The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-13
M r. ARNOLD
CHAPTER So

Adam Arnold was 40 and quite plain
~ wished himself 80. or even %. The
older he became. the more he affected
everything youthful
At 20 he had fallen in love with wom-
in their EOS; at 40 he found his great
est interest in fiuffy-haired, fluffy
Drained girls in their teens. He be
gan to hate serious things and serious
people. He was attracted by the little
giggling laugh that Amy possessed.
and by her easy excitement and her
great enthusiasm-her pleasure in
everything new.
He had worked hard when he was
young At 40 he was trying to recap
ture lbs lost youth. He liked to sit
and laugh awkwardly at the silly jokes
of college boys. He could not always
see the humor in them, but he longed
for the irresponsible point of view that
these lads had
It was struggle in which, newt
ably, he must be defeated, for no ma.
ture man. bordering on middle age,
can recapture his lost youth. He ex-
planned that his youth was not lost,
only mislaid." and laughed at his joke.
But the effect was the same, it was
ghost that fed before him and melted
when he reached out his hand to cap
ture II.
He had a great deal of money. Much
was inherited, most he had made him.
self. after his tyranical father had died
His father had kept him so hard at
work he had little time for fun. He
had more money now than he wanted
and the thought he could use il to buy
back youth
But all he could do was to buy
presents for youthful friends. The
emerald bracelet he gave Amy was a
mere top to him, but in her great joy
At owning it. Arnold felt, vicariously, a
real thrill Of young pleasure.
he felt that if he gave lavishly
enough. he could buy love-and find
youth again with a youthful wife The
young girls bred in the city had an
oldness and a sophistication that an
noyed him. But Amy, in spite of her
city mannerisms. was at heart still a
little girl from the country, wide-eyed
with wonder and red-cheeked with ex-
element over the pleasures of the city.
Mrs. Talbot watched him curiously.
not knowing anything of him except
that he gave Amy presents that
amazed her by their value and that
she had not met his type before.
To keep his head from going bald he
used great quantities of ointments,
so his hair was always slick and shiny
His greatest sorrow was the patch of
gray behind his ears. He seriously
considered dyeing this black, and when
very confidential, asked the advice of
his friends upon this important sub.
ject.
To make his figure appear thin and
Young. he wore college cut clothes
and bright ties which he thought
vouthful-his father had made him
wear black ones To keep himself
from getting stout he never ate po
tatoes and took his tea without sugar
and with two slices of lemon
But maturity crept upon him in spite
of these precautions and the fact that
he danced every night he could find
a partner.
MY house will be done next week
he said, as he drank his tea and looked
longingly at the seventh sandwich he
felt he should not take. I've beer
building a house, Mrs. Talbot, Just
off Fifth avenue--a very nice block
I've had the biggest firm of interior
decorators do it inside for me- Il
ought to be beautiful; they're charg
ing enough for it."
There was a naive simplicity in the
way he told of this new toy
It's being done after the Italian
manner" he went on. The old yart
is being fixed with glass roof ant
iron grill work and a fountain anC
palms and things like that. Very beau
tiful, very expensive" He always cou
Piled the two-beauty and cost beins
so closely associated in his mind.
You should have a housewarming
Amy suggested. DO have anothe
sandwich, They're made with cucum
Der. so they're thinning"
''Oh, are they?" Adam promptly tool
two, a CLEAN of joy in his eyes tina
really was youthful. Yes, let's hav,
a housewarming. I'll give a tea, ant