The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-24
A GAME OF QUlxoTISM.
BY TOM GALLON.

bY JONel Old CnnD-l n yOhs sS
right sort OF friend, you arc. can always
sum up n man in fvo minutes; there's no de-
cciving nc, you know. Hang all forfnaltics,
l NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and all that kind OF thing.
like you" Tho boys handsome race was
flushed, his eyes wcro wild; he mad utica MS
hat to the back of his head. He caught the man
he addressed by tho arm, swaying a niue nn.
steadily blinking at him. Il say, you know,
he added, 1--WE mustn't lose sight OF each other
-ehi'
"a wise precnution, certainly, so far as you
nrc concerned" laughed the other rather
wcarily. "But. comc-what do you want TO
do' l think I'll 20 home"
"Homc!" cried the boy. shaking his now
friend bolstcrously. What n suggestion!
No-lct's stick together; we haven't known
each other half an hour yet"
(which is perhaps fortunate, from your
point of vicw,' muttcrcd the other. Aloud,
he suid: well, my dissipatcd unknown, what
is your programmed Come, who are you;
what are you; where are you going3 I've got
you out of n row in that very shady place
he jcrkcd his head toward the lighted doorway
behind them-"but that doesn't necessarily
mean undying friendship in return. If that's
your game. perhaps I'd bitter have left you to
get out of the row yourself-again from your
point Of view"
II don't know what you're talking about"
replied tho boy. a little slocpily. But I'll tell
you what Wen do" he added rapidly. striving
to stand steadily for a moment; well go to my
place. Jolly little rooms. Wen have another
drink and II chat. Come along!'
"ilcrc-stop. my young friend. II you
won't think for yourself | must do 1t for you.
You're not II bad sort of fellow, as boys go; l
don't want to get you into trouble. l hate
family jars and you no very young. What
about your ~pcoplci'
People be hangcd!' was the reply. I'm my
own master. I'd have you know. Here-come
on; we can't talk in the street"
He swung around and hailed n passing hanson
and began to drag the other man toward it.
well, l suppose I'd better see you home, at
all events" muttered the other.
The boy shouted an address in Kensington
and the cab ratified off. Tho boy talked spas
modically-even broke into song now and then;
tho other man leaned back in the cab and
looked before him down the almost deserted
streets. lie was thinking in a dull fashion,;
thinking Of the hours-long since gone by
when he had been as this boy, with all life
opening before him-a road sweet and pleasant,
to DO trodden with head erect and confident
eyes that watched for victory; thinking OF
how often he had been content to crawl in the
dust of unhallowed byways. 1t angered him
n little that he should think of that now; such
thoughts had troubled him once, but he had
since learned to dismiss them with u shrug-
to laugh at the old platitudes of virtue which
had once meant SO much to him.
lie reused himself with a start, TO find that
the cab was stopping. He saw. with something
OF contempt, that the boy had fallen asleep, his
head nodding down stuuiily on his breast. He
reused him sharply-alinost shaking him out
OF the cab TO the pavement. The boy put some
silver into the drivers hand, and then thrust
his arm through that of his companion.
Here We are" he exclaimed. by Jove! I'm
half asleep. / want something to liven me up.
Come on this way"
mol shan't come in replied tho other,
CHANGING up at the windows OF the place, and
catching the CLEAN Of the summer dawn that
was struggling in tho SKY. You'd better get
to bed. young 'un.'
You're not going TO leave me like this. was
the reply. Bed, indeed! Come. l toll you
you shan't CO."
II had been the mood Of the man TO yield to
every passing impulse throughout his life. IL
was so much easier than to struggle. He
yielded now and went up the stairs. After all.
he thought. it would be a lighter matter to get
rid OF this importunate youth in an hours time
, than to have a discussion with him on the
street.
The fiat into which the boy noisily stumbled
was wei! and p~rettily furnished; seemed al
most TO show the touch OF a feminine hand in
, its arrangement OF flowers and knick-knacks.
Z One small electric light glowed at the side of
the room. The boy turned all the others fully
on. They showed CHASTITY white against the
I dull. rosy light which was coming family in
through the curtains.
The visitor had strolled across TO tho fireplace
/ and stood there, moodily looking at some of:the
photographs ranged on the shelf. He had
a picked up one and was examining II. He set IL
h down Sharply and turned to his young host.
i Now" he said. rs the time for fUrmalitics-
Cor introductions. In a rrosaic world we must be
Richard Felgatc'-ho bowed a little ironically
"a man OF whom his acquaintance land they
Il of whom his friends iii lie happened TO possess
I ply. A poor rogue. III fact, who has but ono
merit that he. gives dullcr rogucs something
Oh, come, yon know you're running, yourself
down." replied the other. You must be out of
i To~ns hhaSo g dsinf Kou My name you Know is
We'll, MIR. Bailey Roughton. give mo some
thing in which to drink your health. Snug
/ 'Oh, yes all TO myself. OF course" replied
= Ronghton, pouring out whisEey with an m,
t end Of the room. Come here you are. Cheer
IS yourself UP a BIZ" toni, ~. o,,.. ,,,, ,,.,
d contempt for ink hoy rrick'cd him to rcck.
h ioasts; "SIn give the Young idiot . lesson" he
taught me years ago. We're travelling tho same
road, my stupid Bailey lioughton." he NUT
d tered, looking at him-'only I'm a little fur
y Their on the journey than you
- Presently the boy fell into n heavy slumber
with his head among the glasses on the table
Richard Felgate, whose face was flushed, stood
,r back OF a chair. He laughed in his throat, and
,e thcn-with a shaking h9nd, began to pour
Il some more whiskey into his glass.
A sound at tho other end of the room caused
h him to look up with u start. lilo set down The
gripping the chair back. Tho door, which evi
d IDENTIFY led from another room, had opened, and
o a figure stood there, in "A long loose robe, framed
" startlingiy against the darkness behind the
figure of n young girl.
10 In ali his after life it Is probable that Rich
n ard Fclgatc never quite etfaCed the recollection
a. of that moment; never quite lost the impression
in of the girl, ds he saw her then. She had stop
n ped, with one hand on the door knob and tho
$ other holding her gown at the throat; they
10 looked at each other for one long moment across
n the drunken boy.
ic swiftly, Still looking Mt him, she crossed The
~ .n.nu-uL. lnnI n,.cr thn hoy He rnuand him