Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-11
men will lay upon scrap of paper scrawIed

men will lay upon scrap of paper scrawled
with black!
1 was much with him at this time, for
that love and admiration for him which,
later on, SO grew in my heart that
l must place him before all the other
men whom 1 have known, was even then
strong in me. l think no one, man or wo-
man, might be with Denis day by day with
out loving him. He was a great soul.
If the Princess Eleanor, drinking the
elixir of love, had flushed all in a moment,
as it were, into health and strength and
rosy happiness, the change in Denis was
equally wonderful. He seemed another
man. There were marks of the old life that
must be upon him to his grave, but the
unhealthy pallor of his face was gone, the
reStleSSneSS of the eyes, the hollowS in
the cheeks, the disagreeable lines of cyni-
ctsm, of dissipation, of recklessness about
the mouth. His head was reared high in
the air now, his step firmer, his eyes clear
and alert and quite free from the nervous
twitching that had spoiled them before.
Why, even his smile, that no Ill living, no
debauchery had seemed ever to touch took
on tenderer semblance, a sweeter charm.
All, he was mani
AS for the drink, he showed a strength
that amazed me- No man who has for
any alcoholic liquor can suddenly leave 1t
quite off without becoming nervous wreck
but I think that Denis, at this time, did as
nearly without drink of any sort as man
might do When we sat at a cafe he no
longer called for absinthe. but took brandy
or whisky in water, and very little of 1t,
and at meals he used the wine mos, spar
ingly. Sometimes in the studio, after
siege of racking nerves that was all too
evident he would take a single glass of
absinthe, but quite openly. And 1 think he
never trusted himself to take 1t when alone.
1 have seen many a plucky fight against
besetting vices, but never one SO plucky as
this.
But it was Colonel Won Altdorf whose
appearance and conduct were, during these
days, most of a mystery to me. He had
fallen into a perverse humor that puzzled
us all. He had long fits of abstraction from
which he would rouse himself to growl an
answer to some ones repeated question.
He spoke often of having missed much hap
piness in his way through life, and of how
a single man was at best poor thing and
incomplete. Also he took to reading GER
tain volumes of poetry which Denis had
about the studio. and think he memoriZed
some Of the verses, for he would read
space, then look up and move his lips as If
repeating the lines.
1t was all very curious and most unlike
Won Altdorf. / spoke to Denis of it, but
Denis had no eyes for other mems affairs
just then. he was busy with his own.
Let him alone, lad" said Denis. Hes
probably in love. They often act that way
when they take 1t late in life
But for the love of heaven!' 1 cried,
with whom?"
1.-The concierge" suggested Denis.
II spoke of the phenomenon to Miss Jes-
sica Mannering. upon whom took frequent
occasion to call. Miss Mannering was at
first moved to extreme mirth Then after a
little she sighed and smiled and touched
the keys Of the piano before which she was
sitting, in the big. gloomy, stone-arched
chamber that Mackenzie had transformed
into sort of drawing room. And she sang
under her breath a little snatch of song
Love in my bosom like bee
TT would be a great pity" said Miss
Manuering, "a great pity II Colonel Won