The record-union., 1899-09-03
IN A TIGHT FIX.

| during the year we We're together 1T
| Oxford and our friendship continued
after we had gone down through the
| two years l remained. He was my
senior, three or four years oder tnan
myself, and as is generally the case in
! strong, friendships, my opposite in
many respects. I was a reading man;
Keen was more noted for the strength
| of his arm on the river and as a des-
perate forward" in the footer field My
| temper was always of the rnildest;
Keen would give vent to paroxysms
of anger and weeks of smorhered, re.
vengeful passion. He was TALL mag
nificently built fellow. and the men Of
ten called US 1.-The long and the short
of it, SO great was the contrast be-
| tween us.
1 do not say there was nothing in
tellectual about Jasper Keen. On the
contrary, he was a genius; only, like
most of his species. he worked by fits
and starts. When he did work how
ever, it was to some purpose. as the
examiners knew. And with all his
great strength and passion for sport he
had very marked temperament which
showed itself in his love of sculpture
and modelling. His rooms were a cur
iosity. Very few books-he always
sold them the instant he had finished
reading them-prize oars and pots"
in profusion, and collection OF clay
busts modelled by himself There was
a row of college Dons on his nnartel
shelf, clever caricatures his intimate
friends-and his enemies If he liked a
man he made an excellent little bust
of him; on the contrary. one who in
HON h;
eccentric or repulsive manner, but
still with strict regard TO a correct like
ness, so that it was impossible to mis-
take the man.
When Jasper Keen left the varsity
he set up a sudio in London He was
a man of fairly large private means
and did not care about earning money.
Hes devoted himself still TO sport during
his intervals when he was not exercis-
ing his hobby and lived a generally
easy and comfortable life
In due time I also went to live in
town and plunged into the vortex Of
literary work, to. which / had deter
mined to devote my life. I constantly
saw Keen, and our friendship was as
great as ever. until
Yes, "untiP'-you guess what I mean
always, and she stepped in between
u.s. Jasper Keen loved her madly,
jealousy. Over and over again he was
repulsed, for Ivey Stirling never cared
for him. He frightened her with the
intensity of his devotion. One day ne
said to her:
THE truth is, you care for another
man.
And what if I do?" said Ivey,
boldly
What if you do? Why, this. If I
find the man, even if he were my
greatest friend, I'll kill him rather
than he should win you
He was Keen's greatest friend. The
man who was accepted by Ivey Stir
ling was myself. and in spite Of all I
trust she will be my wife before the
year is out
1 may we'll say ''in spite of ALL"
When Keen heard of it he was furious.
L told him myself. L thought it best
that he should hear the news first from
the lips of his friend. and 1 hoped from
the bottom of my heart that our
friendship would not be destroyed. So
I went round to his studio and broke
the news to him.
whole frame quivering, his nostrils di-
lated and his eyes starting forward
like some wild beast held in restraint
by chain. Then he turned 10 a ne
destal on which stood & bust of my
self, fashioned by him in the old OK
ford days, and dashed it to the ground.
The fragments of clay went rafting
over the studio.
Leonard Fendron." he yelled .sas T
have broken your bust SO will I break
you. You false. traitorons hound. YOU
think you have stolen from me the one
object l have to live. for But not vet
do you hear? 1 could crush YOU as
you stand-I could break every bone
in your body with this hand of mine.
But that would be too ooor a, revenge.
will wait-I will make YOU suffer
such agony as you have given Inc. Go,
l say, go, and may the worst of all
curses light upon you-the curse OF a
friend that you have wronged."
1t was useless to explain. so T went
Ivey was much disturbed when I told
her about this interview, but to tell the
truth, [ thought little of it myself. T
had seen Keen in a paroxysm of rage
before, and l hoped that in time he
would see things sensibly for the sake
of old fellowship.
For year l never saw the man. His
studio was shut up, and report said
that he had gone abroad Then sud-
denly met him face to face in Fleet
street. [ was going to pass him by at
first, but he stopped me and shook
hands.
How dye do, Fendron?" he said.
Last time [ saw you l was in fit of
temper. But that's all over now. and [
can afford to let the past be buried
in the past-if you can, too"
Certainly" 1 replied I'm only too
delighted to hear our frienship still ex-
ists''
That's right he said .And now
come and have some lunch with me.
There's restaurant handy where we
can talk"
So | went with him He was most
friendly and chatty. He told me he had
been abroad, but that the last five
months had been spent in England.
Il have been living like a hermit" he
said The fact is, I'm engaged on IL
masterpiece of work. 1t will beat any
thing I've ever done. Oh, it's a grand
thing, can tell you. 1 fitted up a stu.
dio in the country some months ago.
and I've hardly stirred out of it since
!, simply worked and seen no one. But
I've had an end in view, as you shall
see for yourself Now, I want YOU to
pay me a visit, and you shall be the
first TO see my masterpiece Will Won