Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-17
CHAPTER vi.
At the Cafe L'Athenee.

The Cafe PAthenee was in narrow
back street and consisted Of ground
floor apartment Of moderate size and a
number Of small rooms. most OF which
were already crowded with diners. There
were no smooth-faced maitres d'hotel to
conduct new arrivals to table. no lit
to the upper rooms. no palm-lined stair
ways or any Of the modern appurtenances
OF restaurant life. Hendricks. taking the
lead as an habitue. pushed his way up to
the first floor, pushed his way past the
hurrying and perspiring walters. who did
not even stop to answer questions, and
finally bounced upon q table which was
Just being vacated by three other people.
The two men sat down before the debris
and waited patiently for its removal.
Don't turn your nose up yet" Ken
bricks begged. ''Wait till you've tasted
the spaghetti. And don't look ct the
tablecioth az though it would bite you.
They'll put q clean napkin over 1t directly
and you'M forget all about those stains.
This Is where one takes on tho klo gloves
and deals with the realities Of eating ana
drinking. am inclined to think some
times, Julien. as Q humble admirer from
q long way Oh. that you've worn those
kid gloves q little too long"
Julien looked across at his friend. Ken
bricks was still smoking his pipe ana he
was evidently In earnest. It was OBVIOUS
too, that he had moro to say.
e"You know" he continued. loudly SUM
moning waiter and pointing to the table
before them, you know, Julien. ! nave
always had this feeling about You. !
think that life has been made tribe too
easy for you. You have slipped with 80
little effort into the polished places. You
never had to take your coat and waist
coat on and try Q rough-and-tumbie
struggle with life. No man Is the worse
for II. Prosperity and smooth travelling
come to one as the reward Of brain work.
lead to q certain habbdness in life; lead
to many moments when you have to stop
and ask whether things are worth while:
lead sometimes. think. to that curious
neuroticism from which clever. successfui
fashion. You are up against IT. now.
,Julien. real ana hard. You don't feel
that you've got q day to live that you
care q snap OF the fingers about. You
look at what you think are the pieces OF =
gaunt spectator Of what has been. gazing
down at them, and you've quite made up
your mind thatit isn't bit Of good try
ing to collect the Fragments. Such ID
nonsense. Julien! You may have made q
lister. but that isn't any reason why you
shouldn't make q success OF HE az man.
Look here, Carlo" he added. addressing
the waiter, 1.-THE table dhote dtnner-every-
thinr. and serve 1t hot. Bring US fresh
butter with our spaghetti and mask OF
chianti."
Isl. signor!' the man replied, casing
for q moment In wonder at this shock
headed individual who spoke his own Ian
guage so perfectly.
Hendricks laid down the menu and
danced across the table 1t Junen's face
with its slightly weary smile.
a(1f course know how you're feeling
now. he went on-''rotten!-so would
any one. Try and forget it. try and for
get yourself. Look shout you. What do
these people do for living. do you
think? They weren't born with title.
There's no one in this room who went to
Eton and Oxford. played cricket for their
university and lolled their way Into lite
o. you did. Look at them all The thin