The Washington herald., 1916-10-24
A PICTURESQUE TYPE.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

On the ship that sailed from Ho-
boken under circumstances and on
mission so unusual he was a con
spicuous figure. He stood at the
railing OF the upper deck looking
down on the crowded wharf and he
led the cheering. In his fur-lined
coat, with his hair waving in the
breeze, his smooth face glowing. he
reminded me Of the resemblance that
had often been noted between him
and Napoleon, the part he had, for
years. played on the stage
1t was not till we had started that
I discovered, on going to my state
room, that he was to be my room
mate. There, on one Of the berths,
stood his huge bag. conspicUously
marked. Years before We had been
slightly acquainted. When he came
into the room perhaps II was the eT-
citement Of the situation that made
him think we had been almost broth
ers. At any rate. II was as brothers
that We met with an Immediate use
Of first names
During the FIRST few days he was
the life of the ship. He was also the
life OF our stateroom. Amusing as he
was in our large company II seemed
to me that he was never so amusing
as at night, when. in the darkness,
stories and made Jokes and interpreted
his philosophy Of life
DO you know how I happened to
come on this trip he said once.
"On the day when the peace eIpedi-
ton was first announced ! saw my
name at the head of the list OF guests.
Though my wife and knew Henry
Ford, I thought there must be some
mistake. But the next day I saw my
IN M DO a
appearing. My friends began to say:
so you are going with the Ford
party At last I began to think l
was going, too. I packed my things
and her I am"
Though there were frivolous people
IN our midst We were on the whole
very serious, perhaps too serious At
any rate. my room mate felt that We
needed a little livening up. He had
a plan for an entertainment that he
should himself direct Unfortunately.
he was told It must he given up,
greatly TO his chagrin. However, he
could not he long cast down. in spite
Of the sickness that had begun to
show itself and that confined him for
a couple OF days to the cabin One
evening. he rose from his siCk-bed. to
array himself magnificently in eve
ming dress and he appeared At the
culiarly Napoleonic quality. on an
other occasion he started a story
telling bee that made far and away
the most amusing hour We had during
the whole trip. During the rest Of
the voyage he remained an invalid,
able to emerge spasm0diCal'y only.
now and then in evening dress. the
| expression Of valiant effort
Naturally, so large company kept
l-h a
rule we saw him only when, in the
middle Of the night I would go 70
his stateroom and, after repeated
DoundinEs, would drag him from his
berth. Once UP, he was very willing
| TO help. Perhaps he was right in
thinking that the situation was not
serious. To me it seemed all the more
serious because my room mate, at
times, was wandering IN his mind.
often, however. there would be a re-
turn to his old Faiety, with flashes
Of wit, with stories drawn from eN-
perienCe He liked to talk about the
plays he had produced and about the
plays he would write II he only knew
how to write. and about the POETRY
that was better than any kind OF
writing ever could be, that expressed
itself IN living and that in his mind.
was associated with his devotion to
his wife. OFTEN he would address her
cut loud: We'll. my dear. you're in
Houston tonight" Shed be all right
in Houston; she knew a lot Of people
there.
One night. toward the end Of the
voye ge, I told some Of our friends I
was afraid my room mate might die.
The ladies were aEitated. The Ma
| sons were eager to do what they
could for q brother Mason The re-
suit was that he was taken to the
hospitals but the hospital was a lonely
place and loneliness he could not en-
dure. The next morning at o'clock
the door Of our stateroom opened and