The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-06-20
CHAPTER 1.
Eustace charIiewood - Mar About
Town.

tace CharlieWood walked slowly up
Bond street.
The sun was shining brightly, and
there was a keen, i~nvigorating snap in
the air which sent the well dressed
people who were beginning to throng
the pavements walking briskly and
cheerily.
The great shops Of one of the rich
est tho%roughfares in the world were
brilliant with luxuries; the tall CON-
missionaries who stood by the heavy
glass doors were continually opening
them for the entrance of fashionable
women.
1t was, in short, a typical winters
morning in Bond street, when every
thing seemed gay, sumptuous, and
debonair.
Mr.. Eustace Charliewood was greet
ed by various friends as he walked
slowly up the street. But his manner
In reply was languid, and his clean
shaven cheeks lacked the color that
the eager air had given to most of the
pedestrians.
He was a tall, well-built man, with
light, close-cropped hair and a large,
intelligent face. His eyes were light
blue in color, not very direct in ex-
preston. and were beginning to be
surrounded by the fine wrinkles that
middle age and a life of pleasure i'm
print. The nose was aquiline, the
mouth clean-cut and rather full.
In age one would have put Mr..
Charliewood down as four.and-forty;
In status, a nan accustomed to move
in good society, though probably more
frequently in the society of the club
than that of the drawing room.
When he was nearly at the mouth of
New Bond street, Mr.. Charliewood
stopped at the swing doors of a small
and expensive-looking hair dressers
and perfumer's, pa&aed through its re-
volving glass doors, and bowed to a
stately young lady with wonderfully
arranged coils of shining hair, who
sat behind a little glass counter COW
cred with cut-glass bottles of scent
and ivory manicure sets.
Good morning, Miss CARING" he
said, easily and in a pleasant voice.
"Is Proctor di~sengaged?"
Eyes, Mr.. Charliewood," the girl an
swered; hes quite ready for you IL
you'll go upstairs"
quite well, my dear?" Mr.. Charlie
wood said, with his hand upon the
door which led inward to the toilet
saloons.
Perfectly, thank you, Mr.. Charlie
wood. But you're looking a little
seedy this morning"
He made a gesture with his glove,
which he had just taken off. "Ah,
we'll" he said, very late last night,
| Miss CARING. It's the price one has
to pay, you know. But Proctor will
soon put me right"
Hope SO, I'm sure" she answered,
wagging a slim finger at him. "Oh,
you men about town."
He smiled back at her, entered the
saloon, and mounted some thickly-car-
peted stairs upon the left.
At the top of the stairs a glass door
opened into a little ante-room, fur
nished with a few armchairs and
small tables, on which Punch and 9TH
er journals were lying. Beyond, an
other door stood half-open, and at the
roise OF Mr.. Charliewood's entrance
q short, clean-shaven, Jewishlooking
~nor aoupa III rntoh AZ and hn0an fn
help the visitor out OF his dark blue
overcoat lined and trimmed with
a~strachan fur.
Together the two men went into the
Inner room, and MIR. Charliewood took
of his coat and collar and sat down
upon a padded chair. In front OF a
marble basin and a long mirror.
He saw himself In the glass - a
handsome. tired face, the hair too light
to show the grayness at tho temples,
but hitting at that and growing a little
thin on top. The whole face, distin.
guished as It was, bore an impress OF
WEAKNESS and dissipation, the face OF
q man who lived for material enjoy.
ment. and did so without cessation.
AS no ioOhSu a uio LdCc, ocdi II
undeniable marks of a late sitting the
night before, he smiled to think that
In IN hour or 10 he would be turned
out very different in appearance by
the Jewish-looking man in the frock
coat who now began to busy himself
with certain apparatus.
The upstairs at proctor's toilet
club was a select haunt of many
young-middle-aged men about town
The new American invention known
rs "vibro Massage" was in use there
and Proctor reaped a large harvest by
~freshening up gentlemen who were
living not wisely but too well, incl
dentally performing many other ser
vices for his clients. The masseul
pushed a wheeled pedestal up to the
side Of the chair, the top Of which was
. large octagonal box of mahogany
Upon the side were various electric
switches. and from the center of the
box q thick. silk-covered wire termi
mated In q cleaning apparatus OF cul
eanite and steel which the operator
AAyA A. Nj h~~