The Washington times., 1905-07-30
A Morning Call.


A Morning Call.
A French clock on the nlanteIpiece.
framed of brass and crystal, which be-
trayed its inner structure as the trans
parent sides~of some insects betray their
vital processes. struck ten With the mel
low and lingering clangor of a distant
cathedral bell. A gentleman. who was
seated In front of the fire reading
newspaper. locked up at the clock to
see what hour it was. to save himself
the trouble OF counting the slow. musi-
cal strokes. The eyes he raised were
light gray. with a blue CLINT of steel in
them, shaded by lashes as black as Jet
The hair was also as black as hair can
be, and was parted near the middle of
his forehead. It was inclined to curl,
but had not the length required by this
inclination. The dark brown mustache
was the only ornament the razor had
spared on the wholesome face, the out
line OF which was clear and keen. The
face suited the iands-it had the refine
nent and sentleness of one delicately
bred. and the vigorous lines and color of
one equally at home in field and court:
and the hands had the firm. hard sym
Inetry which showed they had done no
work. and the bronze tinge which is the
imprint wherewith sky and air mark
their lovers. His clothes were OF the
fashion seen in the front windows of the
Kniekerbocker Club in the spring of the
year 1s7-. and were Worn as easily as a
self-respecting bird wears his feathers.
He seemed. in short, one of those for
tunate natures, who, however born, are
always bred well and come by prescrip-
ton 70 most of the good things the
world can give
He sat in a room marked, like him
self. with a kind of serious elegance
one of those apartments which seem 20
ht the person ike a more perfect dress.
All around the walls ran dwarf book
cases of carved oak. filed with volumes
bound in every soft shade of brown and
tawny leather. with only enough OF red
and green TO save the shelves from
monotony. Above these the wall space
was covered with Cordoyan leather,
stamped with gold fieurs-de-lis TO within
a yard Of the top, where a frieze of
palna-leaVes led up 10 a ceiling of blue
and brown and gold The whole express
sion Of the room Wis of oak and
stamped leather. The low bookcases
We're covered with bronzes, casts. and
figairines. of a quality so uniformly good
that none seemed to feel the temptation
either TO snub or to cr1nge 10 its neigh
ber- The Dwarf pots felt no false. shame
beside the royal Satsuma.; and Borbe-
dennis bronzes. the vases of Limo
ges sFnd Lambeth and bowls from Nan
kin and Korea dwelt together in the
harmony of varied perfection.
- ~
on each side OF the fireplace, ia which a
f1re6of Ohio coal was Ieaping and crack
Ling with a cheerful and unctuous
~oisiness. Out of one window you could
see pretty garden of five or six acres
behind the house, and out Of the other
a carefuIly-kept lawn. extending some
hundred yards from tho front door to
The gates of hammered iron which open
ed upon wide-paved avenue This
street was the glory OF Buffland. a
young and thriving city on Lake Erie,
which already counted a population Of
over two hundred thousand souls. The
people Of Clarified. a rival town, de-
Med that there was anything like so
many inhabitants. and added that "the
less we say about souls the better -
But this was pure malice; Bufiand was
q big city. It's air was filled with the
trade. and its sky vas reddened by night
with the glare Of It's furnaces. rising
like the hot breath of some PROSTATE
Titan. conquered and bowed down by tbs
pitiIess cunning OF men It's people were.
as a rule. rich and honest. especially in
this avenue OF which I have spoken.
II You have ever met a Buffiander. you
have heard of Algonquin avenue. He
VIII stand In the Champs Elysees, when
sn the vice and fashion Of Europe are
pouring down from the Place of the
Star in the refluent tide that flows from
Boulogne Wood to Paris. and calmly tell
you that Algonquin avenue IN the
sfeighing season can discount this out OF
sight. Something IS TO be pardoned to
the spirit OF liberty: and the avenue is
certainly fine Gne. Il is three miles
long and has hardly q shabby house on
il. while for a mile or two the houses
upen one side, locally called "the Ridge. -
are unusually fine. large, and costly.
They are all surrounded with weII-kept
gardens and separated from the street
by velvet lawns which need scarcely
fear comparison with the emerald won
ders which centuries Of care have
wrought from the turf Of England. The
house. Of which we have seen one room,
was one OF the best upon this green and
park-like thoroughfare. The gentleman