The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-01-03
Ole Deluge
~ BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Assass


sAae Iabi pC iollt- LII my ONCE SUI
e had a bath and dressing room, wit
2 a complete wardrobe. Thus, by hu
rying u little over my toilet, and |
making my chauffeur crowd the spec
F., limit, | was at Delmonico's only twent
| minutes late.
Sam, who had been late also, as usua
was having a cocktail and was orderin
the dinner. l smoked a cigaret an
watched him. AT business or at any
thing serious his mind was all but use
less; but at ordering dinner and thing
OF that sort, he shone. Those small ac
compiishments of his had often ove
me to a sort of plying contempt. as
one saw a mar of talent devoting him
self to engraving he Lords prayer OF
gold dollars. That evening, however
as l saw how comfortable and content
ed he looked, with not a care in tn
world, since he was to have a gooC
dinner and a good cigar afterward; a:
saw how much genuine pleasure h
vas getting out of selecting the dishe.
and giving the waiter minute direc
tons for the chef, I envied him
What Langdon had once said came
back to me: We are under the tyranny
of tomorrow, and happiness is impos-
sible." And l thought how true that
was. But, for the Sammys, high and
low, there is no tomorrow. He -as
somehow impressing me with a sense
that he was my superior. His face
was weak, and, in a weak way, bad;
but there was a certain fineness of
quality in it. a sort of dollhouse look,
as If he had been sheltered all his life,
and brought up on especially selected
food. Men like me-" thought l with
a certain envy, rise and fall. But his
sort of men have got something hat
can't be taken away, that enables them
to carry off with grace, poverty or the
degradation OF being spongers and beg
CARS" This shows how far 1 had let
that attack of snobbishness eat into me.
l glanced down at my hands. No deli
there; certainly those fingers,
though white enough nowadays, and
long enough, too. were not made for
fancy work and parlor tricks. They
would have looked in place round the
handle Of a spade or the throttle of an
engine, While Sans seemed made for
the keyboard Of a piano.
You must come over to my rooms
after dinner, and give me some music"
said /.
Thanks" he replied, "but I've prom
Used to go home and play bridge. Moth
er's got a few in to dinner, and more
are coming afterward, I believe"
Then I'll go with you, and talk to
your sister-she doesn't play"
He glanced at me in a way tina made
me pass my hand owe my face. 1
at least part of the reason for
my feeling at disadvantage before him.
| had forgotten to shave; and as nv
is heavy and black, it has to be
looked after twice a day. "Oh, 1 can
stop at my rooms and get my face into
in 9 few minutes" said L.
And put on evening dress, too" he
suggested. You wouldn't want to go
n a dinner Jacket"
/ can't say why this was the last
but it was.
"Bother." said I, my common sense
'mashi11g the spell of snobbishness that
lad begun to reassert itself as soon as I
rot into his unnatural. unhealthy at
nosphere. TN go as 1 am, beard and
III. l only make myself ridiculous. try
re- to be a sheep. I'm a goat. and a
.oat I'll stay"
That shut him into himself. When
Ie re-emerged, it was to say: Some
hing doing down town today, eh?''
"A sharpness in his voice and in his
yes, too, made me put my mind on
I'M more closely. and then I saw what
should have seen before--that he was
Moody n slightly distant.
Seen Tom Langdon this afternoons"
asked carelessly.
He colored. "Yes-had lunch with
im, was his answer
I smileG-for his benefit "Aha,"
lought 1. so Tom Langdon has been
Dol enough to take this paroquet into
IS confidence Then said to him:
Is Tom making the rounds. warming
rats to leave the sinking ship?"
What do you mean. Matt?" he de-
landed, as II | had accused him,
l looke steadily at him, and I i'm
slne my unshaven jaw did not make
y aspect alluring.
That I'm thinking Of driving the
is overheard" replied I. THE ships
'und, but 1t would be ounde IF thera
ere fewer of them
You don imagine anything Tom
'uld say would change my feeling to-
ard you?" he pleaded.
Il dont know, and / don't care a
replied | coolly. But T do
before the Langdons or any
'dy else can nave Blackjack pie,
ey'H have first to catch their ,
tacklock."
I saw Langdon had made him nm
despite his belief in my strength. {
nd he was cropping for Confirmation
assurance. Bt1t, thought I...Ir {
thinks | may be going up the spout, !;
ny ISM he more upset? He prob I
ly hates me because I've befriended
but no matter how much he hated
G, wouldn't his fear of being cut or I
om supplies drive him almost crazy?" |
studied him In vain for sign of deen
lxiety. Either Tom didn't tell him
UGH, ] decided, or he didn't believe Z
nm knew what he was talking about.
What did Tom say about me?" I
CURED. !,
.Oh, almost nothing. We were talk !,
chiefly of-club Matters he n /:
sered. In a fair imitation OF his usual
Inland manner i
When does my name come up
ere?" saidaI
He flushed and shifted. II was lust
out to tell YOU" he stammered. .But /,
rhaps you known
Know what 2"
That Hasn't Tom told YOU? He Z
IS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. have to
t another second-if you think-that
unless you--I D you'd have
Id me. if you'd changed your mind?" j
Since ! had become SO deeply inter
ted. In Anita, my NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.!
Join the Travellers had all hit
opped III OF my mind. !,
4 had forgotten about It," said III. !,
nut. now hat you remind me, / want ,
y name withdrawn. It was q pass
ancy. It was part and parcel of a
T Of damn fooltslhness I've been IN
ligtngT IN for HI last few months i
1t Nv come to my senses-and it's q
le 70 b Wild where l belong. Sam
y. from this time on" I
he looked tremendously relieved ana
little puzzled. too. I thought wns q
aiding him like an illuminated SIGN q
les en- pare fnsEnn,a@ rfn,~s-ELsf $500 Il