Evening star., 1924-12-22
BY j. A. WALDRON.

7. GNATIUS CRABLE1GH was going
the pace. Possessor of more
money than a mule can draw" as
i he expressed it, and a bachelor,
he had gone through life leisure
ly, and to all outward appearance
decorously. until age began to show
In him. All at once he cut loose from
sober habit and became one of the
boys.
A man with even less money than
the tonnage necessary to adequately
test the draught power of a mule can
find amusement In New York and
proceed at any rate of speed his
age or condition of decrepitude.
Not that Ignatius was decrepit. He
was built on the solid plan suggested
by concrete structures. was still
hearty and as lively as his architec
ture would permit, and got around
easily in spite of face little on
the order of gargoyle
In his searches for excitement on
Broadway and intersecting thorough
fares Ignatius fell IN with younger
and better-looking blades, and two or
three OF them accepted him as boon
companion, perhaps thinking Of the
value of contrast. To them be was
indifferently- 'Ig," Nat" or Grab"
as mellow fellowship dictated, and
none of these familiar titles on their
tongues offended him, although he
would have resented any greeting
that abridged his name from persons
who knew only his reputable history
and who had no notion whatever that
he was not still staid person.
Ignatius' father, a ship chandler,
was in business a long time during
which ship-chandlering was profit
able, and invested his money in two
Ignatius' time abandoned vegetables
for towering apartments. Thus his
boast of money was no reflection of
dream.
Many a mamma in Fifth avenue
with far more breeding than Igna-
thus could boast had angled for
Ignatius with that attractive bait
known as. the debutante, but he
shifted and pursued his single way
until he was set down in the calen-
dar of social futures as a hopeless
proposition.
Then came spirit of abandon in
society itself. the world began to
dance and Ignatius Crableigh at
least fguratively began to dance
with it. And strangely his taste
led him TO the associations noted
rather than to afffliation with So
ciety, where perhaps he might have
had as much fun as he found in the
cabarets and at the same time laid
the foundations for House of
Crableigh on conventional and ap-
proved lines. For the tastes OF his
companions led to those exponents
OF terpsichorean alterations whose
only rights on Fifth avenue were
vested ones TO the roadway and the
sidewalks.
There is no telling what might
have happened to Ignatius early in
his festive career had he not en-
joyed the solicitous care of his
valet, Simeon Gay. whose habitual
melancholy made his name a jest
Simeon had been a lad In the ship
chandlery shop, and was bequeathed
to Ignatius as an heirloom he could
not discard. Simeon had learned all
the arts Of manservant that he
might cater to Ignatius' needs ex-
pertly, and Ignatius to him was
really a hero until dancing and the
White Way beguiled. Ignatius
could not remain 4 reveler late
enough to miss Simeon's care OF him
when he arrived home, nor could
Ignatius by III temper or threats
on a morning after a night out stem
the tide of Simeon's' warnings and
reproaches as he performed his
duties. It's! coming home yen be
in an ambulance, Ignatius, 1 fear,
one OF these fine mornings, or ye'll
mend yer ways" was one of his IA
miliar prophecies; but Ignatius would
glare at him in defiance and call
him everything that an angry fancy
dictated
Tho climax came one morning
when Simeon was summoned to his
masters room earlier than usual
and was greeted by a growl that
would have frightened any one else
to flight
why are ye up so early after the
time We came in?' asked Simeon.
None OF your business. All /
want is a quick dressing and no
talk. Understand"
But ven get more than a quick
dressing from me, Ignatius. Ye're
fixed at last!'
"Fixed?"
ct said it Twas four o'clock