Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-18
PROPHECY ON PROPHET

| A friend who is writer is some times quite amusing, but oftentimes very provoking. He is continually oc- cupied in an intending search for ina terial.' One is not at all sure that Wien enjoying pleasant walk with him he is not tolerating your company merely for the sake of his art and that he is not thinking perhaps that he will have Geraldine" and "Egbert' take such a walk in his new novel,
 Or, when you observe him regarding you intently, immediately become alarmed for fear he will utilize some peculiarity of yours for his villain or his comedy man.
 However, as I said before, with all their shortcomings these writers are distinctly amusing, and upon one occa- sion 1 was not at all sorry at having accompanied one of them on one of these very searches. This member of the profession announced to me one morning that he had completed all his characters but one for his new novel, Barbara Biddington or Things Are i Not What They Seem. He needed material for the "absent-mnded un- cle' and resolved to make a pilgrimage to the east side where he thought he knew a man who would serve as a model.
 Having invited me to accompany him. we traversed very labyrinth of narrow streets and crooked alleys until he eventually ushered me into a red brick house with green shutters which stood on corner. 1 followed him up the stairway, where he knocked at the first door to the right, which was adorned with numerous drawings and figures which looked like the Chinese puzzles in the Sunday Journal. After wearing more. or less skin off his knuckles. rapping at the door and re- ceiving no. .answer,she opened it abrupt ly and walked in.
 We found ourselves in a long nar- row room which had the appearance of some kind of museum. More draw ings on the wall, tools of all descrip- tions scattered at picturesque intervals over rather dirty floor; no end of funny cOntrivances piled up in the cor ners and one end of the room entirely taken up by what looked like a great ice water tank with graphophone attachment
 In the midst of the general confusion We finally managed to make out the figure of the proprietor of the establishment. He was bestowed in a
 
 stool, in front of a rather dilapidated desk at one side of the room He inn pressed one with the idea of extreme height, with shock of yellow hair at l the top.
 He was evidently quite obliyious of our distinguished presence and kept on drawing an infinite number of red lines on an immense sheet of paper. l from time to time taking vicious and by no means dainty bites from d huge piece of huckfeberry pie, which he carefully laid on top of the ink bottle. 1 While Waiting for him to condescend to notice us we cautiously picked our way about and began to examine the curious devices on the wall They were all aodrned with an elaborate mark in the lower left-hand corner. which 1 finally made uuT 10 be the let ters 70. E. J." While I was absorbed in wondering who this very interesting individual might be. I was startled to hear him exclaim in a distinctly pre- occupied tone, "Come int" It had prob ably just occurred to him that some one had been knocking at the door, He didn't turn around, however. but kept on drawing red lines and meantime de vouring an astonishing number of lime drops, which were scattered over the desk and on the floor around him. Presently, heaving a great sigh of relief, he wiped his pen on his sleeve and tossed it skillfully across the room where it landed in the waste basket He had apparently finished his work and now began to hum a tune which seemed strangely familiar to me but which I could not place.
 Turning around leisurely he began 10 regard me with such a vacant stare that I didn't know whether he was going to ask me if 1 knew my history lesson or challenge me to game of ping-pong.
 While was trying to think whom he reminded me of, he gathered himself to- gether, as it were, and went over to explain to my friend the virtues of his electric lawn mower, the model of which they were examining. He then proceeded to show us in rapid success sion his rain producing machine. then a curious affair that looked like a sew ing machine, which he claimed was the greatest discovery of the age for bring ing the dead to life; machine for com posing music. anything from a cake walk to an opera. while you wait. ,fter this followed his patent sponge cake machine, mirror attachment for t.se tslanhone which he had invented