The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-09-04


Van Kleek's doing. He and Tom are
as thick as thieves"
"a strange pair"
81 don't know whether it's the au-
thor's liking for the Van or for the
man."
"Possibly the Van"
II don't know; Van Kleek's rather
white chap
Brandon murmured something about
Whitechapel, but Archie could not
countenance the remark, and immedi-
ately froze into unconsciousness.
Except for Tom Van Kleek it seems
hardly possible that Worthington and
Mrs. De Courcey- -Hartwell could have
met, the man and the woman were so
dissimilar in character.
Worthington had come down from
Canada few years before, when his
books began to succeed in the United
States. He made good acquaintances,
but went out very little. There was
something of the freedom and breezi-
ness of his own woods about him
something charming but untamable-
and he did not talk about his ART
He loved nothing quite so much as to
get into disreputable smoking,jacket,
through the pocket of which the fire
from his old brier had burned vol
canic-looking hole, and to loll in slip
pered ease alone with book or with a
few choice spirits.
He did not pose, or seem to pose,
save that he wore a great shock of un-
ruly black hair. When his friends
twitted him about this he told them,
with laugh, that he was "knot pated,"
and did not dare to wear his hair short.
They smiled, and in revenge he had
his hair cut, after which a committee
waited upon him to beg him not to do
it again. The chairman of this CON-
mittee plainly told him that he looked
like phrenologist's specially prepared
subject, and they were all sorry for
two weeks. From that time bis hair
went unmolestcd and unremarked.
He was a sociable fellow, outside of
society, easy and gracious. The boys
called him Dick, but he was Richard
Barry Worthington under his stories,
poems and articles and on the title
pages of the books that had make him
famous. Literary men put in all the
name they can, presumably to add
weight to whatever they offer the
heartless editor.
1t was Dick, rather than Richard
Barry, who entered Mrs De Courcey-
Hartwell's drawing-room with Tom
Van Kleek on the nj ght when a few
friends had been invited to meet him.
Forsythe Brandon was standing beside
Helen Archer.
"Heavens!' he exclaimed, "the man
is we'll dressed!"
"Why, why not?'
"And be hasn't stumbled over his
feet once"
"Mr. Brandon, aren't you ashamed
of yourself
"Not in the least. Just look at that
bow; and he didn't forget to speak to
his hostess
81 think you are very silly, and l
do think be is very good FORM"
"That's just it; that's what resent.
Don't you know it's very bad form for
a genius to be good form? He light,
at least, have respected tradition
enough to be shabby and have red
hands" And he sighed tragically.
Helen laughed, and moved away.
Much later in the evening Tom Van
Kleek wandered disconsolately in from
the smoking room, where the lion had
taken refuge as in his lair; someone
had mentioned reading, and he had
incontinently fed.
"What's the matter, Tom?' asked
Mlllicent Martin. "You look like
hired mourner at a funeral"
"Don't joke, Millicent. I'm in an
awful fix. You know l am partly re-
sponsible for Worthington's being here.
But I'm afraid I've offended both him
and our hostess. Everyone is expect
ing him to read something. Mrs. De
Courcey- Hartwell sends me to feel him
on the subject, and he absolutely re-
fuses to do thing
"In other Words" laughed Millicent,
1.-THE lion refuses to roar"
"Quite So"
"Where is he?''
sin the smoking-room, EARNING it
with lot of fellows"
ooh, we'll, don't be disheartened.
I'll help you out"