Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-08
y Avn HERE IT CONTINUES
nh. Young Man Listens

Thu Young Man Listens
|x1oU don't know their names! =. ..,n,e .ne
= h.s,e .to heavens, pointing delicately
rVsS VSS rnon mo world, sun upon sun the
|orid upoIh onhvious consultations of the
neehhs, .,o more tender and mysterious
kutberners. @ He sought an m, orenard ,as ara
+ Il % .ton climbed a rock. Names ia, ana ana
1ends began to whirl glduliy III ~
~ He knew all at once ms VAST
tIar,scance aa, in a spinning universe
1toJ The mysterious comfort OF uh-
a,ance' nuo They lay In the grass on
a,v p hacks and from science was born
ns.o~hr ei. U The Earthworm discoursed
lpwns,v losopw, of myths and orr gins.
e'nm,i nurs simplicity of speech had the
puS; S;rectness Of the stars. Pat.
ea ene ~ knowledge began to marshal
s.,rss in the retentive emptiness
ke covboy's ignorance. An MIS-
.i ssnse was born suddenly In him.
..a. @ sf,er that evening was he in any
No ense OF the word an lenoraht
IN The races that had watched those
il.on consultations move, that had
Itsned names to their glittering shapes
is s.sr and scorpion and Tyre, became
! % %remained living and real to him.
S.n thew turned back that night, y,
II ~ rho noet, felt chilly and grown
y His brain had stretched itself
:. powerfully than Mr.. Grins-
,mbs' = unaccustomed legs. q left
little man at his door, still -four
IN, cane and tongue, ready to en-
tain ti disciples until dawn. There
: a light in Mary's window. and q,
i,nr up. thought he saw her face
kkins down, all lighted from within,
relieved surprise. ~ ,,
|He went back to Room 30. elated and
|a,hed. He couldn't sleep. What
Ere was in the world to know, to
l.ye, to ponder! What wisdom In
little old shaky head with its tri-
MINT silver crest! "And I was
! nkin' | could help an old drunk
!! /" There were depths of humility
that me" which Q's pride Of a
haze would never allow any one to
\ .rn. He was very near to the awful
(lIiation of Universal God that
hit. He had an impulse to prayer !;
Fhaps he prayed.
After that, Mary's father showed an
patience that had not a hint of shame
his evening visit to the bar, but he
(ited not for a third and fourth po-
lon, but for the tall, swinging figure
| II rarely failed him. q drank with
listened to the frequenters of the
and when he kissed" his pioder-
I glass good night" more enger
10 o. prophecy the little gentleman
ready to accompany him. Some
Res they walked, sometimes they went
: to Us room; sometimes they came
I to Mary. And always the old man
ted and the young man listened. 1t
ed In Mr.. Grinscomb's reading aloud
lpters from his book of Earthworm
losophy, for which purpose Q was
! 1ted to supper. In the hard. bare
I that had been his. the utterly un-
dh battle Of its childhood. the
se.handed struggle Of It's youth,
fe had been nothing like these gentle,
ltered evenings; Mary sewing or
uing, moths knocking about the vel
shaded lamp, Mr.. Grinscoombe' s
d lht w.t. Mary's humor- sparklcs,
hnd laughter and teasing. the
nes they taught him to play and
va with him-sniff and casino and
@ and checkers, the books.-bpsides
great one-that they read aloud.
n Mays face began to live comfortably
y a@ neart. and the quick, sweet, tart
~ sayings and the waggsh kindness
Is af eyes and mouth cume yery close
q ns unused affection and soothed him
.ne lady OF his longing had dealt
:. a Sounds mat would not heal for all
Z determined solf-rcspect.
was after one Of those woundinQs,
~ altoSether unintcntional one. for
names that attract moths sometimes
Z 'a with quite voluntary cruelty,
sn y gave Mary glimpse into the
po'eluiness of his Sluypenkill exis.
aoise had a visitor, a New York
~, wiry and very animated gen.
VINO out-talked the Glib insects
Suly afternoon. 1t was one of
y sWernoons, by promise. when the
lo.. Unexpectedly appeared, hut
ni naa thrown over the Western
Z osr rsn lor entertainment with scant
y W. Van Wendcn has come all the
sp.t aou, I mat swe!tering city. o, so
r. t sIve MIN his reward. I'm 90
y H., "ke MIN into the garden and
= lha u,a' iced tea. You may come, il
,.ns 1ou'll be interested in what
eet",ii ~ get him to talk Wall
= w., She tensod . with one of
%tol, tl, long liddcd looks. "Whnt do
~ To" about Wall street? That's
W mans educntion." "
mo,,n 1,nowed himself an ironical ex-
4 % me,hn, a fcllcr can learn hold.
EaIl EIl'nou' nt anywhere" he drawlod :
! lool for fo'ee. ,o,, amt the one and only
N pr,ssIoN I".'S, ,,.. she said, watching his
Z of n, 'W,osely; that you are jcal-
! Al whi., i van Wendcn, O."
:. N,,,ch ~ which he suddenly. md 70 ber
n.d n.d,ns'y, , for she was we'll nccms.
n ,.S ~ ms mask. burned fiery rod,
! ana cheek and forehead @ mnGor 'ti, hi,
ia,Uoooo,,dd. ias Old you sood-afternoon, Miss
\ lns Ie uItos,. he said, and left her
b,s >, smarted dry under his lids
4 naL;a anroat ached cruelty. "She
|" Hs m mock of my feeiin's for
4 NJ wS.pp ~! it to himself; "mukin' n
!. : vsne snen | haven't spoken to her in
y Il "ys Sn,s out friendincss." That was
q aCr. sSis,and and dimmed his image of her
ap.S,an crescent moon above his
n fb,s h. S, trees, that. when he prncticed
IL tmay his iron self control keen.
dyin, me plans he had lniI down,
rGv =, now hard nobody knew, to be
OF speaking to her Of his love,
him mt.t some cheap town giri, could
va, u with with as cheap a jealousy. Yes Yes'
!, eIsj INealouSs, jealous Of the air that
Y TO- 70 ,.n ner cheek, but it was not for
m" aunt sa him with one of the most
n no, 'na a inevitable of his pangs. @
N kwbsmrtten yet begun to realize the
tanning shnmiinE weight of convention TINT
y vu, M. Heloisc Grinscoombe's neck
= Ss;.tth s tthink from what a conscious %
- Nv Tnt con,, she doled him out her small
80 sHuid "a not know that in admitting
z, z, stnss 81 =. to the manor precincts upoS
~ b. \ sfS frfsoi Oi apparent equality with her