Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-05
CHAPTER XIII.
The Marquis Of Twelfth Street.

The Marquis Of Twelfth Street.
1t was Isidora who found out first what
was in her fathers mind. because she
saw the advertisement which Alexander
the Great had written for the papers. 1t
lay on the parlor table, in clear black and
white for any eye to read, when 1sidora
came to clear away the litter of odds and
ends that Emmie the hired girl might
lay the dinner things.
"Oh, pa she gasped. us that what
you're going to do?''
"Of course" said Alexander the Great.
staring at her over his spectacles, as he
wiped his pen and pushed his chair from
the table. Tell that gel to hurry up.
Don't she know by dis dat I've got just
twenty minutes for dinner? I'll have to
go before dessert. IL she don't get busy"
You want to change the subject. pa, =
said Isidora-
mo, I don't. Why for? 'Tain't your
business"
Twas me had the idea He WON'T
stand bein' advertised
Pooh!" said Alexander.
Il tell you he won't. He'll quit. He's
afraid the police are on to him. anyhow"
Milton amt lodged no complaint. No
body has. or I'd have kicked de Teller out,
first thing. when you toll me who he was.
Nobody amt goin' to touch him."
And nobody amt goin' to keep him
when he sees that" added Isidora, point
ing to the paragraph written in Alex
ander the Greats clearest handwriting.
He needn't see 1t, unless you blab. silly
GEL" said her father. What for should
he read newspaper advertisements?
guess he got sOmet'in' else to do.
'Somebody'll tell him.
people come here to eat. not talk.
Anyhow, dis goes
And it went.
1t went to several papers: and though
sertion of small paragraphs In the col
umns Of the journals, he chuckled to him
self in anticipation Of receiving far more
valuable advertisements gratis; nor was
he wrong In matters Of business within
the scope Of his capabilities Alexander
was great. True it might be that Lord
Loveland of the Waldorf (as
Tony Kidd had dubbed HIM was a back
number. and had been superseded in pub
lie esteem by at least two promising MUIR
derers and one lively Divorce; neverthe-
less. even small crimes were thankfully
received by newspaper men and women,
as Alexander had reason to know Did
he not owe part Of his present success to
a dearth of sea SerpentS just about the
time when Bill Willing had begun to deco
rate the walls of the new red restaurant
in 18th street? Alexander had spent a
little money then in sprinkling a few
paragraphs over dull columns that set
forth the advantages of pale pills or bath
chairs. Reporters on the prowl had hap
pened to read, happened to laugh and
eventually happened to pass through 10th
street.
So now Alexander hoped again for
something to happen. and did not hope in
vain. Journalists were not needing sea
serpentS at this season, which was rosy
nhsyfo ,tnc r1x NIT hid ~
sparkling with balls and dinner parties
as we'll as lurid with exciting murders
But Tony Kidd's enterprising eye lit or
Alexander's inspiration, while 1t was still
as fresh as tomorrow's bread, in the issue
Of New York Light which was in the
making.
He considered Loveland still his own
though Tony had passed on to better
scoops" since the night when he had
changed his first sketchy impressions of
the Difficult Young Man to Approach
into story far more entertaining. He
was greatly amused at the latest develop
ment Of 'faffaire Loveland,' and thought
that even a preoccupied public would be
amused too. especially as Alexander S
own paragraph was quantity quotable.
Lost at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the
Marquis of Loveland. Found. ditto at
Alexander the Greats in 18th street. If
you want to be served by a lord, dine at
AleXander's for 25c marquis included
You eat your dinner; Walter LOyeland
does the rest
an important errand out of town by the
first train in the morning. but he secretly
commissioned an underStudy to be at
AleXander's when the red restaurant
should open its doors: to order breakfast,
and, while seeming to eat, to sketch the
new English waiter. The understudy was
not to question LoveIand himself. but, if
possible, Alexander, and was not TO let
the waiter see that he was under fire of
attention. Notes of Loveland's appear
ance. as we'll as a drawing, must be made
for Mr.. Kids benefit. because the sharp
young journalist was not going to let
himself be ''spoOfed.' IT was quite on
the cards that some other enterprising
person might have taken a fancy to call
himself a marquis. in order to attract
customers to AleXander's: and if so,
Tonys little story would have to differ
slightly from the original design.
When he came back from the country,
late in the afternoon. however, Mr.. Kidd
at once recognized the cleverly executed
sketch. There was no longer any doubt
the door in his face at the Wal
dorf-Astoria was now pie singer in
cheap downtown restaurant.
Tony questioned his understudy as to
what he had found out, and learned that
himself had been privately in
terviewed. The great man had discour-
aged the artist-reporter from talking with
the marquis who. it seemed. was ig-
norant that he had begun to figure again
in the newspapers. The fellow had been
starving. said Alexander. and permitted
the use of his name to q limited extent,
but might kick if he heard of the ad
vertisements. Alexander wished him TO
kind OF get used to things before peo-
pie noticed him much, for he was queer
fish, close mouthed. inclined to hold on to
the ragged edges of dignity in spite Of his
fall. The idea was to let it leak out very
gradually that Lord Loveland' was be-
ing worked to draw a crowd" and thus
Tony kidd's understudy had
let the new waiter alone.
Tony Kidd himself however. only laugh
ed, because he understood Alexander's lit
tie ways and guessed how he expected to
get his moneys worth out of the news
papers. The journalist wrote his story.
which he fancied exceedingly, and his
editor was pleased with it, too. although
it was sure to give Alexander a tremen-
dous free boom. Next morning there was
half column on a good page of Light
(includng space for the UNDERSTANDS line
portrait of a tall young man. in evening
dress. with a coffee pot in one hand and
a milk jug in the other); and even the
printers grinned at the heading: The
Marquis Of 18th Street, Newly Acquired
Title