The Monmouth inquirer., 1911-06-22

Henry greeted him at the door, He
detected In the old mans wrinkled
face no surprise, no excitement. With
his accustomed countenance of a
sprinx, the servant took his coat.
When he returned with the check. an
uncomfortable impulse to talk seized
Meredith. He wanted to sit with Hen
ry on his bench beside the door, and
inquire for Jimmy Grant, for Doc
Griggs, for Shire Maxwell, and the
others, to ask if they still came and
went as Of old, If they were happy
and prosperous. Almost he had his
hand on Henry's arm. Then he re-
membered that he was thief. and
that Henry probably knew it, so he
/ turned quickly and went upstairs.
At the head of the stairs he pushed
aside pair of heavy curtains and en-
tered the library The room was In
darkness save for green-globed
lamp which some casual reader had
left burning over a chair in distant
corner. He stepped to the table, and
almost caressingly ran his fingers over
the magazines and papers that lay
upon it. Then he walked slowly about
the room, and with the same almost
loving touch passed his hands over the
leather of chair and book. Something
welled up within him-a terrible self
pity, the nausea of half-satisfied long
ing. Homel-it was home-he had
come homei He sank into chair
and buried his face In his hands.
He pictured the scene in this very
room, that memorable night when jim
my Grant and he had known that the
game was up. The money which was
not theirs was invested, and the stocks
which, according to every rule and
precedent, should have scared and
brought them untold wealth, were
slowly, persistently dropping Discov-
cry was nearly upon them. 1t had been
Meredith's suggestion that one bear
the guilt of both, and disappear. In
the library had taken place the draw
ing of lots, and the turn of card
the work of second-had sent Billy
Meredith to hell.
Meredith thought very tenderly of
Jimmie Grant now. There had been
times in the brilliant tropic nights,
when he had hated him; but that was
when b , had thought of him, not as
Jimmy Grant, but as a man as guilty
as he, who had stayed behind to enjoy
all things worth while-the laughter
of friends perhaps the love of wom-
an-while he must sit alone, with only
his haze of smoke and his gulp of
brandy, swallowed with wrecks of
men.
He thought of Jimmy now most
tenderly-of the boy he had known
at the university, acreless, gay, and
loyal. He wondered what Jimmy was
doing-if he was happy, successful.
He ran downstairs to the telephone
and with feyerish hands searched the
directory for Jimmy Grants number.
There were SO many Grants he had
to look twice-three times. The
fourth time, he realized that Jimmy's
name was not in the book.
He leaned back in his chair and
tried to think. He must see Grant and
at once. He felt a sense of security
In the clubhouse that had not been his
even in the darkest streets. If he
went out again some one might meet
him who would be disposed to settle
old scores, and the thing that had
been the nightmare of the ears would
be upon him. He fancied that Henry
i loo q m
rather queerly. He knew but one man
he dared ask to lead him to Jimmy
now-that was Doc Griggs. Doc prob
ably hated him-he was always so
straight-so square. Still, hate him
or not. Doc would tell him of Jimmy.
He called up the office, but was told
that Doc Griggs was at the theater.
Getting the playhouse on the wire, he
directed a tired box-oftice voice to
send DR.. Griggs to the Argots Club
at once.
He went upstairs to wait. While he
walked back and forth, back and forth,
he wondered what would be Doc
Griggs's words of greeting? At col
lege Meredith and Doc and Jimmy had
been inseparable-a triumvirate OF
good fellowship. Now, probably, 1t
was Doc and Jimmy. What would be
Docs word of greeting to the branded
the exiled?
He waited. He took up magazine,
sat down under the single light. But
his hands were hot-they trembled-
he threw it from him. Again he
walked walked Footsteps on the
stairs set his heart to beating wildly,
and he felt in his cheek the flush he
could not see. But the footsteps died
away. He went to the window, and
leaned far out into the spring night.
He was still leaning thus. looking
down at the deserted street, when he
heard the rustic of the curtains and
some one enterd the room. He stood
erect, but dared not turn at once.
Again the shame that had been his
through the years burned in his
cheeks. Then figure bounded across
the room, and a strong hand grasped
his.
.'Billy-Billy Meredith" Doc Griggs
oriad ssThank Cod"