The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-02-08
By BOOTH TARKINGTOr
Copyright. 1902. by S. S. Mcclure Co.
Author of THE Gentleman From Indiana" and mo

mat would mean only that the two
friends were talking, for they never
reached a silent intimacy, but, even
after several years of companionship,
were rarely seen together whea not in
interested, often eager, conversation,
so that people wondered what in the
world they still found to say to each
other. But many night the late shin
Ing lamp meant that Tom sat alone,
with q brief or book, or wooed the
lorn hours with his magical guitar, for
he never went to bed until the other
came home. And if daylight came
without Crailey, Vanrevel would go out,
yawning nightly, to look for him, and
when there was no finding him Tom
would come back sleepless to the days
work.
10 the vision of the lockers on in
Rouen, quiet souls who lowered along
the walls at merrymakings and cheer
fully counted themselves spectators at
the play, Crailey Gray held the center
OF the stage and was the chief come
dian Of the place. Wit, poet and scape-
grace, the small society sometimes
seemed the mere background set for
his performances, spectacles which he
also enjoyed, and from the best seat
in the house, for he was not content as
the actor, but must be the prince in the
box as Well
His friendship for Tom Vanreyel
was in a measure that of the vine for
To F,,I -
Toms expense, which the other bore
with grin Of sympathetic compre-
hension Or at long intervals returned
upon Crailey with devastating effect.
VanreVel was the one steadying thing
in his life and at the same time the
only one of the young men upon whom
he did not have an almost mesmeric in
fuence. In good truth, Crailey was the
ringleader in all the deyiltries of the
town and had been so long in the habit
Of following every impulse, no matter
how mad, that he enjoyed an almost
perfect immunity from condemnation,
and, whatever his deeds, 'Rouen had
learned to say with a chuckle that it
was ''only Crailey Gray again.
Now and then he would spend sew
eral days in the Offices of Gray & Van
revel, attorneys and counselors at law,
wearing an air Of unassailable virtue,
hough he did not far overstate the case
when he said, Tom does all the work
and gives me all the money not to
bother him when he's getting up a
case''
The working member Of the firm got
up cases to notable effect and few law
yers in the state enjoyed having Tom
Nanreyel on the other side. There was
nothing about him of the foridity prev
alent at that time; he withered cora
tory before the court; he was the foe
OF jury pathos, and, despising noise
and the habitual voice dip at the end
of a sentence, was nevertheless at
times an almost fearfully effective ora
tor. So by degrees the firm of Gray
& Fanrevel, young as it was and in
spite of the idle apprentice, had grown
to be the most prosperous in the dis
trlct. For this eminence Crailey was
never accused Of assuming the credit.
Nor did he ever miss an opportunity Of
making known how much he owed to
his partner. What he owed, in brief,
was everything. How we'll Vanrevel
worked was demonstrated every day,
but how hard he worked only Crailey
knew. The latter had grown to depend
upon him for even his political beliefs
and lightly followed his partner into
abolitionism, though that was to risk
unpopularity bitter hatred and worse
Fortunately on certain occasions Van
revel had made himself, if not his
creed, respected, at least so far that
there was no longer danger Of mob
violence for an abolitionist in Rouen
He was cool headed young man Or
dinarily and possessed of an elusive
forcefulness not to be trifled with,
though he was a quiet man and had
what they called fine manner" and,
not in the latter, but in his dress, there
was an echo Of the beau, which afford
ed Mr.. Gray point Of attack for sal
lies Of wit.
These two young men were members
Of cheerful band who Toasted, laugh
ed, wrangled over politics, danced,
made love and sang terrible chords on
summer evenings together, as young
men will Will Cummings, editor Of
the Rouen Journal, was one Of these,
a tall, sallow man, very thin, very
awkward and very gentle. Mr.. Cum
mings proved himself always ready
with loud and friendly laugh for the
poorest joke in the world, his counte-
nance shining with such kindness that
no one ever had the heart to reproach
him with the evils Of his journalistic
performances or for the things he broke
when he danced. Another was Tap
bingham Marsh, an exceedingly hand
some person, somewhat languid in APP
pearance, dainty in manner with wom-
en-, o1hand with men, almost as reck-
less as Crailey and often the latter's
companion and assistant in dissipa-
ton. Young Francis Chenoweth never
failed to follow both into whatever