The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-16
A HUNCH FOR LANGDON

used to think there was only two
classes. them that was my kind and
them that want; but I've got over
that. 1 don't try to grade 'em up any
more: for they're built on so many diff
ferent plans it would take a card in
dex the size of a fiat building to keep
EN- all on file. All 1 can make out is
that there's some good points about
the worst of em and some of the best
has their streak of yellow.
Anyway I'm glad ! amt called on to
write tag for Langdon. First news l
had of him was what l took for inside
information, bein as IL was handed
me by his NAV. When L gets the note
askin' me to call up in the 1Os between
and / don't know whether it's
bid TO a tea fest or a bait for an auc-
ton. The stationery was real swell. /
though and the writin' was this up
and down kind that goes with the gilt
crest. What l could puzzle out of the
name. though. want familiar.
So about $50 I'm standin' outside the
glass doors pushin' the bell. A butler
with boiled egg eyes looks me over real
frosty from behind the lace curtains;
but the minute l says I'm Shorty Nc
Cabe ne takes off the tramp chain and
says. Eyes. sir. This way, sir" I'm
towed in over the Persian hall runner
10 the back parlor, where there's lady
and gent sittin' on opposite sides of the
.coal CRATE, with a tea tray between
Tenn.
"In be drinkin' that stuff yet If I
amt careful" thinks I.
But / didn't even have to duck. The
lady was so anxious to get to talkin'
that she forgot TO shove the cups at
me, and the gent didn't act like 1t was
his say 1t was hard to tell. the way
she has the lights fixed, whether she
was % or 80. Any way, she hadn't got
past the kittenish stage. Some of EN-
never does. She don't overdo the thing,
but just gushes natural, usin' her eyes,
and eyebrows. and the end of her nose,
and the tip Of her chin when she spoke.
as we'll as THROWN in few shoulder
lifts once in a while.
Its so good of you TO come up, pro-
fessorl' says she. Isn't II, Penn
broker"
Pembroke-he's the gent on the other
side OF the tray-starts TO say that II
was, but she don't give him chance.
She blazes right ahead, tellin' how she's
heard of me and my studio through
friends. and the minute she hears she
knows that nothing would suit Lang
don better ''Langdon's my son, you
know says she.
'Honest?" says /.
"Te-her' SAYS she. How sweet of
you, Hardly any one believes it at
first though. But he's a dear boy;
isn't he, Pembroke"
This was Pembroke's cue for fair.
It's up to him to do the boost act.
But all he produces is a double barreled
blink from behind the glasses. He's one
of these chubby chaps. Pembroke is,
especially around the belt He has pink
cheeks, and a nice white forehead that
almost meets the back of his collar.
But he knows when to let things slide
with blink
Il guess some ones been givin' you
the wrong steer" says 1. Il amt start
ed any kindergarten class yet. The Y.
NJ c. A. does that sort Of"
"Oh. dear! but Langdon isn't child.
you know" says the lady. Hes a
great. big fellow, almost %. Yes. real
~. And 1 know you'll get to be aw-
FULLY fond of him. Won't he. Penn
Aoke?"
f"we-e-e-elI- - says Pembroke.
F'Oh. he's bound to-" says she. "Of
course, Langdon doesn't always make
friends easily. He is so apt TO be mis-
understood. Why. they treated him
perfectly hOrrid at prep. school. and
even worse at college. A lot of the
fellows. and. actually. some of the pro-
fessors, were so rude TO him that Lang
don said he just wouldn't stay another
day. I told him / didn't blame him a
bit. So he came home. But it's aw-
fully dull for young man like Lang
don here in New York. you know"
Crippled. or blind, or something. is
hep" says l.
who, Langdon? Why, he's perfect
absolutely perfect says she.
"Oh, that accounts for it," says !,
end Pembroke went through some mo-
tkons with his cheeks like he was try
iHg 10 blow soap bubbles up in the air
Well IL seems that mother has been
worryin' a lot over keepin' LangdOn
amused Think of II. in a town like
thisi He detests business" says She
land he doesn't care for theatres, or
going to clubs, or reading. or society.
But his poor. dear father didn't care
for any of those things either, except
business. And Langdon hasn't any head
for that. All he takes an interest in
IS his machine"
Singer or Remington says l.
why. his auto, of course. He's per-
fectly devoted to that" says she: but
the police are so dreadfully particular.
oh, they make such lots of trouble for
Langdon, and get him into such stupid
scrapes. Don't they, Pe.hbroke?"
Pembroke didn't blink at that. He
mods twice.
time" she goes on. 1T isn't that 1
mind paying the absurd fines. of course:
but-well. you can understand. No one
knows what those hOrrid officers will do
next. they are so unreasonable. Just
think. that is the poor boys only pleas
ure. So thought that if we could only
get Langdon interested in something of
an athletic nature-he's a splendid box
err, you know-on, splendid"
That's different says /. You
might send him down a few times,
and
"Oh. but I want you TO meet him
first" says she. land arouse his enthu-
siasm. He would never go If you
didn't. I expect he will be in soon, and
that must be Langdon
now"
1t might have been an ak brigade
from the district attorneys office. or a
hook and ladder company. by the sound.
didn't know whether he was comm
through the doors or bringin' 'em in
with him. AS I squints around / sees
the egg-eyed butler get shouldered into
the hall rack; so ! judges that Lang
don must be in something of n hurry.
IL f<,- H.