Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-03-30
HE WAS TOO CLEVER.
HOW YOUNG MONACHIE CAST
A GLOOM.


pressed with Manachie. He met the
young man at lunch with friend Of
both and asked him out to Bbberley
Heights. His girls were going to have
a crowd Of young people at the house
and he reasoned that Monachie would
add considerably to the gayety of the
occasion. They have some great times
at Larken's.
But things went wrong that night.
Larken blames Monachie for it, which
seems rather unkind. Hes one of the
saddest instances know of young
man misapplying considerable talent
and a fine education" said Larken to
a friend next day. "He has an intel
lect, 1 should say, of high order.
He's accomplished to an extent that
few young men l know are, but unfor-
tunately he hasn't got lick of sense.
"It was too bad, for we had one Of
the jolliest crowds at the house that
we've had for long time. The Wat
terson girls, Jim Hallerday, King Brat
ley, Minnie Davis, Evan Trimbel and
the folks. l thought that we were
fixed for fun, and so we were.
''Monachie came at about the right
time-not too early or too late. But
I'll be hanged if he didn't come in eve
ming dress! OF course, I hadn't told
him in so many words that it was to
be entirely an informal affair, but tho
fellow ought to have known it. Evan
Trimbel is bit of dude himself, and
could see that Monachie's spiketa.l
coat and gloves cut him to the very
SOUL The other boys were uneasy. too.
but not so our young friend.
you ought to have seen the easy.
unstudied grace of his entry and the
self-possessed authority with which he
went through the introductions. He
was delighted and he was charmed,
and he was SO glad and very glad in
deed-he had a different form every
time-and when the introductions were
over he started out to put us all at our
ease. He did this by means Of a gen
eral conversation. l don't mean to say
that the conversation was general; II
was a good deal in the nature OF
monologue. He talked SO confounded-
ly we'll and said so many bright things
that everybody else was afraid to say
anything.
"Once or twice somebody tried to
Join in. Minnie thinks she knows
something about music and she offered
a little contribution on Vogner. That
was where the poor girl made her sad
mistake. Sine was mere piker in tie
field of harmony. 'Ye-es,' says Mon
ACHE. with a tolerant smile, but don't
YOU think and then he started out.
He didn't confne himself to Vogner.
He took up all the others right doWa
to Paul Dresser and Charles K. Harris.
All that poor Mamie could do was to
try to look intelligent.
"I was just going to break In on the
lecture and start something when he
Jumped up and went over to the piano.
III show you what I think Chopin
meant he said, and began to play.
well, there was certainly no dis
count on his playing. I'm not great
Judge of Chopin, but should say that
it was immense. He probably knew
better what Chopin meant than Chopin
did himself. Then, to let himself down
to the general level, he played and sung
the coon song that we always ask King
Bradley to sing. He sung 1t much bet
ter than King sings it.
''Then he jumped up, suddenly. I'm
doing all the work. he said. Come!
Let's all sing. Who knows some col
lege songs? Is there banjo. Won
der?'
Were strong on college songs as
general thing, but nobody seemed very
enthusiastic. Of course there was a
banjo. Jim Hallerday always brings
his. Somebody brought it out and
Monachie took it and offered it to
Jim.
Ono said Jim, you pay the accom-
paniments. I only know couple OF
chords and just strum little
Monachie protested, but it was a
weak protest and he took the old banjo
and fairly made it talk.
After he had entertained US Win col
lege songs there was lull and l got
off that story of mine about the Irish
man and the Dutchman-that one
where the two fought on board the
ship coming over. You've heard me tell
it, haven't you? Well, when I had fin
ished Monachie Uttered little oblig-
ingly. Then he said, That's good
story. but heard it this way And.
darn him, Lis version was heap fun
nier than mine. I don't care, though.
They laughed more at mine, anyway.
you'd have thought that he would
have let my Mary made fudge. But,
no. He asked her to tell him her re-
cipe and then he said that he would
show her how to make 'em. And they
were creamy, smooth and delicious.
ooh, nobody else had look in. He
had us all beaten on our speclalt1es.
And he was 80 COMPOUNDED nice and
good-natured about it, too. l never
before was among such a miserable
gloomy lot Of folks in all my born days,
and 1 don't know whether shall ever
get them keyed Up again. I hoped
when he left that the gloom would be
dispelled a little, but it was too late to
start in.
81 tell you, perfection is all right In