Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1906-09-07
CHAPTER X.
A sevy Of lnsoIent Youthe.

y 6eNy OF tn1otent Voutnos
AT last ! was in London. Uunurn.
bered the multitude Of the good, and
the bad, and the lukewarm that have
pressed the brown bosom of this old
town. Perpetually recurring and re-
curing we're the common griefs and
miseries Of noble. commoner. and Va
grant. which have caused their blood
and tears to flow. Here tragedy and
comedy have stalked side by side: q
tear today laugh tomorrow.
Clamp, clamp, clamp, have sounded
the tread of infinite feet along these
narrow byways; ambling in sandled
shoon. strutting In leather buskin.
striding in clouted brogues, since the
time the Romans encircled It with d
wall entered by Its four gates, down
to III King Charles.
We put up at the Blue Boar in Hol-
born. GIL preferred the Tabard in
Southwark as being sne Inn best
known to him. It suited me, how
ever, to be An the midst of the life
Of the town. Nowhere was there TO
be found more noise, hustle, excite
ment, even wickedness, than in the
vicinity of this old inn. It had this
advantage, also, that the fashionable
ness Of Westminster was not far of;
and the Strand-the main artery OF
London-over which a flood Of life
continually flowed, was equally Q
Temple Bar separated the Strand
from the Fleet, a division Of the city,
opd Wacfmipcfor. TampIa por wtth
it's grim and CHASTITY exterior, where
there was always some awful token
of the atful changes Of the times
here the noble barb, gilded coach, or
sedan chair of the rich. rubbed the
fustian coat Of the apprentice and
rags Of the beggar.
The first few days we stayed quiet
ly at the inn. Our rooms became like
pandemonium. with the various
tra~despeople showing their wares.
One and another had noised 1t about
that I. was a man of means; they
were like a swarm of bees after the
honey. Chairs, beds, tables, every
thing the room contained, was lit
tered with finery, and I made selec-
tions for an outfit, which should be
BETTING my position, yet not too
gaudy.
I ordered many suits Of uncut vel
vet and satin. Waistcoats also OF
hues as many as Joseph s coat.
Gil, during these proceedings In
which I was as fastidious as a fop,
strutted back and forth, pooling at
NJ, uorffu unt CAarntlx arayngnd az 4t
all. He never varied his dress OF
green worsted with its belted doublet,
such an one as Robin Hood no doubt
wore when he passed beneath tho
trees in Sherwood forest. His only
ornament was his sword, as indis-
| pensahle to him as n member Of
his body; as an esquire he had the
right to bear one.
now began my career as a man OF
fashion about the town, entering into
all its dissipation except the passion
OF love; there l was held in leash by
a pair of blue eyes.
Never a petticoat futtered past me
but I thought / saw some resemblance
to my mistress, and my heart would
leap into my mouth SO as to well-nigh
choke me- Sometimes 1t was in the
curve of a cheek; the way the curls
fell about a dimpled neck: the fiickea
of tapering fingers in the lifting of Q
vo1uminous skirt; the slenderness OF
an ankle set in a well-made bolt; and
so I led myself wild goose chases aft
er this one and that one-ail de
l~usions. which came to naught.
ITO ha continued