Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-15

all. There's an experiment like that-u
You stare long enough
But Mcknight was growing sulky: he
sat looking rigidly ahead. and he did not
speak again until he brought the can
nonbali to a stop at the station. Even
then it was only a perfunctory remark.
He went through the gate with me. and
with five minutes To spare we lounged
and smoked in the train shed. My mind
had Sid away from my surroundings and
had wandered to n polo pony that |
couldn't afford and intended to buy any
how. Then Mcknight shook off his
tacturnity.
For heavens sake don't look So mar
tyred.' he burst out: Il know you've
done all the travelling this summer. l
know you're missing game tomorrow.
But don't be a patient mother: confound
It, have to go to Richmond on Sunday.
II want to see girl.
"Oh. don't mind me-" | observed po-
litely. Personally, I wouldn't change
places with you. What's her name
North? SOUTH
West" ne snapped. Don't try to be
funny. And all l have to say. Blakeley.
is that il you ever fall in love l hope
you make an egregious ass of yourself
In view of what followed this came
rather close to prophecy.
The trip west was without incident
played bridge with furniture dealer
from Grand Rapids, sales agent for a
Pittsburg iron firm and a young pro-
fessor from an eastern college. L won
three rubbers out of four, finished what
cigarettes Mcknight had left me. and
went to bed about 1 O'Clock. 1t was
growing cooler and the rain had ceased.
Once toward morning. L wakened with
start, for no apparent reason. and sat
bolt upright. 1 had an uneasy feeling
that some one had been looking at me,
the same sensation / had experienced
earlier in the evening at the window. But
L could feel the bag with the notes. be-
tween me and the window. and with my
arm thrown over 1T for security, lapSed
again into slumber Later. when l tried
to piece together the fragments of that
journey. remembered that my coat.
which had been folded and placed be-
yond my restless tossing, Rad been res
cued in the morning from heterogene-
Gus tumble of blankets, evening papers
and cravat. had been shaken out with
profanity and donned with wrath. At
the time nothing occurred to me but the
necessity of writing to the Pullman Com
pany and asking them If they ever
travelled in their own cars. l even for
mulated some of the letter.
IF they are built to scale. why not
take a man of ordinary stature as your
unit?' / wrote. mentally. Il cannot fold
together like the travelling cup with
which I drink your abominable water
l was more cheerful after | had had a
cup of coffee in the Union station. 1t
was too early to attend to business, and
lounged in the restaurant and hid be-
hind the morning papers. As L had ex-
pected. they had got hold of my visit
and its object. On the first page was a
staring announcement that the forged
papers in the Bronson case had been
brought to Pittsburg. Underneath. a
telegram from Washington stated that
Lawrence Blakeley, Of Blakeley & Nc
Knight had left for Pittsburg the night
before. and that, owing to the approach
ing trial of the Bronson case and the i'll
% I@Lv In tcht mil
lionaire, who was the chief witness for
the prosecution. IL was supposed that the
visit was intimately concerned with the
trial.
1 looked around apprenensively. There
We're no reporters yet in sight. and.
thankful to have escaped notice. I paid
for my breakfast and left. At the cab
stand / chose the least dilapidated han
som ! could find. and. giving the driver
the address of the Gilmore residence, in
the East End. l got in
l was just in time. AS the cab turned
and rolled off slim young man In a
straw hat separated himself from little
group of men and hurried toward us:
Hey, Wait minute there he called,
breaking into trot.
But the cabby did not lear. or per-
haps did not care to. We logged COM
fortably along. to m! relief. leaving the
young man far behind. avoid reporters
on principle. having learned long ago
that 1 am an easy mark for clever in
terviewer.
1t was perhaps 9 o'clock when I left
the station. Our way was along the
boulevard which Rugged the side of one
of the citys great hills. Far below to
the left lay the railroad tracks and the
seventy times seven looming stacks OF
the mills. The white mist of the river.
the grays and blacks Of the smoke
blended into a half-revealing haze, dot
ted here and there with fire. 1t was un-
lovely. tremendous. Whistler might have
painted 1t with its pathos, its majesty.
but he would have missed what made 1t
infinitely suggestiVe-the rattle and roar
of iron on iron. the rumble of wheels, the
throbbing beat against the ears OF fire
and heat and Drawn welding prosperity.
Something of this | voiced to the grim
old millionaire who was responsible for
at least part of it, He was propped up
in bed in his East End home. listening TO
the market reports read by a nurse. and
he smiled little at my enthusiasm.
Il can't see much beauty in it myself"
he said But its our badge OF prosper
ity. The full dinner pail here means a
nose that looks like flue. Pittsburg
without smoke wouldn't be Pittsburg,
any more than New York prohibition
would be New York. Sit down for a few
minutes. Mr.. Blakeley. Now, Miss Gard
ner, Westinghouse Electric"
The nurse resumed her reading in
monotonous voice. She read literally and
without understanding. using initials and
aDDreNlatlOflS as lHeN CAN'T oul nc
shrewd old man followed her easily.
Once, however, he stopped her.
DO is ditto he said. gently. mot
do
AS the nurse droned along found my
self looking curiously at a photograph
in a silver frame the bedside table.
1t was the picture of girl IN Wnlte,
with her hands clasped loosely before
her. Against the dark background her
figure stood out slim and young. Per
haps it was the rather grim environ
ment, possibly: it was my mood. but al
though as "A general thing photographs
of Young girls make no appeal TO me.
this one did. l found my eyes straying
back to it, BY a little tnesse | even
made out the name written across the
corner. ALLISON.
Mr.. Gilmore lay back among his pill
lows and listened to the nurses listless
voice But he was watching me from
under his heavy eyebrows, for when the
reading was over, and We were alone, he
indicated the picture with a gesture.
Il keep it there to remind myself that
am an old man. he said. That is my
grandd au"ilter. Alison West.
expressed the customary polite sur
nrise at which. finding me responsive he
told me his age with chuckle OF pride
More surprise this time genuine. From
that we went to what he ate for break
fast and did not eat for lncheon. and
then TO his reserve power, which at sixty
five becomes a matter for thought. And
so. i'm "A wide circle. back to where We
started. the picture.
Father was a rascal" John Gilmore
said picking up the frame. The h APP
piest day of my life was when l knew
he was safely dead in bed and not
hanged. If the child had looked ike
him, well. she doesn't. She's "A Gill