and Mrs. Clemens and Claire, they urged
him whenever he visited the town TO call
al our house, and We would see that he
anything about that
80 II happened that about six weeks
later. one rainy m SCRABBLE day | was
up In the bi.liardroOm on the third floor.
and | was in a desperately dsagreable.
I mood. / had just played game OF bill
lizards viii myself (and losD. and was In
| an overwhelming rage. | wanted some
thing or somebody to be violent toward.
so when the colored man We have brough,
a card o me gave II a savage look, ana
read, Mr.. H. f. Martin
Here was my victml / knew In a
minute that this was lightning rod
man. and | said, I'm going to kill him."
What is II, Sambo? ID d he say any
thing-have anything-want anythingY
L couldn't ask him: he's a gentleman.
sir
Didn't he have any lightning rodsY
Not as | could see. sir he had kid
gloves on, sir
"Oh, well, II he isn't selling lightning
rods it's something else. He's selling en-
craving for Goupil-dld he have a Rus
sia leather portfolio under his arm?
II don't think he did. but he might
SIR
well. I fairly gloated over the torture
l would put that man through. ! was
in a thoroughly vindctive mood. and |
though. | would make him suffer for
the unpleasantness some Of his kind had
made us. SO / started. But as | went |
began to remember certain warnings
against these ebulitions Of rage. / re-
membered that / was not exactly COM
mander in chief OF that house. and that
whoever came ] was always to treat
them well l decided not 10 use violence.
/ would use strategy. | would see how
the land lay. get my bearings. be sure
OF my ground. and | would carry i'm with
me a thick. black frost that should i'm
! mediatey settle over everything. and ut
terly wither the man with his lightning
rods, or his engravings, or whatever he
had.
Il peeped in the drawing room. Now.
Mrs Clemens had been making a tour
Of the house that day. and had gathered
up nine or ten etchings In little silver
frames and arranged them on the floor
10 try the effect for a certain space on
the wal-had left them there. and there
they were I'd seen 'em thousand
times. but didn't know It then. II made
me feel good to think l had so nearly
nit It, and | walked In. As luck would
have It, he had taken from the table a
Russia lea her portfolio and held II In his
lap. OF course, I'd seen that portfolio
million times but / didn't know that.
either. I walked in feeling especially
well. and so, so capable as | { OK In
the situation and prepared 10 meet the
foe.
He rose when went In and put out
his hand / took II and let II repose
minute In mine; let II lie there-then let
II drop. That was good for a starter.
Then ! stood there, and didn't say any
thing. / didn't ask him TO sit down. l
didn't sit down. | knew that a pause.
deep, delib rate pause, well distributed
over the surroundings, would be highly
advantageous.
HE said Mira Clemens is well.
hope?
"Oh. yes. she's well-we.l enough?
81 could see that was hard one on
him, but after a minute he tried II again.
Miss Clemens Is wellT
eyes. she's we'll enough
"Then that pause settled again. and you
could feel 1t Over everything. / never en-
joyed anything more in my life.
AT last I'm a hopeless sort OF way he
stopped and absolutely raised one of the
etchngs that lay on the floor.
THAT instant II struck me that some
time, somewhere, I had seen that pic
ture, so with a wave OF the hand | said
bland y. Never mind, we've got that one
"Well. he dropped II suddenly. and l
congratulated myself, but still / didn't
began to lift the second one l thought my
bluff had been so successful that / would
try Il again, so / said. indifferently:
Never mind, we've got that one. too
He let go and stammered out: I re-
Gently met Charles Dudley Warner In the
mountalns-and he. ah-spoke TO me about
cal ing at his house. Could you kindly d.
rect me%
What a chancei / fairly covered him
with directions Certainly, certainly
right out the front door-down that street
straight an -ad-you can't miss IT, and
he was out in a trlce.
but when | came back and saw all
those pictures on the floor. ! began TO
feel a slight sinking at the heart. 1t
struck me that perhaps | had not been
so very clever after all. / had sent that
man away without his property. and the
more l studied the proposition the more
uncomfortable / became. Then / called
up to the second story:
"'Do you know anybody by the name Of
Mr.. b. T.. Martini
Martin? said Mrs Clemens. Is he
tall and fair wears glassesr
No; that amt the one
Then Claire came from the other side
and she called down. Why, he's the
gentleman we met at Mr.. Hutton's, and
we invited him particularly to call when
he came to Hartford
Its all right said, he's been here |
"'What have you been doing-what |
have you done? We urged him 10 visit |
US
Its all right, say-he's been here.
| didn't know who he was. and he's /
gone-gone to Mr.. Warmers. l thought |
he was selling etchlngs.'
on; how terrible, You must go right |
after him and apologize
What shall / say? Tell him l took |
him for a pedlerY