Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03
: THE RECOVERY:
A STORY OF KENTUCKY :
BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER ?
Copyr
ereda aioners Hal Reerve


/ accepted. ! had 50 ne secret tremblings
but it never occurred to me to decline.
When put on my evening clothes | had
a sense of unfamiliarity. / had not taken
part in any social affair for five or six
years and feared the awkWardness that
comes of disuse. but slipped on my light
overcoat and went into the street. ] did
not take a cab preferring to walk to
Alicia's home, and l had gone two or
three blocks before / realized that l was
following exactly in the steps I made that
fatal night-or shall | cal 1t fatal? 1t
was a curious attraction. the power of an
event, carried over years afterward. that
took me in precisely the same path. l
turned at the same turnings, and having
gone thus far / went on just as | had be-
gun until l came to the house itself
The Grey nome was one of the largest
on Sd avenue which now vies with 4th as
the fashionable street of Louisville, a
massive stone building of three floors, in
which it was obvious that only people of
wealth could dwell. i passed in at the
open door and entered a wide hall. In
late years Louisville, having grown to a
city of a quarter of million Inhabitants,
and having enjoyed great increase OF
wealth. has taken on much more of a
metropolitan aspect without losing those
features of knship and personal knowl-
edge which are an aid to social inter-
course Here we are still much related
to one another by blood. and we know a
man; not only what his name is, but who
his relatives are and how he himself
stands in the community SO far as char
acter, conduct and fortune are concerned.
I was aware despite my long absence that
| was going to meet people whom I had
seen before and some more OF less akin
to me.
But I paused few moments in the
wide hall before going into the dressing
| room set aside for the men. The interior
| of the house was heavy and rich, and l
saw clearly that two tastes had been
struggling for the mastery, Ahcias sim
pie and quiet and Grey's inclining to the
garish.
I passed into the dressing room and as
I took off my light overcoat a hand fell
without gentleness but with kindness
upon my shoulder and a flank, honest
| but not very soft voice exclaimed:
why, Harry! Harry Clarke. / should
never have known you IL the servant to
| whom you gave your name had not told
me that it was you! Stand AROUND there
| in front OF me where I can get good
look at you. What q beautiful little
brown beard we have. and what an air
of wisdom and maturity we wear! But
! am glad to see you again. Harry, am!
1t was Jimmy W.arfield who was speak
| ing. distant cousin OF mine, man of
apparently light and superficial nature,
much given 10 frivolous words, but with
| DEPTHS below that few suspected. He
was two or three years older than ], he.
| too had been a bit wild in his youth, but
! h6 gave II up cary, went iHtO law ana
| then politics with such success that he
| had recently been elected To the speaker
ship of the house. He was a singularly
| your looking man. because. although
| young he looked yet younger and he had
/ an air and manner that were certainly
! tonic.
| / flushed under his welcoming touch
! and voice He knew what l had been,
| he knew that years ago | was given up
| as hopeless. but he must have heard since
then of my effosts to enter upon the path
| which he was treading with such success
! His manner. his hearty welcome, for jim
nv Warfieid was a man OF the world
which does not necessarily mean an i'm
! moral man. indicated il.
I'm glad to see you, Jimmy. | said
| grasping his hand You. at least. have
/ not changed much.
| / could see that I was making n good
/ impression upon Jimmy Wariield. I'M
! commonly shrewd RAIDER of men-hc was
! confirming in his own mind what he had
/ heard lately of me-and my pleasure con-
! t;nued He introduced me to Others in
| the room among them M. Goblet. fat
elderly millionaire manufactures, with