Putnam patriot., 1914-06-19
CHAPTER H.
Aftermath.

~A HR8UGH tine haiis resounted
 fine laeoHueuoGs ciau2ar of
 efacked gong announcing din
 upr Signing. r sybufiie rose and knDcked the a~hee dcllrateiy from His pipe saving the dottle for good night whin aftei the thearer
 Being saturday Ii Wae tHe night of ham and beEna r. ssbalte lsafhed bHn and beJus Witb delthlz Iolth ing. Nevertheless. he ale Its dele of ham aEd aes8e lie sat au thc uud ladys fi-I HHd Nus rflaeHnt 10 huH her feelings O. ur hef dapleaSafe Hesaes Haw.z HuGgf}
 Mss Ia-zias ~B pu Enc same side 9f the mHj4 dining tahia. buf lHif dozeu chats H#3F r sIhafte rouid Haf sae her -Hve bf cfaUiHg his nerk l1e fefa-eI ID gf9ue his ueek-B mlEht seem uzteumdoHs
 Violet aud H=r Gepfse occupied ad- iaialHe riEIa- af aaptler and smaIlef table Tla4 attendance waz ae.a-tou= ally H#ufetsl ta@ueh tbe uedhm Of giaelcs aud eaHaVs r sybarte faeied tbeu
 nE custom t5e hudady retnauished her seat some mHWfe= in advance of any guest When F. sybarite lef fhe room 1e fa1al Ter e=tablsbed ut fl desk in fhp ha#emeef hallway fans ing Be del eefed HHt9 bpI fhe maiae porfiou # Hiy VetG- 0nee setting HsiHe HHDtHer eeftaiH amount aHaiH4 thc cost af laundry work fobHeco aud MciacHtas He lad g eft
 IIa 4#u#efe8 f. lr dared risk the estraeasaaee af l made9t supper after the fhratef and lntW he 1afed uai knew if tH WrtIchcIHess of spirit earsiHg hiS late
 Thefe remained half au hour to be Killed before time t0 start for the theafer George Rr6ss joined him on the stoop
 They smoked pensIvely.
 II wns spring the tenth spring P. sybarite had watched from that self same spat.
 Discomfort bred In him breeding despoHdency He felt quite sure that the realists were right about life=lt wasn't worth living. after nil
 Al his side. George Bross, on his be half. was nursing his private and per. sonal grnurh
 But presently Miss Prim and Miss Lessng appeared and changed all that in twiuNns
 
 Well observed Violet generously T thought little me was pretty well stage broke, hut gotta hand fl to Otis. He's some actor. He had me going from the first snore'
 Some actor is right affirmed Mr Bross with conviction and some show too, f yoH vanta know. coud sit through it twicet Say l couldn't quit thinkin what grand young time ld start in fhis old burg If 1 could only con this kismet' thing into slip pin me my dHy of days. Believe me CT not there would be party"
 What would you doY asked Molly Lesslng smiling
 Well tue first flop I'd nall down all the coin that was handy, nnd then I'd buy me flock of automobiles and have table reserved for me at the knickerbOcker for dinner every night-aud Imagination Jagged Well" he concluded defensivcly. "l can tell you one thing l wouldn't do. :" ''Whaty' demanded Violet
 '.l wouldn't let any ward politician like that there Wazir, or whatever them rahs call him. kid me into try. ing to throw a bomb at Charlie Mur- phy-or anything Ike that"
 But. you bonehead, Violet argued eandldly "he had 10 That wns his part. It was written n the play"
 "G'wan' If he'd Just stalled round and refused to jnmp through the au- thor'd've framed up some other way out Why blame it. he'diNe had tet That aill be about all for me, said Violet Il don't teel strong enough tonight 10 stand auy more Of your dramatic criticism Lead me home and please mlk baseball all the way with il reseHtful gIum Mir Bross clamped warm. moist hand round the plump arm ef lis cbarmer and with masferfM address propelled her from the curb in front ut the theater, where the llitle party had paused, 10 the northwest corner of Broadway. r. Svbarite. moving u~tiuctIvey to fol low. hapcd mcb to tue sidewalk bare ly in time to save his toes crushing beneath the tires of d hurtung taxi sab
 He smiled q furtive apology at Mol ly L,.sSiug. who bad demonstrated greater discretion. aud she returned the smile in the friendliest manner His head was hazzins and her eyes were kind Neither spoke. but for an instant he experienced hreathiess sense Of sympathetic isolation with Der. there ou that crowded corner
 The wonder and the rOmanee Of the play were stll warm and vital in his imagination, mfusug his thoughts with n roseate eiamor of aureahA wherein all things were possible
 For three hours he had torsetten his lowly world. had lived on the high peaks of romance. breathing only their rare atmosphere that never was eu land or sea
 Difficult he found it now Co dtvest his thoughts of that epthrallment. to descend to cold and sober reality to remember he was clerk. his cemPan- ion a shopgiri. rather than prince a,srulsed as Calaudcr esQuirina prin cess dedicated To fatal enchantment- that "Kismet" was quaint failaey one with that whImSieai eeueelt Of orr ,e.nt fatalism which assigns 10 each sa every man his day of days. where