New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-05
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY S. 1913

full Of that fire I'll be up in the morning. He slowed
away the bill Magcc had given him. u guess nothing
will interfere with your loncsomcncss. Lcastways,
hope it won't. Goodnight.
AhAGEE badc the man goodnight and listened to the
A'A thump Of his boots and the closing Of the great
front door From his windows he watched the care
takcr move down the road without looking back, to
disappear at last in the white night.
Throwing of his grcatcOat, Magcc nOlSIy attacked
the fire. The blaze larcd red on his strong. humorous
mouth in his smiling eyes Next, IN the Pickering half
light Of suite seven. he distributed the contents Of his
travelling bags about. On the table he placed number
Of new magazines and few books.
Then Magcc sat down in the big leather chair before
the fire. and caught his breath Here he was at last
The wild plan he and Hal Bentley had cooked up in that
4ith-st. club had actually come to be "Sccluson,'
Alagcc had cried "Bcrmuda," Bentley had suggested
~ mixture Of sea- hotel clerks and honcymooncrs the
seeker for solitude had snccrcd "Somc winter place
down South, from Bentley. ~Anda Irritation lurking in
every corner, from Nlagcc ~ country town where YOU
don't know anyone. "-"'lhc easiest place in the world
TO get acquainted. | must he alone, Man, alone"
"Badpac Inn Bentley had cried in his idiom. "Why,
Billy -Baldpatc Inn at Christmai it must be old
John II. Scolusion himself
Yes here he was And here was the solitude he had
come to find NIagcc looked ncrvously about and the
smile died out OF his gray eyes For the first time mis-
givings ,motc him. Might one not have too much Of
good thing \ silence Ike that Of the tomb had de-
sccndcd. He recalled stories Of men who went mad
from loncInc-s What place lonclicr than this, The
wind howlcd along the balcony. II ratified the win
dows. Outside his door lay a great black cave in
summer gay with and maids: like CuIs,c's
island before the old man landed
"Alonc, alone all, all alone quoted Mage If
can't think here will be because M not equipped with
the apparatus. will, III show the gloomy old critics
] wonder whats doing in New York;
New York AIagcc looked at his watch. Eight
O'clock The great street was ablazc. The crowds were
rarading from restaurants 10 thcatcrS. The electric
signs were FASTING lurd legend, long suffering sky
fh,
fC cop at Broadway and l2d-st was mady earning his
pay. Magcc got up and walked the floor New York;
Probably the telephone in his rooms was langling,
vanly calling forth to sport with Amarylls in the shade
Of the rubber trees Billy Mage Billy Nlagcc who sat
alone in the silence on Balpac Mountain. Few knew
Of his departure. This was the night OF that stupid at
tempt at hcaricals the Plaza: stupid in itself but
CAV almost giiy, since Helen Faulkner was 10 be- there
This the night Of the dinner 20 Carey at the club.
This was the night of many dvcrting things
Magcc picked up q magazine. lc wondered how
they read IN the old days, by Candclght. He won
dcrcl if they would have found his own stories worth
the strain ON the eyes And he also wondered if ahso
lutte solitude quite the thing necessary T" the COM
position OF the novel that should forever silence those
who ,uccrcl az his ability.
Absolute solitude ONLY the cracklc of the fire the
roar Of the wind and the ticking Of his watch bore him
company He strobe 90 the window and looked down
N the few dim lights that proclaimed the existence If
Uurcr AsuucWau Fall Somewhere. down there, w,
the Commercial House. somewhere The gh who bad
,.pt 40 bitterly iu that gloomy little waiting room She
was only three miles away. and the thought Dh,crci
Nlaspc. After all, hc was not on desert island
And yc' me- WAS alone, intensely almost painfully
a u, alone I'M % vast. moaning house that must hc hrs
only home until he could go back 10 the gay city with
his masterpiece. What q masterpiece y though with
70 surgeons knife it would lay bare the hearts Of men.
40 tricks Of plot, no
uagcc paused; for sharply in the silence the bell Of
h room telephone rang out.
HE stood for q moment gazing in wonder, his heart
IL beating swiftly hecycs upon the instrument on the