The aegis & intelligencer., 1899-11-10
miscellaneous
THE CONTRIBUTOR.

| church and parish house fronting OF
Broad way, but so deep as to break
the hideousness of the row of small
| shops on the rear street, l had found
IL lodging that offered advantage
that | could not set aside despite the
neigh borhood's indifference to claHn
illness and other social virtues. The
house itself was as clean as a house
that had been built 30 years ago could
| be
| Here l made my first acquaintance
among uy fellow dodgers before my
single box arrived. / vas, in fact
awaiting the arrival Of the box when
the old gentleman opened the door
behind me. He stood few minutes
on the step that separated the house
from the sidewalk and then, noticing
me, he smiled pleasantly and spoke oi
the chimes, that come from the steeple
half block away; too near to be
mellow, but evidently enjoyed by my
| new acquaintance
When the chimes ceased, the old
gentleman turned to me again. "Dc
you stop here2" he asked. MY name
is Colonel Frees" And he made me
a slight bow, bringing gloved hand
that held an ivory stick toward his
| chest.
| noticed that his coat was old.
fashioned and that his gloves and
beaver hat bore the marks of refined
poverty. AT little distance he would
| have appeared to be q carefully dress.
led man of means, who, from choice
| cluug to the styles of his middle age
he was past 70, l would say-but close
| at baud the impression was the sad
one of a man who preserved the out.
ward signs of gentility only by the
scrupuIous care of long worn clothes
| that always indicates refinement in
| the midst of want.
| Before could answer the colonel
(when came to know him l always
called him colonel,) another lodger
entering the house eyed us with a
| look that indicated that he was sur.
| prised to find US in conversation.
| learned afterward that the. colonel
was not intimate with his neighbors,
and / took his friendliness toward
myself as no small compliment.
| I introduced myself, explaining that
| | was a newcomer, and expressed the
hope that would see him again. My
haphazard remark nearly ended our
acquaintance before it was well be
gun, | noticed that the colonel drew
himself up bit straighter and in 8
few minutes he was walking deliber
ately down the street ON the errand
he had interrupted to speak to me.
| During the next fortnight l met
| Col. Frees now and then on the stairs
and we merely exchanged mods. Prob
ably had forgotten his rather abrupt
ending of our first meeting, but his
manner did not suggest that he was
anxious to expand our acquaintance
found that he lived with his wife or
the top floor. The latter went Out
FREQ uently on errands that were al
ways accomplished in an hour or two
l noticed these details because l haC
developed considerable interest in the
colonel and his wife. Ifelt they were
worth studying.
The other dodgers had long ago
given up speculatiDg as to their his
tory and I might have done SO ir
time had not the old gentleman me-
ME at my door one evening and stop
ped to exchange g. word or two. He
seemed to be elated about som methiug
and finally he told me that he haC
sold a story that day, l could see his
fingers moving toward his waistcoai
pocket, where his honorarium wal
doubtless deposited. Unconsciously
adopted the colonel's expressions il
speaking of him. He always referred
to the rewards of his literary work al
honorariums.
Gradually, by successive meetings
we became better acquainted, and a
last he asked me to come up stairs tt
his room. He and his wife had oc
cupied this room for five years,
had been told by our housekeeper
1t was low and somewhat "stuffy,'
but neat and well furnished; in thi
respect it presented better appear
ance than any room in the house. Tht
furniture belonged to the old couple
1t was aristocratic, but worn, remind
ing me of the impression l had re
ceived of the colonels appearance OF
the day l first met him.
| was presented to Mrs. Frees an(
greeted by her with the simple dig
nifty that marked their very movement
| do not know who they were or wha
their position had been but l hav
never met a man or woman who's
bearing was more impressive of re
finement.
Neither Colonel Frees nor his wifi
made any effort to conceal their Gil
cumstances. The old gentleman
wrote stories, most of them reminis
cent of his experiences in the civi
war. Mrs. Frees painted flowers o.
fancy articles at q compensation tina
l thought must some day lay heavil
upon the conscience of the Sixt
avenue dealer who brought them.
suppose she spent eight or ten hours
day on these pincushioDs and hanc
kerchief cases, the purveyors therec
e collecting them the year round to b
r placed upon the market at christina
r do not think the work wearied he
+ She seemed to enjoy the flowers ths
grew under her deft brush and We