Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-03-29
CHAPTER |.

W. ~ Impressive, wearing day:
y . 10 DAYS whose sole function
~ reside in rendering us irri-
y , !, of our too-close cas-
!, too.soIid flesh; whose humid
MORT atmosphere, sodden with
J, noisture, clings palpably to the
.ansing men to feel as II they
.l,,J baIfsuffocated, at the bot
n sea of rarefied water.
= hour may have been eight; 1t
have been not quite that, but 1t
4 almost dark. The windows were
smg black as night in the yellow
|aE 1,I ORourke's bedchamber in the
h gOrient, Monte Carlo.
,,va the honor to make known
mn the O'Rourke of Castle
Dm,te in the county of Galway,
|.,pi. otherwise and more widely
avn as Colonel Terence O'Rourke;;
spraler of the Legion of Honor OF
r,,e sometime an officer in the
spig1 Legion in Algiers; a wander
|, nepdthrift, free-lance, cosmopol-
"a gentIeman-adventurer. he's been
anei.
IA was dressing for dinner. The
,,a Of half a dozen electric bulbs dis
rrd him all but ready for public
mrance-not, however, quite ready.
Ihs shirt sleeves he faced a cheval-
@ pluckily (if with the haggard
n Of exasperation) endeavoring to
tnareuver a demon of inanimate
,Tersity which had entered into his
Mss tie, melting it to refuse to as
me- for all his coaXing and his STRAIT
ems that effect of nonchalant per-
sion so much sought after, so sell
ID achieved.
Ptently was the thing possessed
sdevil; O'Rourke made no manner
doubt of that. Though for minutes
time he fumbled, fidgeted, fumed
vas without avail.
Els room itself was in a state OF
siderable Misunderstanding due
hly to 0'Rourke's characteristic eff
o to find just what he might hap
Ito desire at any given time with
troubling to think where it ought
qerly to be.
Of this confusion, mir
ID in the glass, was likewise re-
led in O'Rourke's eyes, what time
paused for breath and profanity.
Ill., It's worse than a davis nest,
place" he admitted, scandaliZed.
IN ever did lone lone man-dO
mat will We be telling me?" He
9 out two helpless baffled hands,
let them fall After a meditative
e he added: Damn that Alsa-
with reference to his latest
leaSt competent valet, who had
recently been discharged with a.
Ill his ear and a months unearn-
'age in his pocket. For knowing
ways sighed O'Rourke, there
never anyone the like of Danny"
as many as three livelong days
man had been reduced to the ne
ny OF dressing himself with his
alr hands-and that at least
= daily who did nothing by
e. g And, somehow, mysteriously,
discarded garments had for the
part remained where he had
va Them, despite the earnest eff
VI The femme de chambre to re-
sOmethlng resembling order from
! lau'made chaos. For servants
'Aea well the O'Rourke, i1nprovi-
soul that he was, freehanded
are invited to picture to your
oNourke as invariably he was
! VI his not infrequent but ever
'VH9 phases of affluence: that is,
!: magnificent figure indeed.
ing a bit over six feet, deep of
., ana lean Of flank, with his long,
sA' legs he looked what he had
ueant to be, a man of arms and
l. His head was shapely, its
uar curling the least in the
!, and, incredibly stained, a trans
= brown, his features were lean,
=. !. ana rendered very attractive
S'VA boyish eyes In whose warm
say depths humor twinkled
OI'en than not, though those
eyes We're not seldom thought
- : trace wistful, perhaps, with
va OF one who recalls dear mem
O'u friends and sweethearts
and lost. For ba had
+" live early in life and had
:. % look back upon, though for
- It's doubtful If he were more
Ney at the time he became in
III the fortunes of the Pool
", .ue rest of him, barring the re-
:! ue' the man was strikingly
'''sUomed, while his surroundings
!, NJ comfortable circumstances.
!. authority of the absent and re-
N Fanny, who had long served
:. "ourke in the intimate capaci-
!, ~, Sody-servant, confidant and
~. "Or OF the exchequer (this last,
Se' whenever there happened
/, ~! eXcheuUer tn reuuira a chan.