The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-11
THE CONTRIBUTOR.
300 G@00@@ 10000 0000 90

On a side street. just back Of
church and parish house fronting ON
Broadway, but so deep as To break the
hideousness of the row OF small shops
on the rear street, | had found a lodg-
ing that offered advantages that
could not set aside despite the neigh
hoods Indifference to cleanliness ana
other social virtues. The house itself
was as clean as "A house that had been
built thirty-fve years ago could be.
Here / made my first acquaintance
among my fellow lodgers before my
single box arrived. L was, in fact,
awaiting the arrival OF the box when
an old gentleman opened the door be-
hind me. stood a few minutes on
the step that separated the house from
the sidewalk, and then noticing me ne
smiled pleasantly and spoke of the
chimes that came from the steeple half
"A block away; too near to be mellow,
but evidently enjoyed by my new ac-
quaintance.
When the chimes ceased the old gem
tleman turned TO me again. do you
stop here" he asked. MY name is Col
Frees and he made me a slight bow,
bringing "A gloved hand that held an
ivory stick toward his chest.
| noticed that his coat was old-fash-
ioned and that his gloves and beaver
hat bore the marks OF refined poverty.
At a little distance he would have APP
peared TO be carefully dressed man
of means. who. from cno:ce, chung 10
the styles OF his middle age-he was
past seventy, should say. But close
at hand the impression was the sad one
OF a man who preserved the outward
signs OF gentility only by that scrup-
nf lnnp-WD~n clothes that
always indicates refinement In the
midst of want.
Before / could answer the colonel
twhen | came 10 know him | always
called him colonel another lodger, en-
tering the house. eyed us with a look
that indicated that he was surprised
TO find us i'm conversation. | learned
afterward that the colonel was not in-
innate with his netghbors, and took
his friendlness toward myself as no
small compliment.
introduced myself. explaining that
] was "A newcomer and expressed the
hope that / would see him again. My
haphazard remark nearly ended our ac-
quaintance before IL was we'll begun. l
noticed that the colonel drew himself
up a bit straighter. and In few min
utes he was walking deliberately DOVE
the street on the errand he had inter-
rupted to speak 10 me.
During the next fortnight l met Col.
Frees now and then on the stairs. and
we merely exchanged nous. Probably
/ had forgotten his rather abrupt end
ing OF our first meeting, but his man
ner did not suggest that he was anxi-
Gus 10 expand our acquaintance.
found that he lived with his wife on
the top floor: the latter went out fire.
quently on errands that were always
accomplished in an l)ur or two. l
noted these details because | had de-
veloped considerable interest in the
colonel and his wife. l felt that they
were worth studytrE.
The other dodgers had long ago given
up speculating as TO their history. and
] might have done so in time had not
the old gentleman met me at my door
one evening and stopped To exchange u
word or two. lie seemed 10 be- eiated
about something and finally he told me
that he had sold a story that day. l
could see his fingers moving toward
his waistcoat pocket, where his hon
orarium" was doubtless deposited. Tn
consciously | adopt the colonefs eX-
preston in speaking Of him. He always
referred 10 the rewards of his literary
work as honorar.ums.
Little by little she told me part of
their story. They had been well-to-do.
as | supposed; not wealthy but in com
Portable circumstances. A son >ad
ruined his father by an escape which
drew upon his finances at a time when
the use OF his capital meant the loss
of all. | was never told what the son
had done. but he escaped exposure and
punishment. In q vague way / had
supposed that the son was dead or had
gone away. but later ! was told that
he had a position" in publishing
house. "Gregory's salary is very
small" his mother said conveying an
apology for his obvious neglect.
| got the impression that the old lady
told me these things with a definite
purpose in view. Probably she thought
/ would look after the colonel little
when she was gone.
Paner every day became the fact
that my friends money supply was
very low. The cooneis contributions,
as he called them. were never accept
ed now. a fact which he attributed with
pathetic lightness To the absence of his
-wifc's influence on the mails. | kept
away from their room at meal times
and now and then | took some delicacy
to Mrs. Frees: the food that she needed
would never have been accepted.
I saw, too. that the old lady could
not live long. and one day / ventured
To ask IL she would not allow me t.
call upon her son. No. 1t was impos-
sible.
Thee olonel would never permit 70
lie had not seen Gregory or mentioned
his name for years. And then the
mother defended her son from my un-
spoken judgment.
"He has been a good boy" she said.
land would have helped US. only the
colonel" and then She looked away.