The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-05-30
CHAPTER VII
HAD spoken c~onfdentially enough
while arguing the question of DR.

blinded by my enthusiastic admiration
for Alicia, l think / should have Sc
cretly distrusted my own opinion as
soon as I was left by myself. Had 1
been in full possession of my senses. I
might have questioned. on reflection,
whether the Doctors method of ac-
counting for the suspicious which kept
his neighbors aloof from him, was
quite satisfactory. Love is generally
described. | believe, as the tender pas
sion. When l remember the insidiously
relaxing effect of it on all my faculties,
l feel inclined to alter the popular def
milton, and to call it a moral vapor
bath.
What. the managing committee of
the Duskydale Institution thought of
the change In me l cannot Inn
agine. The doctor and his daughter
left the town on the day they had
originally appointed. before 1 could
make any excuse for calling again:
and, as a necessary consequence nf
their departure, | lost all interest in
the affairs of the ball, and yawned In
the faces of the committee when I
was obliged to be present at their de-
alterations in my official capacity.
The night of the ball came. | have
I'LL u lnt NdEuGSI IBCOilGCIiOn
of it.
The difficulty was how to find a de-
cent pretext for getting away. For
tunately the managing committee re-
lieved me of any perplexity on this
head, by passing a resolution, one day,
which called upon the president to re-
monstrate with me on my want of
proper interest in the affairs at the in
stitution. I replied to the remonstrance
that the affairs of the institution were
so hopelessly dull hat it was equally
absurd and unjust to expect any human
being to tax the smallest interest in
them. At his there arose an Indignant
cry of Resign" from the whole COM
mittee; to which I answered politely.
that l should be delighted to oblige he
gentlemen, and to go forthwith, on con-
dition of receiving a quarters salary in
the way of previous compensation.
After a sordid opposition from an
economical minority, my condition of
departure was accepted. I wrote a let
ter of resignation, received in exchange
twelve pounds ten shillings and took my
place, that same day, on the box-seat
of the Birmingham mail.
Rather changeable this life of mine,
was II " DtlOlG 4 Was 20 years III
age, I had tried doctoring, c~aricaturing.
Notwithstanding, old picture-making
and institution-managing; and now,
with the help of Alicia, l was about to
try how a little marrying would suit
me. Surely, Shakespeare must have
had me prophetically in his eye when
he wrote about "one man in his Tina
playing many parts" What a charac
fer / qhnu1d how made for hfNo ff he
had only been alive nowl
l found out from the coachman, araona
other matters, that there was a famous
fishing stream near Birmingham; and
the first thing 1 did, on arriving at the
town, was to buy a rod and line.
1t struck me that my safest way OF
introducing myself would be to tel
Doctor Dulcifer that I had come to the
neighborhood for a little fishing. and 'sc
TO prevent him from fancying that
was suspiciously prompt in availins
myself of his offered hospitality. l put
up, of course, at the inn-stuck a large
parchment book of flies half in and hal
out of the pocket of my shooting-jackeI
and set off at once to. the Doctors. Ths
waiter of whom l asked my way stared
distrustfully while he directed me. Th.
people at the inn had evidently heard
of my new friend and we're not favor.
ably disposed toward the cause Of
scientific investigations.
The house stood about a mile out O,
the town, in a dip of ground heal thu
famous fishing stream. Tt was a lonely
old-fashioned red-brick building, sur.
rounded by high walls, with a garden
and plantation behind it.
Ae 49, y - - A. 49, III =
up at the house. Sure enough, all
top windows in front were closed
shutters and barred. l was let
a man in livery, who, howevd
manners and appearance
much more like a workman in
than a footman. He had a ve =
picious eye. and he fixed it
unpleasantly when 1 handed
card.
I was shown into a mornin
exactly like other morning-rooS
country houses.
After a long delay the doctor
in, with scientific butchers sleevesV
his arms, and an apron tied round r.
portly waist. He a~pologized for comy
ing down in his working dress, and
said everything that was civil and
proper about the pleasure of unex-
pectedly seeing me again so soon.
There was something rather preoccu-
pied, l thought, in those brightly reso-
lutte Eyes of his; but l naturally at
tributed it to the ~engrossing influence
of his scientific inquiries. He was
evidently not at all taken in by my
story about coming to Birmingham to
fish; but he saw, as we'll as I did. that
1t would do to keep up appearances,
and contrived to look highly Interested
Immediately in my parchment-book. [
asked after his daughter: He said she
was in the garden. and proposed THAI
we should go and find her. We did
find her, with a pair of scissors in ner
hand, outblooming the flowers that shs
was trimming. She looked really glad
to see me-her brown eyes beamed
clear n kindly-she gave my han1
another inestimable shake-the SUM
mer breezes waved her black curls
gently upward from her waist-she
had on a straw hat and a brown Hol-
land gardening dress. 1 eyed ii with
all the practical interest of a linen
draper. o Brown Holland, you ara
but a coarse and cheap fabric, yet
how soft n priceless you look when
clothing the figure, Of Alicia!
<To BE Continued On Monday