The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-06-16

vantage in one of the becoming paint.
ing suits in which many less well
favored men indulge, but while he
was not of the order of squalid gent.
uses, there were no more traces Of
an eye to effect in his dress than in
his studio
SO much engrossed was he that he
did not look around when the door
which communicated with the house
opened, and an elderly man with q
cross-grained walnut-colored face
made his appearance. Mister Bah
cock to see you, SIR he announced,
with certain grim relish, as he
stood at the top of the short fight OF
s steps.
Campion muttered something
which did not sound like delight.
Hang it, Bales, couldn't you tell him
I was busy?" he said.
Just precisely what did tell
him." said Bales, with an injured air;
but it wasn't no use; he's comm in,
he is-wants to see you on important
business, 'cordin' to him.
AS he spoke he stood aside to make
way for the visitor, who seemed to
have no misgivings as to his well
come. Well, my dear fellow, how
are you? Hard at it, as usual, see.
Never saw such fellow he began,
in tho tone of one who rallies an
other upon rather ridiculous foible
Il thought I'd drop in and look you
! up-can't stop long. ! wanted to
see you about a little matter of
mine"
+ And he glanced at the model with
a meaning which Campion affected
not to understand, for he continued
to paint. Well" he said, you won t
mind my going on? can listen and
work too"
"Oh, I'll wait till we are alone.
I'm not in such a hurry as all that.
can take a look around till you're
ready" said Babcock cheerfully.
He had come upon large easel
and canvas which had been rolled
into a corner, and which he now
wheeled out to the light. II thought
i I recognized her." he cried. Miss
Ellsworth, by Jove-little Sybil!''
1T is Miss Ellsworth said Cam
pion, rather coldly What of it?"
What astonishes me is that Sybil
should never have breathed a word
about it to nle-we've always been
such particular chums that it is odd
she always carries all her little
troubles to me-
Perhaps this was too big to
carry" said Camp.on.
"Oh, ah," said Babcock, perfectly
unabashed, that reminds me, I
pleased our dear Mrs. Standard i'm
mensely the other day, brought a
chela to see her / had met out at
Bombay when / was over there.
You know what a chela is? sort of
budding Buddhist, sucking Mahatma.
Calls himself AxeI Nebelsen, Norwe-
gian or Swede or something, 1 fancy.
Went out to India on some scientific
expedition, and turned Theosophist.
Now he's over here, dining out and
advertising the religion. 1t hasn't
been started long, but it's pushing its
way, don't you know. And the wom-
en- run after him a good deal, queer
looking chap, talks till all's blue
ever meet him?"
Never" said Campion, What
does he dor"
mild miracles-sort of parlor
prophet, don't you know Goes out
to dinner and pecks little rice all
the time, and then has trance up
| !.
everybody with an aura about him,
so have latter dinner. And he's
learning to manage his astral body,
but he daren't let it outside the door
yet. I think he's bit of a humbug
myself, but he amuses me-"
So Babcock ratified on, not much
caring whether he was listened to or
not, until he ran down, and Campion
hoped he was going in earnest.
Campion looked at him. he was
not distinguished or impressive look
ing. He was short, with dark hair
parted in the middle, a pale, rather
tiabby face, a loose mouth; he had
done nothing so far except talk. and
was never likely to do more; but for
all that, Lionel Babcock was a per-
sonage in his way; if he bored most
men, women found him both instruc-
tive and amusing; he was fluent and
self-assured; he was particularly we'll
off.
When he had gone Campion broke
into a laugh, which was rather saw
age than amused. Then he went to
the portrait and studied it, WAS
that ass right?'' he was thinking;
does that look on her face mean
boredom? Isn't there touch OF
something like sufferance on her lips
1t didn't strike me so while l was
painting her, and yet-and yet-con-
found Babcock!"
He wheeled the big easel back into
the corner again, and returning to his
classical picture touched in some de-
tails from the studies he had made
for them, but after while he stopped
, with an impatient sigh mo good
he muttered, II may as well stoI
, work for to-day-the lights getting
bad, too. I'll go and get some calling
over; no, I'm hanged if do, I'll turn
into the park.
And presently he was crossing one
Of the canal bridges in the direction
of the park.
And, as it happened, Fate was kind
to him for this once; for while he
was inside the radius of erchant
} ment. he saw a dainty figure comins