New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-20
, GLIMPSE OF DRUMMOND.
-uo AMERICAN GIRLS UNCONNEN-
o>,1 MEETING WITH HIM IN CAPRI.


W. wv nm with every degree of eloauence. Ian
,,..,arsn saws OF his personal appearance: III
,he lads distinction an inherent quality Of
france and manner Of character and soul
-sch marked him and made him solitary.
IN. . nicture Of the first order among ordi-
noytraits he dnconsciously put his neigh
- ., a disadvantage. one did not realize
~. COMMONPLACE and colorless other men were
an they stood side by side with Drun,mond-
g., a nlatform Of evangelists or sitting among
,,i,;,y students In a dingy classroom. or CAP
"a in the wooden responsibility OF an eccIesl-
..,cal court or standing In crowd OF passen-
NC at n railway station, he suggested golden
s.,roiderv upon holden gray. II was as II the
,-,ce Of ones imagination had dropped IN
,r common folk. He reduced US all TO the
yeassntry
.coiden embroidery upon holden gray read
x.u II suggested a bright presence OF golden
nth with seraph eyes, angelic hair, and the
s,nra ~ A Christian knight in shining armor.
,n,he other poetical description OF Drummonds
r,nd and character We could receive only "a
mon always do receive truth or falsehood' &C
.o-ding 10 our attitude toward it. That golden
embroidery" in truth made TO us the holden
ray only more conspicuous. Yet Is IL not
Zines, precisely the same quality Of stuff spun
~ the ward when Stevenson died?
', ISIS We found ourselves. two women art
,.,s alone in a hotel in Capri The German
,ouris, throng Of yesterday had gone, the Eng
ssh ,ouris, ,hrOng would not come till to-moT-
,cw When alone in the hotel, as We often
wore We were in the habit Of wearing Capri
,4.ssn, dress: 10 avoid presenting ourselves in
o, suise before strangers, Felce had strict
,,ssrs TO warn US In time that "du monde
vould he AT table On that memorable day he
.rhs, forgot 10 tell US or fancied III forester
srsr was no; OF sufficient Importance TO
,,ishten us into store clothes" At any rate,
xbsn We went into the dining-room, we were
shashed 70 find ourselves in the presence OF a
Stranger whose expression was OF such unmiu-
,s,.d amazement relaxing suddenly into one
Of amusement, that we were tempted to de-
camp a; once We did not. but took our places
IN solemn silence walking. like Agag softly
The stranger seemed about twenJy-seven or
lightweight He was Of the complexion called
by scotsmen sandy" rather than the golden
cpos.-mortenl idealists. quite Stevenson's com
rexion. although with mode reddish hair, and
larger eyes than Stevenson had except in his
10 tighten the general effect OF his face He
appeared to US tall: We afterward knew that his
movements Of body and members were even
grotesquely awkward and shambiing, so much
80. in fact that when he ran upstairs with US
Felce and Marietta were detected watching
hin with broad grins.
He was not in the least bashful. or reserved,
nor did he cease TO smile for any great length OF
time during that dinner He made the first ad-
vances to conversation. Of course. even though
We were only women. and masquerading ones at
thai: even though his biOgrapher tells that
Women had no attraction for him. and he often
seemed Obvious Of their presence-as a result
bis influence over the sex fell far short OF that
he exercised over men. So seXless was he toward
women 50 neutral toward men. so void OF the
elemental passions which go 10 make the coioi
and tragedy Of life. yet so noble and true was
he, that one regarded him at times with awe
and for momen, thought Of him as being OF
another race. minglng our life in all kindness
yet maintaining and guarding his other world
Integrity"
He asked Us nnumerable questic ms about the
Island. our artistic summers upon It, our kno"i-
edge Of the peasants. even the kind and quaIIty
Of the food We had Neither was he more re-
served concerning himself than he wished US 70
b Of ourselves He told US that ne was
'canny Scot" that he travelled as economically
Is he possibly could. that he was on ms way
home from Africa and that his name was Henry
DrummOnd This latter piece OF Information
was not meant TO stun us. II did rot impress
Us in the least, for Henry Drummond had come
to fame since We left the world OF newspapers
and books. He did not tell US that fame had
found him out in far Africa not even that he
Rad ever ,--it4or, q hook Il Was NearS before W.