The sun., 1908-05-24
At THE
n TAWDREY HOUSE
The Black Spot.

cried Katie, the maid, but the Cashlys ,
the high and mighty Cashlys, Of all t'irgs,
hev +ot'ally j'iued the no good army Of the
Seldomfeds.
@Hiyings knows II was shame and a
scarn on the Tawdrey. that it wore, whin
the old streets wint traipsin' and trailn'
up, Grass and down the street tree times a
day to save a dime NEAL but fust the
Bullions and now the Cashlysl They're all
just as black whn you look inside their
pookets-a lot Of bats rats and traps.
wait till tells all knows and thin wen
see whether high and mighty Ia, no matter
what high and mighty dooes.'
And out Of the room stormed the girl,
with her great bundle Of soiled linen, like q
balloon struggling to RISE
It was even 80; there was internecine
strife at the Tawdrey House of the bitterest,
sprung from a sharp and sudden advance
in the rate of board When the first gasp
Of dismay over tho intelligence had been
succeded by the sulenness of a common
injury snndry detached and frugal spinsters
had retained their rooms but deserted the
table, seeking the cheaper comfort that the
boarding houses of the neighborhood af-
forded.
Nor were they slow in exploiting the
economic advantage of the change. Each
one became an apostle Of single living,
with the result that there was a struggling
away from the ranks Of the faithful, scat
tered but augmenting until as Katie had
said, first the Bullons and then the Cashlys
deserted the house, and the revolt had be-
come IA revolution.
1t was serious matter for the Tawdrey
hut hut
flying matter. Hitherto the house had
been arrogantly prosperous. grudgingly
extending its hospitality on its own terms
TO supplant guests. Not read lily would
the boot be drawn on the other leg. but with
curses long and deep as the pinching grew
more excruciating.
The detection Of the Bullions was bed
enough; but then everybody knew that old
man Bullion was as mean as he was rich.
and it might. too, be said that young Angus
tus Bullion was wild and his parents were
seeking auieter associations for him. But
he Cashlys, that handsome. reserved, de-
voted couple, with their pretty daughter
Edith, who by the very stateliness with
which they sailed to and from their table
had conferred distinction on the Tawdrey
meals-I read the effect of their example
, that night in the slim attendance at dinner,
and when came out into the Office for my
digestive cigar heard official rage over it
rasp in the voice Of BilliLins the clerk
Il suppose you'll be the next recruit for
he cheap and nastys, Sniffen,' he sneered.
The only way you'll ever earn a cent
If leave at all III leave altogether, l
announced dignifiedly, "and 1t will be on
account OF outrageous manners not
'nenage.'
Zach one gets what he deserves in this
houee. he interrupted, "as you will see in
May trouble you for bills on this little
check?" said cultivated voice. "In tens.
Il you pleese.'
1t was George Cashly. airy. debonair
Immediately clad. while In the passage to
The elevator waited his wife and daughter.
Billikins whistled e little and shsrpened
The point of his pencil.
Free list suspended" at length he said
You'll have to cash that In with your meal
ickets, I'm thinking"
you are insoent. sir. You don't dare
refuse a"
"strict orders from the bass. There was
some touble about the last one, a question
lie there directly; would be sooner IL
could be in three places at once"
l had some slight acuusintance with
tashIy, but he pessed me without word or
rlance. staggering as he went. That might
I've the slippery pavement but there WIS no
drawn and ashen. new expression lurked
in the corners Of his eyes and lips, and that
expression wrs fear.
I watched wonderinglv as Cashly Joined
his wife and saw from the way sho laid her
band on his arm, end from his warning
rlance toward the unconscious Edith that
she too had noted the chance.
Il handed il to him good and hard, didn't
~" chuckled the returning Billikins That
comes from having straight goods 10 deal
,l<Sv, <t<~,~1
is they had realized what sharp eyes and
ears were upon them thev wouldn't have
let that silly girls infatuation for young
lnlllion drag them out into the iimelight.
There's ALWAYS a black snot, Sniffen. though
Re no doubt you're tattooed all over with
en-. and it takes the Tawdrey House to
hit it plumb in the centre. Everything
Ioes when you are in with the house, but
nothing goes when you amt
H.
fully expected the next morning to hear
The rattle and bang Of trucks and trunks
along the corridor as the porters speeded
the parting Cashlys, but on the contrary
when went to breakfast there they sat,
as natural as you please, at their old table.
Closer observation, however, showed that
Mrs. Cashly looked solicitous, Mr. Cashly
downcast and pretty Edith pert and piqued,
80 it wondering what it all meant.
They finished ahead of me. and when
{ came out into the Office the first thing
saw was Cashly in front OF the desk, tuck
ing away the crisp bills which Billikins was
counting out for him.
-The prodigal sheep has returned. Sniff
fem remarked the clerk jauntily.
No doubt he had found suave words to
explain away his innuendo Of the night be-
fore. but Cashly still showed the effect Of
it notwithstanding. He was man should
say who would thrive in the sun but wither
in the shade. His assurance came only with
prosperity, and adversely failed to replace
IL with fortitude.
In twelve hours his manners had changed
twelve years There was droop about
them that indicated dismay, discourage
ment and defeat When a man Is apprehen-
sive he might as we'll dismount, For he is
riding for fall.
There was a wider truth in Bilikins's
thought that one with any thing to hide
should keep out of the limelight Such
one should not change his accustomed
ways. for that inevitably invites inspection.
Granted that Cashly had tried to replace
himself and by so doing had Modified the
ia yydrAv mana pement had he not hv hia