Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-20

the Cynic, was suspected of literary am
billions; but the suspicion was based upon
nothing weightier than a brochu re on golf
which he had printed at his own expense
for private circulation. and a study OF the
greater city, Astounding in sly ironies.
which had appeared with illustrations in
popular periodical
Wingield. IL we may enter briefly into
particulars, was tall and thin, with a
cloSe-cropped beard and dark hair combed
to the smoothness of onion skin. He was
near-sighted. and his twinkling eye
glasses were protected by a slight gold
chain. His aspect was severe. his man
ner d1sconcertingly serious. He carried
IN all weathers. an umbrella whose ham
die bore on silver plate the anticipatory
legend. Stolen from Richard Win9feld.'
He was on many committees; he gave
luncheons for actors. lecturers and other
distinguished visitors: he attended tine
opera in New York and was reported now
and then to be engaged to a prima donna.
He patronized a private gymna SUM and
was capital fencer. He cultivated the
society or physicians. discussing the lat
est discoveries of Vienna and Paris in
sophisticated terminology; he sat In the
amphitheater at surgical clinics. inscrut-
able and grave. His interest In medicine
gave rise to the belief about the club that
he suffered from an incurable malady;
was as sound as wheat and would live
forever. He affected an air of not caring
greatiy; ne uttered paradoxes and en-
joyed mystifying people: he quizzed likely
subjects and had never been known to
laugh aloud. 1t was he who first an
nounced that five generations constitute
an old family i'm Pittsburg. Practical
men called Wingfield a loafer: others in
simulated that his private life would not
bear scrutiny. "a man who drinks moth
ing but koumiss in a club famed for its
rye essences is sure to be the victim OF
calumny). There was a particular little
table in the corner of the AlleQuippa
Clubs smoking room-a room where all
branches of human endeavor were repre-
Senred at o'clock every afternoon. from
the twisting Of stogies up through the
professions to the canning Of entrees
there. at his own little table, sat Mr..
Wingfleld. watching. as he said. the best
men of the greater city at the light
hearted occupation OF hardening their
arteries.
There was no telling what might hap
pen: il was never safe to leave town. and
having spent two years abroad in his
young manhood, Wingfeld abstained from
further foreign travel. One must pick ND
gossip when ii is fresh Nothing. he said.
is so discouraging as to miss the pro-
logue: and SO he spent most of his time
at home. But for the invention of sleep
ing cars, and the fact of our being only
bhe might from New York We should be
the most moral city in the world" he
averred. Wingfield was a University of
Pennsylvania man, and spoke in bitter
contumeliousness of Yale and Harvard,
which, are, as all Pennsylvania men are
able to demonstrate. grossly inferior in
situations. Princeton. to all such, is only
blot on the mosquito strip and the seat
OF ignorance. His mother was a Phiia-
delphian. and Dicks two aunts were still
residents OF that city. where. through
much careful instruction on their part, he
knew Chestnut streets meridianaI- i'm
portance and the sacred names one must
whisper. and those one must not utter
at all. His income was derived from coke
ovens situated i'm three districts, and
these it pleased his humor to call Shad-
rach, Meshach and Abednego
Go be continued tomorrow