The Washington herald., 1920-10-22
AN @. HENRY STORY
A Madison Square Arabian Night

, that mine is Chalmers. Will you
sit opposite?"
Pfumer of the ruffIed plumes.
bent his knee for Phillips to siide
the chair beneath him. He had an
air of having sat at attended boards
before. Phillips set out the ancho-
yies and olives.
= Good" barked Rlumer: going
to be in courses, is it? All right.
my joyisi ruler Of Bsgdad. I'm your
Scheherezade all the way to the
toothpicks. You're the first Caiiph
with a genuine Oriental flavor I've
struck since frost. What luck
And l was forty-third in line. / fin-
iished counting, just as your well
come emissary arrived to bid me 10
the feast. ! had about as much
chance of getting a bed tonight as
have of being the next President.
How will you have the sad story
OF my life, Mr.. Al Raschid-a chap
ter with each course or the whole
edition with the cigars and coffee?'
The situation does not seem a
novel one to you" with Chalmers
with a smile.
BY the chin whiskers OF the
prophet-no"~ answered the guest.
New York's as full of cheap Hsroun
al Raschids as Bagdad is OF feas.
I've been held up for my story with
loaded meal pointed at my head
twenty times. Catch anybody IN
New York giving you something for
nothing! They spell curiosity ana
charity with the same set of build
ing blocks. Lots of 'em will stake
II,
few Of EN- will play Caliph to the
tune of top sirloin; bur every one
of EN- will stand over you till they
screw your autobiography out OF you
with foot notes, appendix and un-
published fragments. Oh, / know
what to do when I see victuals com
ing toward me in little old Bagdad-
on-the- Subway. ! strike the as
phalt three times with my forehead
and get ready to spiel yarns for my
supper. I claim descent from tn.
, late Tommy Tucker. who was forced
to hand out vocal harmony for
his pre-digested wheaterina and
spooju."
Il do not ask your story" said
Chalmers II tell you frankly thar
1t was a sudden whim that prompted
dine with me. + assure you you will
not suffer through any curiosity OF
mine"
'Oh. fudge" exclaimed the guest
enthusiastically tackling his soup;
L don't mind it a bit. I'm a regu
! lar Oriental magazine with a red
cover and the leaves cut when the
Caliph walks abroad. In fact, VIC
! fellows in the bed line have a sor;
of union rate for things Of this
sort Somebody's always stopping
and wanting to knew what brought
us down so low in the world For
a sandwich and a glass OF beer :
tell 'em that drink did it. For
I Corned beef and cabbage and A cur
| of coffee ! give 'em the hard-heart-
ed-landlord six months-in-the- hos.
| pital-lost- job story. A sirloin steak
and quarter for a bed gets the
Wall Street tragedy OF the swept.
away fortune and the gradual de.
scent. This is the first spread OF
this kind I've stumbled against
haven't got story to At II. I'll tell
! you what, Mr. Chalmers, I'm COINS
! to tell You the truth for this, II
| for You to believe than the made.
up ones"
An hour later the Arabian guest
lay back with a sigh OF satisfaction
while Phillips brought the coffee
| and cigars and cleared the table.
Did you ever hear OF Sherrard
Plumer:' he asked, with a strange
smile.
81 remember the name said
Chalmers. He was a painter. J
think, OF good deal Of prominence
few years ago"
! Five years" said the guest
Then I went down like a chunk ot
lead. I'm Sherrard Plumer, I sold
the last portrait l painted for So,
600. After that I couldn't have
. found a. sitter for a gratis picture
What was the trouble:" Chal.
mers could not resist asking
Funny thing" answered Plumer
grimly. Never quite understood il
myself For a while I swan like a
cork. l broke into the swell crowd
and got commissions right and left
The newspapers called me a fash
iOnable painter. Then the funny
things began to happen. Whenever
I finished a picture people would
come to see it. and whisper and
look queerly at one another.
II member one case of a promi-
nent banker who sat to me. While
I had his portrait on exhibition in
my studio an acquaintance Of his
4 cafe in to look at it. Bless me.
says he. does he really look like
that ! told him II was considered
a faithful likeness. I never noticed
that expression about his eyes be-