Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-23
Copyright. 1895. by John watson.)

copyright, 1890, by John Watson)
Never had I met any man so methodcal
in his habits. neat in his dress, so accu-
rate in speech, so precise in manner as my
tellow-lodger When he took his bath in
the morning 1 knew it was half-past 7, and
when he rang for hot water that it was a
quarter to 8. Until a quarter-past he
moved about the room in his slow, careful
dressing. and then everything was quiet
next door till half-past s, when the low
murmur of the Lords prayer concluded his
levotions. Two minutes later he went down
5tairs-if he met a servant, one could
lear him say "Good-morning''-an read
his newspaper-he seldom had letters-till
D. when he rang for breakfast. Twenty
past D he went upstairs and changed his
coat, and he spent five minutes in the lobby
selecting pair of gloves, brushing his hat.
md making a last survey for a speck of
lust One glove ne put on opposite the hat
stand, and the second on the doorstep, and
when he touched the pavement you might
Iave set your watch by $3.50 Once he was
the lobby at five and twenty minutes to
10, distressed and hurried.
Il cut my chin slightly when shaving"
lie explained, land the wound persists in
bleeding. 1t has an untidy appearance, and
L drop of blood might fall on letter.
The walk that morning was quite broken,
and before reaching the corner he had
vice examined his chin with a handker-
;hief and shaken his head one whose
position in lfe was now uncertain.
1T is nothing in ITSELF he said after
ward, with an apologize allusion to his
.tnxiety, land might not matter to another
nan. But any little misadventure-a yes
ierdays collar or a razor cut, or even
lnky fnger-woud render me helpless in
iealing with people. They would simply
.ook at the weak spot, and one would lose
Ill authority. Some of the juniors smile
when l impress on them to be very careful
a fhafI a nfS no
comes their situation, but unCbject.o
With more responsibility they VIII see the
necessity of such details. l will remember
your transparent sticking plaster-a most
valuable suggestion
His name was Frederick Augustus Per-
kins; so ran the card he left on my table
week after | settled in the next rooms, and
the problem of his calling gradually be-
came a standing vexation. 1t fell under the
class of conundrums, and one remembered
from childhood that it is mean TO be told
the answer, so | could not say to Mr.. Per-
klnS--for 1t was characteristic of the prim
little man that no properly constituted per-
son could have said Perkns-"By the way,
what is your line of things?" or any more
decorous rendering of my curiosity.
Mrs. Holmes, who was mother to Mr.
Perkins and myself, as ell as to two young
er men of literary pursuits and irregular
habits. had gift of charming irrelevance
and was able to combine illusions to Mr.
Perkins orderly life and the amatory ten
denotes of new cook in a mosaic of en-
thralling interest.
No. Betsy Jane has had her notice and
goes this day week; rot that her cookin' S
Dad, but her brothers don't know when to
cave. One was ere no later than last night
.hough if he was her born brother, e 'ad a
HTerent father and mother. or my name
unit dimes. Your brother, Betsy Jane
says |, ought not to talk in a strange 'ouse
IN family affairs till II o'clock
4 left at 'alf-past 10 punctual, says
she. lookin' hinnocent as a child for 1
r a . 7 I1ra
ettin' Jim out
Betsy Jane I says quite calm where
10 you expeck to go to as doesn't know wot
truth is?' for Mr.. Perkins leaves is room
has the all clock starts on II, and 'e's in is
ned room at the last stroke. If she admit
brought in Mr.. Perkins she might ave de-
ceived me, gettin' old and not bein so quick
n my hearing as l was, but that settled her.
"'Alf-past," went on Mrs. Holmes, scorn-
fully: and i'm never varied two minutes the
asst ten years, except one night e fell asleep
n is chair, being bad with influenza.
For regular single gentleman as rises
in the morning, and goes cut and comes in
and takes is dinner, and goes to bed like
The Modes and Persians, I've never seen is
equal; an it's five-and-twenty years since
Dimes died, 'avn' a bad liver through takin
gin for rheumatics; an Lizbeth Peevey says
to me, Take dodgers, Jemima: not that they
pays for the trouble, but it ill keep an 'ouse.
MIR. Perkins business? 1t was shabby,
but the temptation came as a way of escape
rom the flow of Mr.. Holmes autobiography.
Now that I couldn't put name on, for
Why, e never speaks about is affairs; just
Good evening, Mrs. Dimes; I'll take fish for
breakfast tomorrow; more than that, or
mother blanket on is bed on the LIST of
November, for it's by days. not cold, e
goes"
1t was evident that must solve the prob
lem for myself.
Mr.. Perkins could not be a city man. for
IN the hottest June he never wore a white
waistcoat. nor had he the swelling gait of
u m Ia n in iDa
and it went without saying that he did not
write: a man who went to bed at IL, and
whose hair made claim to distinction.
Ones mind fell back on the idea of law
conveyancing seemed probable-but his face
lacked sharpness, and the alternative of
confidential clerk to firm of drysalters was
contradicted by an air of authority that
raised observations on the weather to the
level of state document. The truth came
upon me-a flash of inspiraton-as 1 saw
Mr.. Perkins coming home one evening. The
black frock coat and waistcoat. dark gray
trousers, spotless linen, high, old-fashioned