Middletown transcript., 1922-12-16
s.

s.
Miss Apperthwaite was at home the
following Saturday. l found her In
the library with Les Miserables' ON
her knee when | came down from my
room little before lunch time; and
she looked up and gave me smile
that made me feel sorry for any one
she had ceased to smile upon.
81 wanted to tell YOU" | said, with
little awkwardness but plenty of
truth, 1--WE found out that I'm an aw-
full fool"
"But that's something" she returned
encouragingly-"at least the beginning
Of WISDOM
Il mean about Mr.. Beasley-the
mystery | was absurd enough to find
in 'Simpledoria.' / want to tell you
"Oh, l know" she said; and al
though she laughed with an effect of
carelessness, that look which l had
thought "far away" returned to her
eyes rs she spoke. There was GER
tain inscrutability about Miss Apper-
thwaite sometimes, it should be added,
as If she did not like to be too easily
read. "Tve heard all about it. Mr..
Beasley's been appointed trustee or
something for poor Hamilton SwiftS
son, a pitiful little invalid boy who in
vents all sorts of characters. The old
darky from over there told our cook
about Bill Hammersey and Simple
doria. So. you see, | understand"
I'm glad you do | said.
A little hardness-one might even
have thought it bitterness-became
apparent in her expression. "And I'm
glad there's somebody in that house,
at last with a little imagination!'
"From everything | have heard" I
returned, summoning sufficient bold
ness, at would be difficult to say
which has more-NIr Beasley or the
child"
Her glance fell from mine at this,
but not quickly enough to conceal n
sudden, half-startled look of trouble
Il can think of no other way to ex-
press it) that leaped into it; and she
rose. for the lunch-bell was ringing.
Tin just finishing the death Of JeaI
Vatican, you know, in Les Miser-
ables,'" she said, as we moved to the
door I'm always afraid I'll cry ovel
that. ! try not to, because it make:
my eyes red"
And, in truth, there was a vague
rumor of tears about her eyes-not a:
If she had shed them, but more as /
she were going tO-though / had no
+ noticed it when l came in.
That afternoon, when
reached the Despatch Office, l wa
commissioned to obtain certain politi
I cal information from the 1onorabl
. David Beasley an assignment | aC
cepted with eagerness, notwithstant
p ing the cOmmseration ii brought m
: from one or two of my fellows in tn
reporters room. you won't get any
+ thing out of him ~ they said An
n they We're true prophets.
n | found him looking over some docl
ments in his Office; reflective, Ill
lighted cigar in the corner of HI
mouth; his chair tilted back and hi
n. feet on windOw-sik. He nodde
..se upon my statement of the affair til;
re position, gave me a look of slow bl
h. wholly friendly scrutiny over h
Ill shoulder, and bade me sit down.
began at once to put the questions
was told to ask him-interrOgatiol
Che seemed to believe) satisfactori
ar answered by slowly and ruminative
?" stroking the left side of his chin wi
two long fingers of his right hand, Il
Of while ne smiled in genial contempt
tion of a tarred roof beyond the wi
en- dow. Now and then he would give I
rk Il mild and drawing word or two, n
1d brilliantly illuminative, 1t may be
IN marked. "Well-about that" he l.
lr, gan once, and then came immediate
to a full stop.
"Yes?" l said, hopefully, my pen
poised.
of "About that I guess"
dy Eyes, Mr. Beasley?" l encourag
1t him, for he seemed to have dried
- permanently.
"Well, sir-I guess Hadn't y
better see some one else about thai
. This with the air of a man W
Ia would be but too fluent and copiC
upon any subject In the world exc,
H.. the one particular point.
never met anybody else who lool
so pleasantly communicative and m
. , aged to say so little. In fact, he did
e say anything at all; and / CUES!
that this faculty was not without
value in his political career, disastr
as it had proved to his private haI
ga. , ness. His habit of silence, moreo,
la' was not cultivated: you could
n'e that "the secret of it" was that he =,
,n' born quiet.
'e My notebook remained MOTEL
e'e and finally, at some odd evasion
his, accomplished by monosyla
o-, laughed outright-and he did, t
On He Joined cachinnatiOns with
heartily. and with a twinkling qui
calness that somehow gave me
IN idea that he might be thinking (rat
apologetically) to himself: ''Yes,
that old Beasley man is certainl.
and mighty funny critter!''
When ! went away. a few nome
- later, and left him still intermitteI
N cliuckllng, the impression renal
III with me that he had some such del
I'll catory and surreptitious thought.
M Two or three days after that, q
III started downtown from Mrs. Apl
E bwaite's, Beasley came out of
= tate hound in the same direction.