The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-06-02
CHAPTER I
The Dub

The Dub
sSmeli.- T.. Syharitc mused aloud
For an instant he was silent In de-
preston. Then with extraordinary
veh<rnenoc he continued crcsecndo;
~Htupid stagranf~sepulchrsi-
naIly-ssicky SMELL
He paused for both breath and
words ~pcndercd with bended head.
knitting bis hrows forbiddinEiy.
'*Supremeiy spuaiid. sinisterly So
naccoua. somberly sociabie SmelIr
he pursued. Violently.
~ ON entariiy his countenance
e3eared: but his smile was as fugitive
~ the favor OF princes.
vlndictive;y champing the end Of
- co1ar penhoider. he groped for sx-
pee1nton: sstygian sickening
surfeiting .siovenfy
~ shook his head inpstien,ly and
e1awed the inpregnsted atmosphere
With 4 tragic hand.
'-Gtenehr' he perforated in voice
tr~muIous with emotion.
Even that comprehensive mono
ov1Inh1e Was far from satisfactory.
I'm only dubr' he groaned---a
poor. C0dfcrnkcn. prc-nstureiy aged
- iudiRsus dub
H~rched On the polished scat Of a
1GG< III efuol, his Slender legs
ng with ~ legs in arpsr-
IIY tn<xtrtcAbic intimacy. sharp ei
0owu 6lRgfnx into the nicked and ink
oon1nod bed Of counting house desk:
eAIn nuuue nix inches above the pages
- : huge Ienthar-covercd ledger. hair
Y1uQ1o6 and fretfui. mouth dolcfui,
w. dkauonsolafe gioomed :.
On this the eve Of his thirty-second
0lrthday and likewise tho 10th ami
vogr4ry of his scryitude. the appear
ance q r. Syharite was elaborateiy
mcrmai-varying. as IL did. but
slightly from one years end TO the
ether.
His occupation had fitted his head
and shoulders with deceptive but
none the less perennial stoop. His
mennn had endowed him with a sin
~ Outworn suit Of ready-made cloth
kInG vhich. shrinking sensitivcly on
' enlIogts sizitng goose. had come to
disclose hts person with disconcerfing
Gai1for--et<cves too short. trousers
~ once too short and too narrow.
Wnksfcuaf buttons straining over his
rehost, coat buttons refusing 20 recog
mtne = butfonhoIe save that at the
Awnint Circumstances these that
&oA6ed mensurably TO his apparent
oee. lending him the sembianee OF
maturity attained while still In the
ahe11 Of youth.
Th< ruddy brown hair matching
hte well-modeied head. his sanguine
cojorinR. friendly blue eyes and mo
bfle lips suggested Irish lineage; and
his hands which. tho thin and
ciouded with srnears OF ink, were
strong and graceful uike the slender
feet In hts shabby shoesl bore out the
suggestion with an added hint Of gen
lie blood
hut whatever his antecedents. the
fact is indisputabIe that r. sybarite
just then. was most miserable. and
not without cause. for the Genius OF
the Place held his soul in Its meian-
Cu0ty DDuodEe
The Place was the counting room
IN the warehouse Of Messrs Whig-
Ram a Wimpcr. Hides and skins:
and the Genius of IL was the reek
of hides both raw pnd dressed--an
e5iuyium incomparsSie. a passionate
fndividuaiisf Of an odor. as rich as
the Imagination of an editor OF Sun.
day supplements, an rare as a reti
cent author, as friendly as a stray
puppy.
For 10 endless years the body and
soul Of r. Sybarite had been thrali to
that Smell: for a complete decade he
Had inhaled IL continuously nine
laours each day, six days each week
nnd had felt lonesome without II on
every seventh day.
But today all his being was in re-
volt. bitterly. hopelessly mutlnous
against this evil and overbcaring
The ouse--impregnable lair
Of the Smell. from which II leered
SNUG defiance az the sea.sweet at.
mosphcre Of the lower city occupied
waIiedjn arch OF the Brooklyn
bridge, browning on Frankfort St. In
that part Of town still known 10 elder
Inhabitants as the swamp" Above
fumbIed the everlasting INTERIOR
ough traffic. 70 the right. on rising
xround. were baunts OF roaring type
mills grinding an endless grist OF
news. TO the left, thru sudden dip
and down long decline. a world Of
eober,sided warehouses. degeneratisg
into siu-ns. circumscribed by sIeeIy
South st.: all, this afternoon. warm
I'D Ianguorous In the lazy breeze OF
~ sunny April saturday.
The counting room was cubicle
'contrived by enclosing q corner OF
the ground floor with two walls and
y ceiling Of match boarding. Into
1sis CONSTRUCTED space were huddicd