The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-01-16

white reminded one of the not far dis
tant and restless sea- Little crowds
surged here and there Ike the waves
-dowagers at their afternoon cards
laughing. chattering girls, a sprinkling
OF tennis-clad youths or more sedate
men In negligee suits. Walters were
hurrying here and there, replenlshing
glasses and cups or bearing salads and
ices. Suddenly one Of these white
huttering moths, carrying an over
loaded tray, came into collision with a
youth who was turning, racquet In
hard, reluctantly from his mash" OF
the day. The tray gave great lureh
above the elegant gown Of a severe
looking dame seated at one Of the card
tables. Just at this crucial moment,
when the Mortified grand danes were
on the verge Of a combined shrek, a
tall, athletic, almost middle-aged man
sprang forward, righted the walters
arm with its accompanying load and
was about to pass on.
why, Mr. Dudley. Is that you? How
glad We are to see YOU" echoed stimuli
taneously from the four pairs Of lips,
Come" said the woman whose
gown had been so miraculously saved,
'join US In a little game Of bridge.
Do"
The man smiled politely with a re-
fusal of the proffered place, stood a
moment at punctilious attenuon-then
passed on.
A little farther on, a giggling quartet
of girls caught sight OF him, and one
of them, evidently the daring one of
the group, motioned him to come to
their table. She seemed a bit fright
ened after she had accomplished her
end, for the man, who stood at her ell
bow In an instant, was cold, formal
and notwithstanding to expect
something to be said. He was vastly
unlike the old-young or young-old man
In tennis garb who had accompanied
her from the courts. The few words
of cordially expressed good-by, which
had been upon the girls lips, froze into
platitudes and, after a moment, the
man, again, passed on.
The eyes of the five young persons
followed him. Awful jolly today,
Isn't he?" said the youth facetiously.'
Il don't care If he isn't jolly"
snapped the girl who had called him
II like him, and he says a lot when he
does talk"
stung a little in his small way, the
youth went on maliclously: "Oh, yes,
all the girls like Richard Dudley-of
course they do-they'd Ike me, too, if
owned THAI place of his and all those
motor cars and things. All the girls
and their mammas like Dick Dudley,
but he doesn't like them-not a little
bit. Ny uncle belongs to the same
club and he told me last night that
Dick was tired Of being molly-coddIed,
that he was dead tired of women.
Me for the big TIMBER said Dick, to
my uncle. Me for nature, where the |
soft breezes can lull me to my slum-
ber and where there are no girls and |
no mammas. Oh, bachelors life for
me- That's what Dick said, or words |
to that effect"
What the boy said was true to a
certain extent, although Richard Dud-
ley was too much a gentleman to have |
said the same in so many words. He /.
had sold his motor cars; he had given /.
up his suite at the club he had closed !
his palatial home, because he was |
ttred-of Women-young women, old |
women, middle-aged women. Thus far |
his life had been frittered away. He t
was past forty and now he must go in .
for some real thing. He loved nature
and he could afford to be philanthropic |
perhaps he would try both, but there /
must be no women-absolutely no |
women in the question. The frivolity
Of the sex palled on him as he walked
away from the lnane little group. He
met on the stairs a would-be-young
lady, who had come out years ago.
when he, himself, had been a youth.
why, Richard" she said familiarly,
81 hear you are going to leave US.
How can you be so cruel?" The re-
mark was simple enough, but the look
was ravishing and Richard passed on,
more at odds than ever. He to start
for the tall timber that night; and he
did.
Once out in the open0he was a new
man. He engaged room and board in
the most commonplace way, at little
village hostelry, and was so assiduous
In his long, daily trips on his motor
cycle through the country, that the
wiseacres Of the village grocery con-
oluded he must be real estate agent.
Morning after morning he woke with
the birds, finished his frugal breakfast
and was off almost before daybreak.
When for years had he seen the sun
rise? What sights and sounds came
up from the wods-violets and bird
songs and the thrilling of the wind!
No roof gardens and senseless chatter
for him. AS the days wore on and the
jaded nerves took on a more normal
tone, Richard found that he was lone
ly. Lonely for what? He did not
mow-he certainly did not yearn for
the chug, chug Of his motor, nor for
the senseless chatter of the reception
room and the roof garden. What was
1t? nature palled on him; he had no
one to tell of his sensations When he
had tried to talk with the landlord, the
man had disgusted him with his ques
tions on the real estate values of prop {
erty, and he had turned to his own
hampered by doubts as
to how long this could last
He had been two weeks in the viii
lage, when he determined one morning !
upon a new and perfectly untried
route He had ridden miles along the :