The Washington times., 1914-01-07

-
The memory OF the big. IN
j couth, red-haired optimiSt
was responsible for the smile
which spread over Everard's face as he
slipped his key in the lock and went in.
Two hundred Brewer street.
What a. place to live in-coster's bar
rows lining both sides Of the street. the
peel Of every kind of fruit rotting in
the cutters, noise, sqUalor, smells. And
Vet somehow the place, seemed to te 4
good background for old Ruddy.
He didn't care whether he lived in a
slum. He didn't even know, for his ex-
uberant high spirits and humor trans
formed the place into a kind Of Garden
% Eden, the only difference being-and
here the artist would roar with laughter
al ms own Joke-that you paid for your
fruit before instead of afterward.
Ano then Everard began TO wonder
what kind of a girl ''Angy' must be
Not bit ordinary he thought PluclIy
above the average, and very very much
~ love. To marry man with half
penny and five in a garrett probably. in
a neighborhood like Brewer street seem
ID to Everard to be the most amazing
thing he had ever heard of Evidently
she, too, had been swept away by Iud-
"ys tremendous optimism and entnUs-
l8Sm.
As soon as the door closed and Ever
ard was home, with consequently no
more effort needed, all the tiredness that
was IN him surged round him N 4 wave
ana ne faced the stairs with a groan.
he murmured blessings on the head of
ne girl OF the streets. There we're
lights in the hall, and from the dining
room came the sound Of several laugh
ing voices, high above which rose a
Shrlu feminine scream of jOy
" went TbrOr1Ch l..
vas far more horrible than the screams
81 laughter of the girl who had lent
him two-pence, and yet she would be
looked upon as dirt by the woman in
lnere who was his mother and her sis
ter.
stified an immense yawn and went
INTO his bedroom, switched up the Iighst.
and locked the door. Red was the thirE.
tHeFe was nothing else. He paused and
looked around quickly, with an odd tight
"Bing OF his muscles. An uneasy feeling
came over him which held him still his
h"nd on the switch
The room, once a hav N o. refuge. an
oasis, seemed to nave lost It's friendli-
ness. The book shelf, with its much
'humDed volumes, no longer had any
"aH The chairs no longer invited him
10 their comfortable depths The very
eel Of the place had changed. 1t was
rs though the shadows concealed some
Thing.
lie moved way from the door and be-
-an to throw off his clothes whstling
TO break up the silence. From time to
lime lie shot almost fuTjive glances
about the room, his fingers manipula-
ing the buttons more and more unWil-
tiHglyS
Al last he stopped undr essing and de-
iDerately loaded pipe and lit it. In
spite of his being dead tired. he did not
80 ant to 90 to bed. He got mo a dress
ng-gown, picked I'D BOOK, and stretch
,d himself out in an armchair.
Every night now ne faced bed with
increasing reluctance. He could no
longer drop with sigh of pleasure onto
his pillow and be fast asleep in an in
slant. He lay awake and heard the
quarters strike and when at last, after
tossing and turning, sleep came to him,
ne was waited across the channel to
WimereuE-nOt the old WiHCTeuN fun
Of brightness and keen air. with CHEEKY
ptt'e Nine TaTdot TO wSddle in while
he was hungTily dispOsIag the morning
coffee and nod Bon jour and bore him
with her chatter about nothing at all;
with the caddies rushing about and nib
icking dirty golf balls in the rough
s,rass and yelling impluentlv at each
other while motors CRASHED along the
winding ribbon of -Oad that bOrdered
IT'S course and lost itself over the top of
lhe hill Not such WimereuX as that.
- all.
II was a Wimereux It'll of ambushes
.ud lurking terrors, through which
r.verard went feaTfully. Every tuft of
I..shes was a snare, and the sea broke
.i,.IuIsIy. striving to climb onto the
digHe and drag him down. Thc caddies
gathered in quiet, laIg & eyed Dunches
and pointed at him ulCanlngiy. Nine.
TgrdOt. when she saw nun, crossed her-
scf and hurried IN and smut last the
door.
There were times when a finger would
touch mis- elbow out of the darkness. and
Narthe, her eyes alight with giee, Woulu
" nisPer: shame! Throw yourself INTO
.He sea- and he would turn qulckly'
IS pectGng he knew not what. And then
she, would mutter: Il thought II was
Tgiuette,"
Or he would be walking along. the
Ii-Uo and suddenly HippOlite Guerchard
would appear i'm his shirt sleeves and
IN Nerard would hide and watch him: and
.rre all stained with tears, searching.
searChing among the dunes.
From such dreams he would wake
Old and trembling and would 20 on
HeAring the quarters strike with mad
duning calm and regularity.
As he sat In the long arm chair fierce
.iVuds OF smoke came from his pipe and
his book Topped at an unreadable angle.
Every muscle ached. He rose quickly.
turned on hot bath. and lay smoking
Tor perhaps half an hour. to emer0e
with renewed courage. He dried him
SELF quickly. turned of all the lights |
aud got into bed.
For several minutes he lay motionIess. !
II was very late. and the murmur Of
i.oudOn stirring in it's sleep came faint |
1v. The ticking OF the little clock on |
ne mantel-shelf rang through the room |
like hammers. and one of the taps in |
the bath dropped a little song to itself |
isyerard turned on his side. NO" he |
usaa thed, i've had my hell today |
shall sleep tonight" He stretched him |
self out and his eyes closed. After a |
mis- chest rose and fell regularly. |
The moon climbed slowly UP her |
nightly path and presently looked into