The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-02-12
CHAPTER I.
Two Gentlemen Say Good.ey.
l9ZRN77QF1 BY RAY M4lzERz
81 M 61a5j -MEf22RL CUnneqHy

CHAPTER !.
Two Gentlemen Say Good-By.
If anything really interesting
should happen to me think should
drop dead" declared Ardmore as he
stood talking to Griswold in the rail-
way station at Atlanta. II entered
upon this life under false pretenses,
thinking that money would make the
game easy, but here I am, 81 years
old, stalled at the end of blind alley,
with no light ahead; and to be quite
frank, old man, 1 don't believe you
have the advantage of me- What's
the matter with us, anyhow"
THE mistake we make" replied
.Griswold, lis in failing to seize oppor-
tunities when they OFFER You and 1
have talked ourselves hoarse thou.
sand times planning schemes we never
pull off. We are cursed with indie
cision, that's the trouble with US. We
never see the handwriting on the
wall, or If we do, it's just streak of
hieroglyphics, and we don't know
what it means until we read about it
In the newspapers. But / thought you
were satisfied with the thrills you got
running as reform candidate for
alderman in New York last year. 1t
was a large stage and the limelight
struck you pretty often. Didn't you
get enough? No doubt they'd be glad
to run you again."
Ardmore glanced hastily about and
laid his hand heavily on his friends
shoulder.
Don't mention it-don't think of it!
No more politics in mine. The world
may go hang if it waits for me to set
1t right. What I want is something
different, real Notwithstanding
with spice in it. have bought every
thing money can buy, and now I'm
looking for something that can't be
tagged with price,"
There's your yacht and the open
sea-" suggested Griswold.
"sick of it! Sick to death of it,"
you're difficult, old man, and
mighty hard to please. Why don't you
turn explorer and go in for the south
pole?"
Perfectly bully! I've thought Of it
lot, but I want to be sure I've
cleaned up everything else first. It's
always up there waiting-on ice, so
to speak-but when it's done once
there will be nothing left. 1 want to
save that for the last call"F
"You said about the same thing
when we talked of Thibet that first
evening we met at the University
club, and now the Grand Lama sings
in all the monographs, and for a
penny you can see him in kineto-
scope, eating his luncheon. remem-
Der very we'll that night. We we're
facing each other at writing-table,
and you looked up timidly from your
letter and asked me whether there
were two g's in aggravate, and I an
swered that it depended on the mean
ing-one 6 for a mild case, two for a
severe one-and you laughed and we
began talking. Then we found out
how lonesome we both were, and you
asked me to dinner, and then took me
to that big house of yours up there
in Fifth avenue and showed me the
pictures in your art gallery, and we
found out that we needed each other"
Eyes, I had needed you all right"
And Ardmore shifted dolefully, and
complained of the smoke that was
drifting in upon them from the train
sheds. II wish you wouldn't always
be leaving me. You ought to give
up your job and amuse me. You're
the only chap I know who doesn't
talk horse or automobile or yacht, or
who doesn't want to spend whole
evenings discussing champagne vim
tages; but you're too good man to
be wasted on a college professorship.
Better let me endow an institution
that will make you president-there
might be something in that"
ut would make me too prominent,
so that when we really make up our
minds to go in for adventures should
be embarrassed by my high position.
AS q mere lecturer on 1.-THE Libeling
of Sunken Ships" In law school, I'm
the most obscure person in the world.
And for another thing, we couldn't
risk the scandal of tainted money. It
would be nasty to have your great
grandfather's whisky deals with the
Mohawk Indians chanted in a college
YELL"
The crowd surged past them to the
Washington express, and waiting
porter picked up Griswold's bags
"Wish you wouldn't go. l have
three hours to wait" said Ardmore,
looking at his watch, land the only
Atlanta man l know is out of town."
"What did you say you were going
to New Orleans for?" demanded Girls
void, taking out his ticket and NOV
ing toward the gate. II thought you
exhausted the Creole restaurants long
ago."
"The fact u.s." faltered Ardmore,
coloring, I'm looking for some one"
"Out with it-out with it," COM
manded his friend.
"Tm locking for a girl I saw from a