Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-09

1 had to lean forward to catch what he
was saying.
Il very fond of my brother. We
were much alike-save the speech-I mean
in feature, and when 1 heard that he had
been murdered damnably, rottenly muir
dered, I could not sleep. l drank for it,
My arms, from wrist to elbow, We're scared
with the markings of the needle. / ran the
gamut-cocaine, laudanum, morphine One
day l awoke, so to speak, in hospital 1
was strapped down, much the you
We're telling me about just now. l stayed
there for some time, and slowly regained
my strength. You see, said Charlie, paran-
thetically, and 1 was afraid he had side
tracked his ideas my will has never left
me L could start tomorrow and sit with a
fishing rod in my hands on the banks of
the Seine, a bottle of cold tea beside me,
for the rest of my life. Man, l could do
it, and never touch a thing but bread and
cheese. l could live in tub, If l made up
my mind to do it. Well, listen l deter
mined when l left the hospital to give up
everything. The doctors told me l must
if l wished to live-they know little about
that" he sneered-"so / went to the Adj
rondacks. L rowed and padded and lived
in the woods. l grew strong and keen
life. built castles to no end. l imagined
returning and showing people what l could
do. For six months / touched nothing in
the way of stimulants. 1 had put morphine
away forever-I wish now to God l had
not"
We'll" Charlie was speaking slower now
and breathing harder, Il returned to town
1t was late in the spring, or better, early
summer. l went to my hotel-you know
the one mean" Indeed l remembered it,
and how often we had sat there on our
college vacations and watched those Won
derful nymphs trying to draw the SIM
Drowned satyr down into the water)
1t was a beautiful day, and 1 went up
into my room to dress / had not had a
black coat on my back for months. l OBJ
served In the glass that l was looking very
well, and suddenly it crossed my mind that
abstinence an lrin
pledge, you know-was up this very day /
rang for a cocktail. 1t tinged me to the
end of my fingers. And SO l took another
and another and fourth. Denny, when
L stepped out on the sidewalk l owned the
world, and would have given half of 1t for
one kindred spirit who would understand
my mood. l went into Delmonico's, hoping
to find familiar face No one was there
that knew. / longed for some place in the
fresh air, but longed stin more for some
one to talk to, to rhapsodize at, for l was
mont i thought, and / went outside. The
driver of hanson cab held up an interro-
eating finger Il wondered if Charlie had
borrowed this from Walt Whitman) He
had a nice horse and d nice trap. 1 called
him across. The Claremont up the river
said J.
las We drove up Broadway I owned it
all. We passed under the elevated, and as
1 looked out 1 saw figure standing at
corner"
Charlie had now begun to talk through
his teeth and merely with movement Of
his lips; he was breathing hard. at was
tall woman in sheeny gray silk. 1 leaned
forward and looked about the corner of
the window. Strange to say, she bowed,
or 1 bowed FIRST, l forget which Well,
you, know, 1t was about time that 1 had
gotten over boys foolishness-but why moi?
l threw open the little trap door in the
, roof of the cab with my stick. Stop said
/. The driver drew up to the curb. Strange
| to say. as 1 came down the sidewalk wait
| ing to get my cue. you know, the woman
stepped to meet me. All, Mr., Cumminps'
| she said, with a slightly foreign accent.
"'Pon my word. l was knocked almost
off my feet. There was nothing for 1t, how
| ever but TO pretend that had known her
1T was the same old stereotyped way:
| Haven't seen you for some time! Where
| have you beenT Will you ever forget
| the last time etc. Non-committal phrases
word fencing and all that, you know
rotten nonsense!
well, the upshot of 1t was, I asked her
point blank to have dinner with me. She
| laughed. accepted, and in a minute we
| were up the avenue. Let me give you a
/ hint of what she looked like, old chap
You may have read about it, said moth
| ingl. Her face was clear as wax with
out bit of color. Her eyebrows were
| straight and narrow. and her hair rose
| from her white forehead as even as a char
goal line. Her eyes were so pae that the
black dots Of her pupils could be seen a
| dozen feet away. but her lips were as red
| as blood. Bloodp' he repeated. "She was
| the strangest and most beautiful thing
| alive-God! Yes. she was!
| We'll. do my best could not And ont
how she knew my name. I grew serious.
| but she laughed that off: then I grew In.
terested-i could have sworn that I had
never met her, you see. Suddenly she
claim II as my native language, almost
I and We talked on in that. She was clever.
she was bright; she was uncommonplace'
sno' insensinly' she made me keep my dis