Evening star., 1924-11-02
The New Wilmington

7 r is not always wise for a maj
to model his behavior on his
heroes in fiction. Marcus Ru.
i dolph Whittington's favoritt
books were The History of Mr.
Polly" and The Quest of the Golden
Girl" not to mention 1.-The Broad
Highway" When a highly unsettline
bout of Spring weather puffed away
Winter lethargy he remembered, not
wisely, but too we'll. that H. G.. Wells
and Richard La Gallienne. as quaint
couple as were ever yoked in the
mind of a junior clerk, both chante
the slogan of break away" and the
open road"
To escape from their rebellious i'm
portunities he took to reading Leon
ard Merrick-only to be enchanted by
that authors piquant excursions in
the Quarter and Montmartre. Reck-
less by now. he dipped into 1.-THE
Three Musketeers'-and began to
roister and to ruffie in his gait.
Walking home to his diggings, off the
Tottenham Court road, every evening
he murmured sentimentally to each
lamp-post, Come down to Kew in
lilac time, in lilac time in lilac time"
or else, with fiercer enthusiasm, when
Kew was too near and too tame for
before you when the old Spring-fret
comes o'rr YOU
- Gnort, other men had drunk
.eeply and Marcus Rudolph Whit
tingham was Intoxicated with their
drinks. Ever since he was 6, when
first taken to the pantomime, he had
dangerously noticed that his own
name was closely akin to Whiting
ton.
yU;tb 49, ..-;z - 1r.r A.
newspapers broke out in their sea-
sonal rash of wayfaring articles,
which so wrought upon Marcus i'm
agination that he succumbed without
further struggle. The open road"
he envisaged in his day dreams as
a curly. twisty, but altogether at
tractive affair, winding slightly up
hill-but only very slightly!-dappled
with sunshine and with all the young
leaves glistening from the recent
wash of a silvery shower. o..
There are few rules in the scroll
for honorable wayfarers, but one of
these is undoubtedly that they shall
carry no money. but earn a rollick-
ing living by work of their hands.
Another rule is that the wayfarer
shall either rescue a maiden or start
off with one. Marcus was a little
puzzled about this. He could not
picture any girl he knew, at the Of
flee, for instance, who would swing
along by his side, tanned and freckled
and adorable-and handy at making
a fire of twgs.
Meanwhile. with every pearl misty
dawn the prospect of ledgers and
rulers, and smeared windows and
double-entry became more and more
hideous and intolerable.
Il shall do something wild soon,''
Marcus scowlingly informed the lid
of his desk. Man cannot be a slave
forever"
In this mood he went one brillian t
morning, earlier -: usual. to his
breakfast at th'. e des Boulevards,
just off E'ftz.- street. 1t was his
habit - - last continentally." as
he rNpla.. 1, not without a touch
o oi,. to his fellow clerks.
- ..fe was empty. except for
or IA, who was sitting at his
t.-~it. her face discontentedly prop
ped on her hands, and her back,
slightly hunched, toward him. Marcus
heart beat faster. He was thrillingly
responsive to romance and at once
he knew that here it was, unexpected,
tantalizing. mysterious.
And the date was March e1.
In his neat little diary was record
ed the fact that today was the Feast
of st. Benedict, and that Spring
commences"
Benedict. Benedict the gay bach
elor. Did this outline of shoulder
and tam-o'- -shanter conceal his elu-
sive Beatrice?
He seated himself at the table op-
posite her.
Il hope" he began, mentally dofing
his cap. that you are not cross with
me for sitting here, mademoiselle
There arc three other tables empty;
only somehow 1 prefer this one. Per-
haps because it's nearest the. win
dow"
IT'S easier for throwing ones self
out" agreed the girl. Then suddenly
she unhunched and allowed him to
see her face.
< x X
CHE was bewitchingly pretty and
- most entrancingly sad; her petu-
liant mouth dropped at the corners,
and so did her long-shaped brown
eyes. that were scornful and angry
and weary all at once-scornful of
herself, angry with him, weary of
the world, SO Marcus read their
message. Her face was sallow. but
he described it as wan. In the same