Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-09-17
CHAPTER 8

O11kAE l. G1I6 D
AT THE time of his wife's acct
dent Kennedy was 40, but he looked
at least. 10 years older. It was not
case of being worn out before his
time by troubles and anxiety, for
his lot had mostly fallen among
pleasant places, and his pink, clear
skinned countenance, was smooth
and unlined. Those who knew him
in his early days in the town hard
ly recalled him as ever being differ
ent: only his soft glossy hair had
receded further from his forehead
and become definitely gray, his gait
and bearing had taken on more
sedate4 tempo: but his expression
remained as ever, placid, serene,
and a little tirnid.
Il seemed rather as if Nature,
working on caprice. of her own,
had decided to accelerate the ex-
iterna1 appearance of aging, with
out inpairing his physical effec-
'tivenass. Strangers. supposing him
to be- over so, would remark how
well preserved and active he was,
and add. that his alertness and
vigor would do credit to man a
dozen years his junior.
At the first glance h. did not ap-
pear particularly virile. There was
a womanish look about his round
cheeks and the rounded curve of
his Jaw, and his red mouth was
small and delicate as a baby's. His
soft voice, too, was pleasing. as a
really nice woman's voice is pleas
ing. Nevertheless, women were
generally attracted to him. His
approach to- them was modest, but
not bashful. They sensed kinship
and an understanding Of their sex.
He, was more than bit Of a
dandy. He wore his clothes with
a casual elegance that seemed in
born: whatever the weather or the
occasion they were just right. Van
ity peeped out here and there. His
ties; socks and silk handkerchiefs-
were always perfectly matched.
His shoes were always polished to
a dazzling luster, and he would go
a considerable distance out. Of his
way to avoid risk Of n1arring
their beauty. Every week he drove
IL miles to his barber in Bradstock
Wells. Neither of the local men
came up to the standard he ex-
acted, and in any case could not
provide a manicure.
T. He was very fond Of his hands,
which were small and plump but,
with strong, delicate fingers; they
never became moist, even in the
hottest weather. His silky gray
mustache was another point of
pride: with him. He wore it in two
downward sweeps, noticeably long,
err than was the common fashion. of
the time. It was one of the things
that made him look older than his
years, but he did not realize this.
Though he had never been in Ire
land, Tins ancestry was Irish, and
his manner had all the dimdent
charm and desire to please charac-
teristic of that people. In CONVEX
sation he rarely obtruded an opin-
ion, but he was quick to apprehend
the opinions of others, and to draw
them out. There was no insincer-
ity about this: politics, religion,
and all the more familiar material
Of controversy meant so little to
him that he found it more natural,
and a great deal more pleasant, to
follow a lead rather than take a
line Of his own.
I Purchasing popularity on these
terms. was as easy to him as
breathing. It cannot be too strong
~ emphasized that it cost him
nothing. The truth was that he
had no convictions about politics
or religion because he had no in
terest in anything except himself
His desires, his comforts, his
amusements, his health, his finan-
cial and social security, were
everything to him. Within him
glimmered a white flame of pure
egotism that nothing could extin-
guisln
Materially his egotism showed
partly in his vanity, but more
notably in quiet obstinate skill in
getting his way in all things, great
and small alike. 1t was his happy
talent never to have to make him
self unpleasant in enforcing his