The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-05

ado and proper to add that the writer OF
the letter notified his bootmaker that he
was returning one pair out Of three psirs
OF boots newly received because they
squeaked.
The letter was signed with the name Of
George Hood. Conversation naturally
turned upon the subject Of boots, and X
learned that 1t was George Hoods habit
to buy three pairs Of boots at time and
that he could not abide boots that squealsed.
From these condolences Hood opened him.
self to although only very gradually. for.
though pleasant, he was difficult man to
know with anything like intimacy--until
II came to the memorable day whom, much
to KS surprise, he asked him to come and
stay with him for few days In the country.
was delighted. He had never known
that Hood had place In the country, and
asked him where 1t was. Hood, curiously,
was not entirely sure. He said that he
knew pretty nearly. but could not be exact.
He thought that II x, on the Monday fol-
lowing, would meet him at the Victoria
station they could manage to get . right
start. met him on the Monday at p. NJ.
They booked for fairfield. Hood said he
thought that would be very close to where
they were going. They got to fairfield,
which Is on the edge Of Ashdown Forest,
In the northern angle Of SUSSEX. at quarter
toe. A fly met them a. dusk was falling.
Hood explained to the driver that be was
not sure a. to what road they should take.
They drove for some miles out upon vast
dark heath. At point Of singular black
ness and Oscillation Hood said that Be
thought that was about - near a. they
could get. He and x desoended, and tho
ny drove away.
KS heart was In his mouth. He was not
aware at that time that Hood was married
to gypsy, and chat to 90 homo TO dinner
with a gipsy's husband naturally involved
much uncertainty as regarded location.
as well as great loneliness of scene. Mrs.
Hood turned out to be q beauty. The
story calls her the venus Of the van,' tho
van being the Hood movable country homo.
Her lines were all strictly Grecian, even
corset does not permit. Al for ooloring,
hers was Spanish after Velasquex. Several
charming pages are devoted to telling just
how Mrs. Hood looked. They prove b.
yond question that It was we'll worth while
to DO nearly frightened to death-to be out
for several hours with lunatio In the dark,
according TO all evidenoes-in order to have
supper with her. Her cooking was excel
lent There was squirrel soup, than which
adventurous pottage x had never tasted
better Trout followed. After that came
a chicken and landrail on the same plate
Then an omelet, with just trihe too much
garlic for KS taste, and apples and coffee
to top the generous feast. Appropriate
conversation went along. It TRANSFERRED
in the course Of it that Hood had often
eaten badger, but never hedgehog. He
had found the hedgehog too "sniffy,' or
odoriferous. Mrs. Hood, however, was
fairly fond Of it. She ate it when she was
in -company'-that is, with the other
gipeies. She followed the gypsy custom
of baking it in ball Of clay, but she always
killed it first. She considered it cruel to
cook a hedgehog alive, which was the
usual way
So, then. there was one Of Hoods moods.
This quiet and retiring London cubman
had gypsy wife who was as beautiful as
Venus and who mercifully killed her hedge
hog before she baked IT, He read poems
to her, especially those Of Robert Bridges,
which she liked particularly His nature
seemed to At him to enjoy such life as
he had permitted his friend K to have a
glimpse Of. He must have been a reading
man and a man given to cogitation, for
after breakfast, when he had X out to his
place in the country, he lay on his back
in the heather and talked philosophy
enough to All the fifth and sixth chapters
talked very we'll, too. He also played
with the baby-he was father as we'll as
husband-going on all fours to catch It
by the ankle when it offered to tumble
over the edge Of q oliff. All this was a
strong and a strange contrast to the denizen
OF the club in st. James's street, who was
particular about his boots, buying three
pairs at a time and insisting that they
should not squeak. But this chronicle, in
it's revelation OF Hoods London life, does
not stop short at the club In the eighth
chapter we come to a somewhat startling
expansion Of the urban and conventional
mood OF Hood
For sotns months after his visit to the
country our friend X did not see Hood
again. One evening. however, he went
to the theater and saw George Hood sitting
with lady in the second row. He learned
on inquiry that the lady was the beautiful
Miss Olga Whatman Of Philadelphia. with
an income OF 100000 year, and that Hood
had been dancing attendance upon her for
some time and was expected to marry
her. This was surprising. II would have
been surprising even II there had been
no gypsy wife and baby moving about In the
wilder and more obscure parts OF the
country, for the American heiress was
OF a light or randy coloring and worry
clever, and Hood had once distinctly said to
X: Damn all clever women. Damn all
sandy women. Damn all sandy clever
women" Yet now he was looking at Miss
Whitman, not at all as though he was
disposed to damn her, q the rumor.
doubtless we'll founded, was what We have
heard.
The story goes on to study these two
moods by which George Hood was dis
and to relate what happened
in consequence Of them. There Is a chapter
about Hoods father, from which 1t may be
gathered that the elder Hood was man OF
stern nature and man likely to prefer
that bis son shonid marry an heiress rather
Than a oipev. There Is q chapter entitled