The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-07-18
ECCENTRIC
MR.QARK
VJAMES WHHCOMB RILEY
ooe,neHr @ eoees-@ERsIL COMPANY"

ness-the same as inheriting an appe-
tite? However, one advances by gra-
datiOns: l shall sell no more. This
, is my last trip on the road in that
! capacity: l am coming in now to
/ take charge of the firms books.
Would be glad to have you call on
me any time you're in the city. Good
by" And, as he swung off the slow
ly-moving train, now entering the city,
and l stood watching him from the
open door of the caboose as he rapid
ly walked down suburban street, l
was positive his gait was anything but
steady-that the step-the figure-the
whole air of the man was that of one
/ then laboring under the effects of par
tial intoxication.
have always liked peculiar peo-
pie; no matter where l met them, no
matter who they were; if once i'm
pressed with an eccentricity of char
acter which / have reason to believe
purely unaffected, l never quite for
get the person, name or place of our
first meeting, or where the interesting
party may be found again. And so it
was in the customary order of things
that, during hasty visits to the city,
l often called on the eccentric Mr..
Clark, and, as he had promised on
our first acquaintance, he seemed al
ways glad to see and welcome me in
his new office. The more / knew of
him the more liked him, but l think
never fully understood him. No one
/ seemed to know him quite so well
as that.
Once l had little private talk re-
1 garding him with the senior partner
of the firm for which he worked. Mr..
Clark, just prior to my call, had gone
/ to lunch--would be back in half an
hour. Would l wait there in the of
| flee until his return2 Certainly And
! the chatty senior entertained me =
! Queer fellow-Mr. Clark las his ia
Their was before him. Used to be a
! member of the firm-his father; in
fact, founded the business-made a
! fortune at it-failed, for an unfortu-
nate reason, and went "up the fiume."
Paid every dollar that he owed, how
! ever, sacrificing the very home that
! sheltered his wife and children-but
j never rallied. He had quite a family
then? Oh, yes; had a family-not a
large one, but bright One-only they
all seemed more or less unfortunate
| The father was unfortunate-very !;
and died so, leaving his wife and two
boys-the older son much like the ia
ther-splendid business capacities, but
lacked will-cOuldn't resist some
thin"s-even weaker than the father
in that regard, and died at half his
age.
But the younger brother-our Mr.
Clark-remained, and he was sterling
-"straight goods" in all respects.
Lived with his mother-was her sole
support. A proud woman, Mrs. Clark
"a proud woman, with a broken spirit
withdrawn entirely from the world,
and had been so for years and years.
The Carks, as had been mentioned,
were all peculiar-even the younger
Mr.. Clark, our friend, | had doubtless
noticed was an odd genius, but he had
stamina something solid about him,
for ali is eccentricities-could be re-
lied on. Had been with the house
there since a boy of twelve-took him
for tie fathers sake; had never
missed days time in any line of
work that ever had been given in his
chargc--was weakly looking, too. Had
IyOrEpd his Nvoy from the cellar m