Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-22
A first nobody knew him; then the Hotch.

WlicoSs annex and the covered passage that
reads to the main building. Pairs trios OF
people, bareheaded their tennis clothes lit was
tennis year, mostly covered from view by
clumsy coonskin coats passing Willcox's In
diapidated runabouts drawn by uncurried
horses. niger boy sitting in the back OF
each, bis thin legs dangling, had glimpses OF
him through the driveway gap in the tall
Amor pvet hedge that is between Willcoxs
and the road These pairs or trios having
seen would break in upon whatever else they
may have been saying to make such remarks
ps: He cant be. or he wouldn't be at Will
coXs": or, contradictorily: He must be- or
he'd do something besides sit in the sun
Tho suspicion that this interesting young
man was consumptive was set aside by Will.
cox himself He told Mrs. Balnbridge who
asked Ton account OF her little children who
ct cetera. ct cetera) that Mir. Masters was re-
cuperating from very Stubborn attack Of ty.
phoid.
Mister Masters never remembered TO have
passed lonely and dreary February. The
sunny South medicine that had been
prescribed and that had to be swallowed Aiken
on the label had lookqi inviting enough. but
he found the contents Sf the bottle dstasteful
in the extreme. The South is sunny" he
wrote to his mother, but. oh, my great jumping
grandmother, how seldom! And it's cold, mum
my, like being beaten with whips And it rains
well, if it raned cats and dogs a fellow
wouldn't mind Maybe they'd speak TO him,
but 1t rains solid cold water. and 1t hits the
windows the way waves hit the portfolios at
sea; and the only thing that stops the rain is
a wind that comes all the way from Alaska
for the purpose. In protected corners the
has certain warmth. Blu: the other morn
ing the waiter put my milk on the wrong side
OF my chair, in the shade, namely, and when
went to drink IL 1t was frozen solid.
But in spite of all this there is truth that
must be spoken. ] feel a thousand times bet
ter and stronger than when came And yes
terday. exercising in the privacy of my room.
l discovered that there once more calves
upon my legs. This is truth, too. have no
one to talk to but your aletters So don't stint
mo tiT,f mo ustth fl,arn I
defy YOU but for the love of heaven keep me
posted. If you will promise to write every day
WIZ tell you the name of the pretttest girl
in Aiken. She goes by eight times every day.
and she looks my way out OF the of her
eye And pretend to be reading and try very
hard to look handsome and interesting.
Such was the usual trend OF his letters. But
that one dated March Z began with the follow.
Ing astonishing statement:
Il love Aiken"---- and went to explain
why.
But Mister Masters was not allowed to love
Aiken until he had come through the whole
gauntlet of gossip. II had first been suggested
that he was consumptive and
Cthough of course one feels terribly sorry for
them, my dcar'). This had been disproved.
Then it spread about that he belonged to a
wealthy family of Masters from the upper West
Side every we'll in their way, no doubt, and
the backbone of the country, my dear. but ono
doesn't seem to get on with them, and I
shouldn't think they'd come to Aiken OF all
paces'). But gentleman who knew the
West Side Masters, root and branch, shook his
head TO this; and went SO far TO say, Not
much he isn't; and went further and shua.
dered Then 1t got about tina. Mister Masters
poor tand that made people suspicious Of
him) Then it got about that he was rich (and
that made them even more SOY. Then that he
wrote for ivnS) and that was nearly bad
as TO say that ne cheated at cards--or at least
it the kind OF thing that they didn't do.
And then, finally, the real truth about him.
something like it. got out; and the Ratchet of
suspicion was buried, and there peace in
Aiken
This was the truth that got out about Mister
Masters lie was nePhew OF the late Bishop
Masters. His mother whom he was de-
pendent very rich; she had been
prominent In society. He thirty, and was
good at games He did not work at anything
SO he was something that Aiken could under.
stand and appreciated young man. who
well born, who didn't have to work-and who
didn't want to.
But old Mrs. Hotchkiss did not know of these
things when, bright day in passing Will
coxs tshc was one good foot, one rheumatic
foot and n long black cane with gold handle)
she noticed the young pale and rather
sad-lookng in his fur coat andesteamer rug, his
eyes on his book and stopped abruptly and
spoke 10 him through the gap in the hedge.
Il hope you'll forgive an old woman for scrap
ing an acquaintance" she piped in her brisk,
cheerful voice. "but want to know if you're
getting better, and thought the best way was
to stop and ask"
Indeed am he said. ever 80 much. And
I'm tired" said the old lady. "of seeing you
always sitting by yourself dead tired OF it. l
shall come for you this afternoon at in my
carriage. and take you for drive"-
ut was abrupt" Mister Masters wrote to his
mother, but 1t was kind. When had done
blushing and scraping with my feet and pulling
my foreock, we had the incest little talk. And
she remembered you in the old days at Lenox.
and said why hadn't told her before. And
then she asked if liked Aiken, and, seeing
how tho land lay. lied and said loved it. And
she said that that her nice. sensible young
fellow. or words to that effect And then she
asked me why. and said because it has such
fine climate.
and do you know, Mrs Hotchkiss Is like
one OF those magic keys in fairy stories? All
doors open to her. Between you and me
have been thinking Aiken's floating population
snobbish, purse-proud and generally absurd.
And instead, the place seems to exist so that
kindness and hospitality may not fail on earth
or course I'm not up to genuine sprees. such
as dining out and sitting up till half past 10 or
H. But | can go to luncheons, and watch other
people play tennis, and guess when particular
flowers Will be out, and learn the names of
birds and Of hostile bushes that prick and Of