Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-07-16

] N4O al uieill Ut. DuflflI- VINO, HSteSS
ne chose, need never keep office hours
again-he could devote himself Ia the
research he loved; Cullen, whose. blknd,
bulldog faith had made him forever
/ independent, even Rufus Waring.
whose modest contribution, accepted
out of spleenless colnmiseration, had
sWelled to the dignity of four figures.
and given him the means 10 show he
world TO Angela. And billiard himself
had made far more than all the other
venturers conhined--i OF in money,
perhaps, but in dividends payable in.
the medium of his self-respect.
And YET. as the realities stood, now.
ne was sensitive TO the nothingness OF
his triumph, until such time as he had
some one to divide It with him. For
there is little pleasure in monopoly
of happiness; not even Joke is fully
established until some one appears to
| share it; a secret is delectabe only
when it's repeated. conquest is
! empty without the popular acclaim. or
the arrival of the historian. He felt
this keenly; he reflected that Of all the
| syndicate, he alone was without a
beneficiary. And today, when he had
steeled himself to speak to Carol :.
Like countless generations of men
before him. he began vaguely to
wonder what he should do if she re-
fused him.
What would be left? Only the shell
of achievement Would he go back to
France? or would he remain in Amer
lea. and struggle for success by en-
downing war charities out of his glori-
Gus income to-be? Also and
this was enervating what
should he say to her? 1t Is given to
few men to propose twice. in different
characters, to the same girl.
The train plowed and painted through
! the thickening drifts; billiards watch
was coming out of his pocket at five
minute intervals; here was Rochester
at last three hours late !.
and there, shining dimly through
banked clouds, was the sun The
train seemed warmed to greater effort
by its mere appearance; billiard, who
had measured time hy weeks, then by
days, and more recently by reluctant
hours. began to mark the minutes from
his mental calendar.
And then. after an interminable
century of impotence, the outlying viii
lages. gray and smoky; the fiat wastes
of Solvay; the road slowly becoming
streets; the buildings adding height
Syracuse!
His feet were on the platform he
was hurrying forward. Ahead of him
and in his excitement he STUN
bled heavily there, coming
toward him Carol and the
Doctor, befurred and rosy no
question of the welcome they were
bringing him
His own initial remarks were grossly
incoherent. There were no words TO
fit the situation perhaps he did it
greater justice by the disconnected
/ sounds he made And then he was
entering the Doctors closed car; they
were bouncing over the cobbes Of the
lower city; they were attacking the
grade of James street, and he was
peering out in an ecstasy Of memory
at the houses where he had played In
boyhood
Two o'clock on time for
dinner to the seconds A house hang
ing with evergreen; a Christmas
spirit permeating every nook aud
Granny: Christmas odors-not all of
eyergreen-drifte( in tantalizing whiffs
/ to meet him.
A joyous interlude; a gay process
sion; hush; gravely spoken bless
ing-Oh. that Christmasl
There came a time early In the eve
ming when billiard found himself
alone with Carol. He had vague
recollection that they had been sent
| TO look for something a corn
| pepper, or some other equally futile
article and for an instant
he marveled at their expecting to find
/ # in The sun-parlor. where they had
wandered. But the sun-parlor was hap
PLY unoccupied; and there were COM
/ Portable chairs I'm it :. and something
very green and red and seasonable in
all the windows; so that they both de-
layed prodigiously, and exchanged a
number of highly inconsequential re-
marks about the decorations. Pres
entity, without so much as a transient
thought for the corn-pOpper, they sat
down with one accord. From dis
lance the murmur of cheerful voices
In the living room was an adequate
accompaniment 10 their thoughts.
billiards head was dropped low; his
reyerie was so profound that not even
Carols voice could rouse him-not I'M
til she spoke a second time.
IT saba penny for Them" she re-
peated, amused.
"Ohp billiards. awakening was ex-
pIosive. "Why, that's queer Z.
/ was Just thinking about that MY
self mean the first Sunday ever
! came mn here 70 dinner. You said