Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-10

| had to ask him to conduct me to my
| mamma He went on as though he was
under the impression that 1 was All
right
| were great gtgglers
| The Hill Rise young men-the sons Of
the widows especially-were born loafers.
They seemed lazily but supremacy content
to loaf through life; they wished they
were immortal and could go on loafing
| forever
Their parents felt that there might be a
loss of prestige, but there would GER
tainly be great economical gain If they
would go away and workbench at COM
mon trades. But they never did work OF
any kind. For this reason they were de-
barred from entering the army or navy
| because of the examinations. They rarely
| tried-they always failed. to pass an ex-
| animation. Sometimes when one of them
| loafed into NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of
small debts, excessive conviviality, alter
| cations with the local police, etc.-Hill
Rise made a gigantic effort and packed
| him off to the other side of the world
Australian sheep walk. Californian gar
den, Canadian ranch-the farther away
| the better. But, before you could look
| around. he was back again. II have ar
rived" he wrote from the distant goal
| though have not yet shaken down
cannot say l am eaten up with this place,
| in spite of all their gas about IT." Then
ere his comrades had fairly missed him.
he once more joined their ranks
"Who do you think met just now COM
ing out of the White Hart? Old Val! Yes
looking as fit as fiddle-and jolly glad
he said, to be safe home in dear old Med
ford"
They loved Medeord. Away from it
they pinned: nostalgia longings made them
restless and uneasy even during the
course of a day in London, and they
found it painful to wait for the appointed
return train. 1t was never the last train
of all. When safe in Medford they felt
at peace time and the years could not
touch them the long. easeful. loafing days
glided by and there was no need to count
them.
In heart and mind they never grew up.
They were young men always-with the
boyish immature thoughts unchanged,
the youthful foolish cravings never sati-
ated. The very young men played games
golf. cricket. lawn tennis even croQuet.
The older young men watched the games.
They had not become weary of games.
Only laZiness made them onlookers rather
than performers. But for the fag of the
thing they would have been willing u
spin tops or blow soap bubbles. When it
came to loating they were all one-old and
young-boys together.
Thus. indolent, good-natured Mr.. Vim
cent of Hill House-the prince of the loaf
ers-was getting on for thirty. Mr.. Page
and Mr.. Granville were under twenty.
Mr.. Lardner-of the puffy, white face
who had thrice suffered eclipse in home
for young gentlemen who take too much
whisky and soda, was forty. Yet his di-
urnal bliss was undated with slow
footsteps he sauntered toward the railway
station to procure an illustrated sporting
paper, paused as of yore at the familiar
corner in High street to wave his hat to
the upper window where Selkirk's work.
girls stood grinning. or sat himself down
in the railway refreshment room and
gulped his favorite beverage. Mr.. Ridg-
worth was nearer fifty than forty; he was
red and fat and bald; he knew the mean
Ing of govt and rheumatism: and yet, at
sight of two well-powdered, drab-com-
pleXioned. draggle-tailed chorus girls of
u company newly arrived, he would start
from the tobacconists counter against
which he had been lollng and sally forth
in pursuit with all the keenness of callow
youth for the stale old cheese.
Marked EN- down. he would report
when in half an hour he returned to the
tobacco shop to resume his chat with the
tobacconist and another lolling customer.
Marked 'em down to their diggin' s-No.
Bridge terrace. 1 don't say They're all
right. That 1 can't say. But added Mr..
Ridgworth, who was old enough to know
so very much better. but 1 mean to fol-
low it up. Let's you and 1 go to the
theater this cvening-eh, dear boy?'
They used the toba cconst's shop almost
as a club and preferred it to the real club
on the other side of the street. This was.
in fact. a dingy, uninviting mansion. The
plate-glass windows were suggestive O.
the tanks in an aquarium; the brown
metal gauze across the lower part of each
window looked like the water in the tank;
and the club members Were just like stu
pid old fish coming against the glass while
you watched. No, the young bloods did
not bother themselves to belong to this
stupid tankish establishment. Rudd, the
tobacconist, and the White Hart Hotel
We're the clubs for them.
Between Rudd S and the hotel they had
the very best part of High street to stroll
through. Here they were indeed cocks of
the walk; the Medford constabulary sa
lUted them male shop assistants staring
out of shops admired and studied the tilt
of their straw hats the cut of their fan
mel trousers. the color of their ties and
washing waistcoats; while shop pro-
prietors on doorsteps respectfully, syco-
phantically greeted them: Good morn
ing sir" Fine morning, sir" Il nope l
see you well, Mr.. Granville" etc.
In the reverential greeting of High
street and its curtiy condescending &C
acknowledgement one could measure all the
social gulf between the Hill and the town.
But at the White Hart these sons of the
Hill were cOntent-from ancient usage and
customs-to narrow the dividing distance,
and in billiard room and bar parlor would
meet the more important townsmen and
mold commune with them in a patroniZ-
ingly friendly manner.
The White Hart was the best, the only
real. hotel in Med sord. 1t was an old,
spacious house. very slightly moderniZed.
On either side of the pillared porch there
We're white posts and chains to protect
the shrubs that stood in green tubs; there
were flower boxes to all the windows on
the ground floor, and the pavement was
formed of queer little stones instead of
the usual flags, in order to show that
from time immemorial it had belonged,
and did now belong, to the White Hart
and not to the public. At one end of the
house there was modern bar, with a
separate entrance to the street, and a
grand terra Gotta front: but above this
new ornamental work the musty old bed
rooms were unchanged.
The fine old paneled hall, the broad
staircase and passages were dark and
gloomy even at high noon, but behind the
hall there was a better lit, glasS-screened
bar parlor landlords office, a most
pleasant lounging place, If one had the
freedom of it-With, moreover, some de-
hghtful small inner rooms from which
the two Misses Drake, Ethel and Mildred,
daughters of mine host, Bob Drake, would
emerge to supplement and aid Miss
Granger, the manageress. Here, in the
bar parlor, We're issued orders to the
stable yard; here were set on slate and
transferred to ledger bookings of flies:
here bills for bed and board, dinners and
luncheons were hastily made out, etc,
etc. When the young men came in here
they felt 1t was like going behind the
scenes of the hotel. They knew they