The Washington times., 1911-10-14
CHAPTER I.
The Romance Hunt.

This Eyetalian lan'scape
an ten-chromo scenery an comic-opera
Villains an villainesses loiterin' about
IN two-dollar-an-hour poses-this sort Of
thing may be all to the merry for long
haired folks with the poetry habit and
tngrowin' brains. But not for mine. I
don't belong. I feel like / was wearin
yeller shoes to a dance. What's there
in 1t for me?"
It wasn't the first nor the twenty
first time that poor Billy Gregg had
thus unburdened himself to me since
we had left New York harbor behind
ns, three months before.
I had long since given over any at
tempt at arguing or expostulation. So
I sat In patient silence on my lofty
perch along the Naples sea-wall and
puffed optimistically at a very vile ma
tive cigar with a straw through its
eenter.
But Gregg, who stood leaning on the
wall and scowling across the stretch OF
blue water toward the Castel del ovo,
WAS not content to let 1t go at that.
He had a grievance and he wanted to
talk It out. Silence on my part could
not switch of his flood of complaint.
What am here for?" he reiterated,
GROSSLY. Just tell me that, II you can?
WHAT'S a sane, square-rigged man like
me doin' leavin' good old Manhattan
m chasin' around on the foreign slabs
Of the map?
Upon my SOUL" retorted, annoyed
put Of taciturnity by his persistence and
his lack Of appreciation Of the glories
Of day and scene, upon my soul, Billy,
I don't know"
''well, then, II it comes to that, what
are you doin' 1t for?,'
IT have told you already" I answered
wearily, I'm looking for romance"
"Romance" he snorted with sublime
contempt. "An what may that hall
epielin about it, but III bet box of
perfectos against one OF those dago Flor
de Garbage cheroots Of yours that you
don't know what 1t Is, an wouldn't pipe
It II you met 1t in broad daylight. On!
you can grin an act superior IL you
like, But when 1t comes to a show
down, what is this fool romance you're
gunnin' for?"
The waves were splashing against the
base Of the wall. Across the road a
beggar lounged on the steps of a church,
picking lazily al mandolin. The early
pring sun nt poured loSngy down on the
bay, rose old Vesuvius. breathing UP
into the blue sky his ceaseless cloud
pf gray smoke.
could be 20 very much worse than that
of my Naples cigar. Then l threw the
cheroot over the wall into the bay and
turned on Billy Gregg;
be I Wouldn't recognize romance il I
met the real thing. And maybe a hard
headed New York business man is a
fool to wander half way across the
Doesn't exist outside Of books. Pos
6ibly I'm cracked. But If am, my de-
fusion doesn't hurt anyone but myself,
does it? II it's cxpensive-wel, I've
to earn the right to spend a bit o:
money. and to have a holiday beside"
i s'pose you have he assented.
much fooiiisher or e costlier % than "a h Whirlin' ~
through an inoffensive country road on
E honking homicide-cart. or yeohoing
along the coast in yacht you don't
roast you; @ only I was irwin to get a
There's no point to IT, l confessed.
"You see, Billy, it's like this: When my
railroad smash-up. was only thirteen.
I'd been brought up as a rich mans
son. It turned out my father had lived
up to his income and was left without
ten dollars to my name.
My fathers brother took charge Of
me. He was hard-headed,, c!ose-fisted
Business Success self-made man that
an artist and his brother had had no
patience with him. He determined that
] should be brought up to have no such
silly views Of life. So he sent me to
hours a day and three dollars a week"
'Race-horse trainin' an then plow-
horse work" commented Billy.
Just that. had twelve years Of It,
Ny uncle didn't believe IN vacations
And at night / was too tired to do any
thing but tumble into bed: But at the
END OF shose Wsn FWelve years nc,s was Sas,
there was no artistic idiocy about me-"
"Now, there's where he was wrong.
I'd had no chance to do anything but
daH read
iE the newspapers of some romantic or
exciting thing that had happened at
home or abroad; and I fell 20 envying
the people such things happened to.
could. And the more humdrum my life
grew. the more longed for romance.
suppose you think that's silly?'
can't quite say as ! do. I've had the
same feelin' myself once in a while
when things was goin' slow. Only
such times, I'd take in good not prize
Ccney. or get picked. or pick a row
with a cabman, Or
'Those safety-valves didn't occur to
me. TOOK TO reaQmS romantic stories
In off-hours-Scott and Dumas and
Stevenson and all those-and that only
made the longing stronger. Most men
have more or less romance OF a mild
sort mixed into their everyday lives. |
was too busy for that But I made up
my mind I'd get It some day. Then my
uncle got into Dig business deal with
Amos Todd
1.-THE deuce! Not
"Yes. That's the one. Todd was a
crook and he cleaned my uncle out
Poor old uncle! think 1t was the fact
that any living man had been able 20
do him. more than the actual loss OF
the money itself. that gave him his
stroke Of apoplexy. He lef- things
awfully muddled wter he died.
Il was kept buser than ever, for five
years more, Strengthening out. At last
got the factory on a paying basis and
stood a show of being a rich man in
a few years more. But I'd had enough
of II. / happened to get a big offer
from the Trust and sold out at enough
to keep me comfortable for the rest of
my days"
AN then you thought you'd take a
look-in on romance hey?"
Exactly. I'd shaved like a dog for
seventeen years. At thirty when most
young men are in their early prime,
was just worktng-machine. fit for
II ~1a