Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-20
CHAPTER II.
AT THE CHR.

| CHAPTER II.
AT THE GLIB.
Two men sat III the smoking room Of
tho Craftsman club. Their names mat
| ter little, bat they We're called Homer
| ton Smith and Euston Jones. 1t was in
the evening and at a time-bctween 8
and l0-whCn tic room is not generally
| crowded. IT is TIE largest and pleasant
| est room i'll the whole house, formerly
| the drawing room when old Lady Lock
worthy lived here and gave her parties.
| There we're only two CT three groups of
| men il the room. The two with whom
we are concerned were both young-not
| more than five OF six and twenty.
They had been dining together. They
had been talking on al possible topics
for two hours and were sitting in 81
lercc, Il thir:: which proved old friend
ship. Men who are merely acquaint-
| ances force the talk Men who are
strangers chatter continually. Old
friends 81. sometimes, for the most part
ia silence.
| One e ihern--it was Homertnn Smith
| -tCc,, up an evening paper and care
! lcsslT turned over the pages. Suddenly
| he cried ont: Coed heavens! You re-
member the man Lcighan. Of your year
the year above mc-intercsting man
| poet, dreamer. musical man.
| ITO he sure l remember the man
LciGhan,' replied his friend Euston
| Jonc. colGly. lie was man with
wECr: nature had dwclt rather hardly,
| giving him a short and squat figure, q
Stub nose and all insignificant. appear
ancc. l would explain insjguificance if
| ] could, but it is beyond me. Size has
| little or nothing to do with it. The
most ms: cEitiCant looking person ever
saw wis 4 giant. This man was short.
and yet ne was insignificant Of aspect
Il remember the ,aan. Leigilan very
well indeed" he replied. II have rea-
son to- remember the man Leighan all
the days of my life. If you cone to that,
have 10 objection to say and to pray
| Hang liz" nan Leichanr'
We'll. l don't know why you bear a
, grudSc against the man Leighan, as
you call him; bat, in fact, your prayer
has bccn already answered.
"AL!' The man removed the pipe
from his lips and inhaled deep breath
of satisfaction. lyon mean that he is
actually sus-pcr-coll: That is, to be
| sure, CEiy what might have been OK
pcctad. But l hardly expected it SO
! soon.
Not quite that" The man read the
paragraph from the evening paper mar
rating the extraordinary incident at
| Avorminstor cathedral.
Fine sit1atiou,' said the other. He
was journalist. Just beginning, with
dreams Cf the drama-highest and no.
hlcst KIND Of pii:y-aCd of fiction, CHIC
fictio., grand fiction. elemental fiction,
truly hun,an ficticr-and of poetry
grand poetry. epoch making. Very fine
situation indeed Cur friend. the mar,
called Leighan, would no doubt enjoy
it. Other men would find it shameful. -
''Thc paper says that he took off his
surplicc and furlcd himself face down.
ward on the steps il III agony of self
abasemcnt.
Something of the same sort in Nv.
patia. isn't there? 1 have already seen
the man called Leighan in an agony OF
self abascmcnt. | wonder who the WON
an wa%-chcrchcZ Ia femmc-especially
with PilUbns Apn0llo Leighan. l Won
der what he has done. If he were here
he would tell Us frankly with anothe.
agony of self abasoment.
Said the other man: What do YOU
mean by repeating about Leighan and
self abasement: Because l myself-but,
romc, tell me your story, and will tel.
you mine.
IT look such beastly fool in NY
story that am ashamed
80 do l. Fool isn't the word for me-
folly"
I'm that case, since there is nobody
here TO listen. u First of ali, II,
used 70 say that he was an orphan, Sol
of Ceylon planter. and that he had
neither cousins nor friends 4 most in
tcrest:rg stCry he told-life with strau
! gcrs-yuariians who wasted his sub
stance-impcrfcc observation-disclosures
nation 10 devote himself to the church,
aspirations poetry music - asthetit
| all the rest Of it-you know
"YCS-i remember. Used 70 account
~ his dark hair and pale face by hi:
oirth III the tropics.
We'll. his name is not Paul Can.
rington Leighar Ut al. Net even Paul.
II IS Samuel Canning. Sam or Sammy
-he answered 70 either name-Sam
Canning. the only child OF his mother,
and she was widow. The father died
whom he was an infant, and the widow
kept on the husiTCss still-bCokSeIiel
and staticncr in Ea,rchester The boy
had lovely face ard lovely voice.
They took INN into the choir, and he
used 10 sing solos with so much fervor
--such spiritual rapture in his angelic