The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-07
xCopyrignt. 1856. by Bachelor. Johnson ana
Bacheller.l
PART l.

xCopyrignt, 1886. by Bachelor. Johnson ano
Bacheller.l
PART 1.
After arranging the Egyptian and
Mexican pottery SO as TO contrast agree
ably with the Dutch and the German
beer mugs on the top of the bookcase
that ran along one wall of the sitting
room, Cosmo Waynfiete went back into
the bedroom and took from half
empty trunk the little cardboard boxes
in which he kept the collection of play
ing cards, and of all manner of outland-
ish equivalents for these simple instru-
ment of fortune, picked up here and
there during his two or three years
OF dilettante travelling in strange coun-
tries. At the same time he brought out
a japanese crystal ball, which he stood
upon it's silver tripod, placing il on a
little table in one of the windows on
each side of the fireplace; and there
the rays of the western sun lighted II
up at once into translucent loyeliness.
The returned wanderer looked out
of the window and saw on one side the
graceful and vigorous tower of the
Madison Square garden, with It's Diana
turning i'm the December wind, while in
the other direction he could look down
on the frozen paths of Union Square,
only a block distant, but as far below
him almost as though he was gazing
down from balloon. Then he stepped
back into the sitting-room itself and
noted the comfortable furniture and
wood fire cracking in friendly fashion
n l. ese al no
longings scattered here and there as
though they were settling themselves
for a stay. Having arrived from Eu-
ropeo only that morning, he could not but
hold himself lucky to have found these
T. rooms taken for him by the old friend
to whom he had announced his return,
and with whom he was to eat his Christ
mas dinner that evening. He had not
been on shore more than six or seven
hours, and yet the most of his odds
and ends were unpacked and already in
place as though they belonged In this
new abode. 1t was true that he had
toiled increasingly to accomplish this;
and as he stood there in his shirt
sleeves, admiring the results of his la
bors, he was conscious also that his
muscles were fatigued and that the
easy chair before the fire opened its
arms temptingly.
He went again into the bedroom
and took from one of his many trunks
q long, loose garment of pale gray silk.
Apparently this beautiful robe was in
tended TO serve as dressing-gown, and
rs such Cosmo Waynfete utilized IL
Immediately. The ample folds fell soft
ly about him, and the rich silk itself
seemed to be soothing to his limbs, so
delicate was its fiber and so carefully
had IL been woven. Around the full
skirt there was embroidery of threads
OF gold, and again on the open and flow
ing sleeves. With the sldllful freedom
of Japanese art the pattern of this
decoration seemed to suggest the
shruboery about spring, for there
were strange plants with huge leaves
broadly outlined by the golden threads,
and In the midst of them water was
seen bubbltng from the earth and lap
ping gently over the edge of the foun,
tam. As the returned wanderer thrust
his arms into the dressing-gown with
its symbolic embroidery on the skirt
and sleeves, he remembered distinctly
the dismal day when he had bought it
In little curiosity-shop in Nurem-
berg; and as he fastened across his
chest one by one the loops of silkcn
cord TO the three coins which served as
buttons down the front of the robe,
he recalled also the time and the place
where he had picked up each of these
pieces of gold and silver, one after an
other. The first of them was a Persian
daric, which he had purchased from
dealer on the Grand Canal in Venice;
and the second was Spanish peso
struck under Philip III. Mt Potosi, which
he had found In stall on the embanl-
ment Of the Quay voltaire in Paris;
and the third was York shilling,
which he had bought from the man who
had turned 1t up in blowing field that
sloped to the Hudson near Sleepy
Hollow.
Having thus wrapped himself in this
unusual dressing-gown with its unex,
3ected buttons of gold and silver Cos.
lno Waynfete went back into the from.