Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-30
By WILL IRWIN
(cOpyrisht by BObbs-Merr4ll company.)

about yourself. You're young. You've
got neither family nor girl here in
New York. There's nothing for you
to do nights but to meet the boys;
an you begin to pour 1t down. The<
next thing you know, or don't know,
you're drunk and uncomfortable.
Amt that so?"
"Uncomforta ble!" exclaimed Tommy
North; when I'm drunk? Woman.
1 own New York! I have an option
on the Hudson terminal and mort
gage on the Singer building. OF
course, the next morning when I'm
undrunk, there's pale Jerseyish cast
over the face of things" This was
the first time in his life that Tommy
North had ever admitted a ''hang-<
over" He used to tell his companions
that hard liquor was his beefsteak
well, then, 1 suppose there's no
use askin," went on Rosalie, why
you do it. It's because there's moth
ing else to do. Your play is to find
something Just as absorbin' and as
excitin' as liquor, but not quite so
foolish"
"Sure," said Tommy THE pot OF
gold at the end of the rainbow, or
Captain Kidds treasure. Anyhow,
I'm going away from here"
Now Mr.. North" said Rosalie,
there's two ways of facing a thing
down-stay, an go. Which is better,
1 don't know Which is Drawer, I do.
Here's a room for you. Board here
the rest of this week-on melville
you look around-an' IL you think
then that COINS the best way, then
co."
Tommy North. Injured to an at
mosphere wherein none gives some-
thing for nothing. regarded Rosalie
LIE Grange with look in which
gratitude struggled with suspicion.
You're thinkin'." responded Rosa
lie, reaching out to seize his thought,
"that this is just my play to fill my
boardin' house. Think 1t if you want
to; but this is my propositions; you
keep this room free pntil Monday,
an If you want, you cab have 1t per-
manent at twelve a week, which Is
what you paid Mrs. Moore"
I'm sure I'm much obliged said
Tommy. suspicion departing. ''I'll
stay the week out, and make UP my
mind"
Sensible" replied Rosalie. ''Ill
send up towels-and dinners at
$3.50"
Now it happened that just before
Tommy North left his room for din
ner that evening, an hour of solitary
thought had brought him to the nadir
of his existence. Position gone
reputation Gas he thought gone-a
charity guest in a boarding-hous
For So in his young melancholy. he
| translated the kindness of Resale LIE
Grange. Their conversation, rein
| forcing his bad two days with his
mother, had piled remorse on his
other miseries. He did drink too
much. He was branded a drunkard;
and no one wanted a drunkard.
Vague ideas of beginning again in a
new land floated through his mind.
The life was out of him; and when
| life has gone out of the soul in this
fashion, the Lord of Life is ever watt
ing to enter and take possession.
Which is by way of introducing Betsy
| Barbara
| We have taken little time to con-
slider Betsy Barbara. Let us view
her now, as she stands, dressed in a
blue frock for dinner, tapping at Con-
stances door. Betsy Barbara's flesh
and spirit were twenty-four; her
heart was eighteen; her purpose was
forty. In complexion, In such acces-
series of complexion as eyes and hair.
| in the hidden soul, she was white
creature light-shot. Whenever even
the darkest ray touched her hair. 1t
ficked with gold. In full sunshine
even her brows and lashes glittered
and twinkled. Her mouth was large
and generously irregular; her nose
was small and whimsically irregular;
her violet-blue eyes were as clear as
| pools. Why the regularity of a
| Greek statue may go with absolute
uglness, and why features which fail
to match may produce real beauty, Is
| question too hard for you or me or
| any other connoisseur of beauty.
Now Betsy Barbara, with mouth all
too large and nose all too small and
pair of eyes which could not be
classified for size, was ravishingly
pretty. OF course, expression entered
into the equation with. Betsy-Barbara-
| She was eternally assuming a school,
mistress sternness which made a
piquant contrast with the fresh skin
/ of her, the blue eyes of her, the little
popcorn teeth that made her half
elf, half butterfly. And when, in her
schoolmistress solicitude over her
listener-as over bad boy-she
laughed, the worlds whole merriment
was in her laughter. Betsy Barbara
had not really laughed for many days
now. But she was young; the tides
of life were flowing back And
as she stood there, waiting
| for Constance to rise and open
the door, her merriment took flame
from some sleepy remark. In that
precise psychological moment. all
planted by the fates, Tommy North
came down the hall on his way to din
ner. The laugh arrested him dead
The gas light was on her hair so that
1t tumbled over her head-''like heap
Of pulled molasses candy" he told
himself. The door opened then. She
vanished like golden fairy caught
In mist of vapor.
| r. IA.