Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-04-17

HEs ssSs, walked ON.
an. o. ,,. 1T really
DD ',t,,gI,, aa,J doesn't commit
th0,,gh ~ me to any
thing" he re-
! fectcd ut last haltmg before another
! letter box And as he stood there hes
( itating he glanced 40 and saw Quar-
rier entering the Lenoy club. The
next moment he flung up the metal
/ box lid. dropped in his letter and fol-
| lowed Quarter into the club.
Then events tumbled forward al
| most without push from him. Quar-
rier was alone in Il window corner,
drinking vichy and milk and giaucing
, over the afternoon papers. He saw
! Mortimer and invited him to Join him.
and Mortimer, being thirsty, took
/ champagne
! i've been trying a new coach" said
! Qunrrcr in his cololicss ana rather
agreeable voice, and he went on lei
/ surely explaining the points of the new
I mail coach which had been built in
| Paris after plans of his own. while
/ Mortimer gulped glass after glass of
| chilled wine. which seemed only TO
! make him thirsticr. Meantime lie lis
tened. really interested, except that
his feshy head was too full of alcohol
and his own project To contain addi-
| tiOnal statistics concerning coaching.
| Besides. Quarter. who had never been
overcordial TO him. was more 50 now
! enough for Mortimer to venture on Il
few tentative suggestions Of Il iinan-
cial nature, and though. as usual.
| Quarter was not responsive. he did
not, as usual. get up and 20 away.
\ vague hope stirred Mortimer that
! II might not be beyond his persuasive
tongue to make this chilly. rctcent
young man into friend some day-a
! helpful friend. Once or twice he
! thought Quarter looked at him rather
| strangely, but he would show Quar-.
riCr that he was friend-a good.
stanch friend-and that Quarter had
! long, long undervalued him. Waves
of sentiment spread through and
through him. His affection for Quar-
rier dampened his eyes, and still he
! blahhed on and ON. gazing with brim-
| ming eyes upon Quarter, who sat
back silent and attentive rs Mortimer
circled and Numbered nearer and near
er to the crucial point of his destination
Midway i'll one of his linguistic ell
| lipSeS Quarter leaned forward and
caught his arm in grip of steel. An
other man had entered the room
Mortimer, made partly conscious by
the pain of Quarters viselike grip.
was sober enough to recognize the i'm
pr0priety of his continuing aloud the
yelled story he had been constructing
with what he supposed to he a Gun.
ming as matchless as it was impenetra-
Bile.
Later he found himself upstairs in a
private cardrOom. facing Quarter
across table. and still talking and
quenching his increasing thirst. He
knew now what he was telling Quar-
rier, He was unwilling the parable
He was stripping metaphor from II
carefully precise story. He used 81
wards name presently; presently he
used Sylvia's name. A moment later
or was it an hour?-Quarrier stopped
him. coldly, without trace of passion.
demanding corroborative detail And
Mortimer gave it, wagging his head
and one fat foretinger as emphasis.
"You saw that?" repeated Quarter.
deadly white of a sudden.
Yes, and r.
| "At 3 in the morning?'
Eyes. an ! want
"YOu saw him enter her room?"
Yes, an wan tersay thsh to you.
because I'm your fren'. Don wan
amy fr'ens mine get fooled on won.
en-. See? Thash how feel. respec'
the sect. See? Women. lovely WON
en-. See? Respec' sect. Gimme y'han',
buZzer - er - brother Quarter. Your
M tr'en'; I'm your fr'en'. Lknow how
it Is Gotter wife m'own. Rotten
| one. Stingy. Takes money outer m
pockets. Dam 'stravagant Ruin me
Say, old boy. what about dividend due
morrow on Orange County Eclectic
| mean ErleXtic - no mean I.etric,
Damn.-WaSSer masser tOngue?"
Opening his fond and foggy ewes
and finding himself alone in the card
room he began to cry. and little later.
attempting to push the electric button.
ne fell over lounge and lay there his
shirt front soiled with wine, one fat
leg trailing to the floor. not the ideal
position for slumber perhaps, but what
Inference do attitudes and postures
and poses make when Il gentleman. in
the sacred secluSiOn of his own club
is wooing the drowsy goddess with
blasts of votive music through his en-
,urpled nose?
In the meantime. however. he was
Tue TO dine at the BeIwether house.
una when O'Clock approached and he
had not returned to dress Leila called
mp Sylvia Lands on the telephone:
MY dear. Leroy hasn't returned, and
suppose he's forgotten about the
bridge ] can bring Mr.. Plank. If you
Ike
Very WELL" said Sylvia, adding. 'if