Ceredo advance. [volume], October 06, 1909, Image 6

About Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939

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The Sight of a Young and Attractive Woman Coming Out of a Home for Con
firmed Bachelors.
_ JjOWC
^XOUIfdOJfPH VANCE^
PICTURES
coPrniaHT hot — tmc bobba-/hwwiLL co.
CHAPTER |.
Oust.
In the dull hot dusk of a summer's
day a green touring ear, swinging out
of the East drive, pulled up smartly,
trembling, at the edge of the Fifty
ninth street ear tracks, then more se
dately, under the dispassionate but
■watchful eye of a mounted member of
the traffic squad, lurched across the
Plaza and merged itself in the press
of vehicles south bound on the avenue.
Its tonneau held four young men.
all more or less disguised in dust, dus
ters and goggles; forward, by the side
of the grimy and anxious-eyed mechan
ic. sat a fifth, in all visible respects
the counterpart of his companions. He
neath his mask, and by this I do uot
mean his goggles, but the mask of
modern manner which the worldly,
wear, he was. and is, different. He
was Daniel Maitland, Esquire; for
whom nu tyther introduction should
be required, after mention of the fact
that he was. and remains, the identical
gentleman of means and position in
the social and financial worlds, whose
somewhat sober but sincere and w hole
hearted participation in the wildest of
conceivable escapade bad earned him
the affectionate regard of the younger
set, together with th« sobilquet of
“Mad Maitland.”
His companions of the flay, the four
In the tonneau, were jn that humor of
subdued yet vibrant excitement which
Is apt to attend the conclusion of a
loni<. hard drive over country roads.
Maitland, on the other hand (judging
hirn by his preoccupied pose), was al
ready weary of. if not bored by, the
hare-brained enterprise which, in
itiated on the spur of an Idle moment (
and dirertly due to a thoughfleg re.
mark of his own, had brought him 100
miles (or so) through the heat of a
broiling afternoon, accompanied by
spirits nr ardent and irresponsible as
his own, in search of the dubious dis
traction afforded by tin night side of
the city.
As. picking its way with elephantine
nicety, the motor car progre -ed down
the avenue- -twilight deepening, arcs
upon their bronze columns blossoming
suddenly, noiselessly into spheres of
opalescent radiance Mr. Maitland
ceased to respond, ceased even to give
heed, to the running fir« of chaff
(largely personal) which amused his!
companions Listlessly engaged with !
(isarette. he lounged upon the green
leather cushions, half closrng his eyes,
and heartily wished hinrneif free for
the evening.
Hut be stood committed to the hu
iior of the majority, and lacked entire
ly Uin shadow of an excuse to desert;
n addition to which he was altogether
on lazy for the exertion of manu
lacturlng a lie of serviceable texture.
And so abandoned Mmselr to his late,
•veu though no foresaw with weariful
particularity the programme of the
coming hours.
To begin with, 30 minutes were to
be devoted to a bath and dressing in
his rooms. This was something not so
unpleasant to contemplate, it was the
afterwards that repelled him: Dinner
at Sherry's, the subsequent tour of
roof gardens, tho late supper at a club,
and then, prolonged far into the small
hours, the session around some green
covered table in a close room reeking
with the fumes of good tobacco and
hot with the fever of gambling.
Abstractedly Maitland frowned,
tersely summing up: ‘•Beastly!”—in
an undertone.
At this the green car wheeled ab
ruptly round a corner below Thirty
fourth street, slid half a block or moro
east, and came to a palpitating halt.
Maitland. looking tip, recognized the
entrance to ids apartments, and sighed
with relief for the brief respite from
boredom Mint was to be hir. lie rose,
negligently shaking off his duster,
and stepped down to the sidewalk.
Somebody in the ear called a
warning after 1dm. and turning for a
moment lie stood at attention, an eye
brow raised quizzically, cigarette
drooping from a corner of his mouth
hat pushed hack from his forehead,
hands In coat pockets; a tall, slender,
sparsely built figure of a man. clothed’
immaculately in tiannels.
When at length he was able to make
hitnsrif heard "Good enough,” he said
clearly, though without rasing his
voice "Sherry's In an hour. Right.
Now, behave yourselves."
‘‘Mind you how up on time!”
Never fear," returned Maitland over
his boulder.
A witticism <as flung hack at him
from the ret real ins car, but spent
i*!o]f unregarded. Maitland's atten
t:cn -v." t o 1111 t rarity distracted by the
unusual to say ti e least- sight. of a
youm: and attractive woman coming
out of a home for confirmed bache lors
The apartment house happened to
he his own property. \ substantial
and old fashioned edifice, situated In
the middle of a cpiiet. block. It eon*
ta ned but five roomy and comfortable
suite's in other words, one t/Ta floor;
and these were without exception ten
anted by unmarried men of Mait
land s own circle* and acquaintance.
Die ' niter, himself a widower and a
convinced misogynist, lived alone In
the basement. Hairing very special
and exceptional occasions (a* when
one of the bachelors felt called upon
'o mve a t I in partial recognition of
.‘ocial obligations), the foot of woman
n^vor crossed its threshold.
In this circumstance, indeed, was
comprised the singular charm the
house had for its oreupauts. The
quality winch insured them privacy
Jnd a quiet Independence rendered
them oblivious to Its many minor
drawbacks, its lack of many coavea
fences nnd luxuries which hare of late
?r»)«n to b*? so eomtnonly regarded as
necessities. It boasted, for instance,
no garage; no refrigerating system
maddened those dependent upon It; a
dissipated electric lighting system
never went out of nights, because It
had never been installed; no brass
bound hall boy lounged in desuetude
upon the stoop and took too intimate
and personal an interest in the ten
ants' correspondence. The inhabi
tants. In brief, were free to come and
go according to the dictates of their
consciences, unsupervised by neigh
borly women folk, unhindered by a
parasitic corps of menials not In their
personal employ.
Wherefore was Maitland astonished,
and the more so because of the season.
At any other season of the year he
would readily have accounted for tho
phenomenon that now fell under his
observation, on the hypothesis that the
woman was somebody's sister or cous
in or aunt. But at present that expla
nation was untenable; Maitland hap
pened to know that not one of the oth
er men was in New York, barring
himself; and hia own presence there
was a thing entirely unforeseen.
Still incredulous, he mentally conned
the list: Barnes, who occupied the
first flat, was traveling on the con-1
tlnent; Conkling, of the third, had left i
a fortnight since to Join a yachting
party on tho Mediterranean; Bannister
and Wilkes, of the fourth and fifth
floors, respectively, were in Newport !
and Buenos Aires.
“Odd!” concluded Maitland.
So it was. She had just closed the i
door, one thought; and now stood
poised as if in momentary Indecision
on tho low stoop, glancing toward
Fifth avenue the while she fumbled
with a refractory button at the wrist
of a long white kid glove. Blurred
though it was by the darkling twilight
and a thin veil, her face yet conveyed
an impression of prettiness; an im
pression enhanced by careful groom
ing. From her hat, a small alTalr,
something green, with a superstruc
ture of gray ostrich feathers, to the
tips of her russet shoes—including a
walking skirt and bolero of shimmer
ing gray silk—she was distinctly
“smart” and interesting.
He had keenly observant eyes, had
Maitland, for all his detached pose;
you are to understand that he com
prehended all these points in the dick
ering of an instant. For the incident
was over in two seconds. In one the
lady’s hesitation was resolved; in an
other she had passed down the steps
ami swept by .Maitland without giving
him a glance, without even the trem
bling of an eyelash. And he had a
view of her back as she moved swiftly
away toward the avenue.
Perplexed, he lingered upon the
sloop until she had turned the corner;
after which he let himself in with a
latch key, and, dismissing the affair
temporarily from his thoughts, or pre
tending to do so, ascended the single
llight of stairs to his Hat.
Simultaneously heavy feet were to be
heard clumping up the basement steps;
and surmising that the janitor was
coming to light tho hall, th<^ young
man waited, leaning over the balus
ters. His guess proving correct, he
called down:
“O’Hagan? Is that you?”
“Tlf saints presarve us! But ’twas
yorsilf gave me th' sthart, Misther
Maitland, sor!” O’Hagan paused in
the gloom below, his upturned face
quaintly illuminated by tlie flame of a!
wax taper in his gaslighter.
“I’m dining in town to-night, O’Ha-1
gan, and dropped around to dress. Is
anybody else at home?”
“Nivver a wan, sor. Shure, rh’ house
do be quiet’s anny tomb—"
’’Then who was that lady. O’Hagan?”
noddy, sor ’ —in unbounded amaze
ment.
'<‘r’. impatiently. “A young wom
an left the house just as I was com
ing in. Who was she?"
Shure an I think ye must be
ill am in , sor. Divvle a female—ray
spicts to ye! —has been in this house
f'M ni.inny an munny th’ wake, sor.”
“Hut, I tell you—"
H.HIkn t\vsis snmowan Jlst sthepped
• nto the vrr.thibule, luchbe to tie her
shoe. sor. and ye thought—”
Oh, very well Maitland relin
quished the inquisition ;is unprofltahie.
" !hng to concede O'lingan's theory a
reasonable one, tlie more readily since
he himself could by no means hare
sworn that the woman had actually
come out through the door. Such had
merely been bis Impression, honest
enough, but founded on circumstan
tial evidence.
“When you’re through, O'Hagan.” he
told flip Irishman, ’’you may come and
shave me and lay out my things. If I
you will.”
\ »*ry Rood. sor. Id wan minute."
Miit o Hagan's conception of the
passage of time waj a thought, vague;
his one minute had lengthened Into
"•n before he appeared to wait upon
his employer.
N'o.v and again. In the absence of
'he regular "man,” O’Hagan would at
tend one or another of the tenants In
’he capacity of siihRtitute valet; ns In
tlm present Instance, when Maitland,
having left his host’s roof without
troubling even to notify his body-serv
ant that he would not return that
night, railed upon the janitor to under
study the more trained emp’oye;
whh h O’Hagan could be counted upon
to do very acceptably.
Now, with patience unruffled, since
he was nothing keen for the evening's
enjoyment, Maitland made profit, of
the Interval to wander through his
roonlfi, lighting the gas here and
there and noting tint all was ns It
should he. as It had been left—-save
that every article of furniture and
brir a brae seemed to be aadlv in want
of a thorough dusting. In the end he
brought up in the loom "tint served
him is study and lounge—the drawing
room of the fiat., as planned in the for
(
gotten nrrrmect** scheme—• lanro an«s
well-lighted apartment overlooking tb«
street. Here, pausing beneath the
chandelier, he looked about him for a
moment, determining that, as else
where, all things were in order—but
gray with dust.
Finding the atmosphere heavy, stale
and oppressive, Maitland moved over
fo the windows and threw them open.
A gush of warm air. tumid and redo
lent of the streets, in\ ided the room,
together with the rour of trathe from
its near by arteries. Maitland rested
elbows on the sill and leaned out, star
ing absently into the night; for by
now it wa.t quite dark. Without cou
cern. he realized that he would be late
at dinner. No matter; ho would as
willingly miss it altogether. For the
time being he was absorbed in vain
speculations about an unknown wom
an whose sole claim uj>on his consid
eration lay in a certain but immaterial
glamour of mystery. Had she, or had
she not. been in the house? And. If
the true answer were in the afllrma
tive, to what end. upon what errand?
Ills eyes focused Insensibly upon a
void of darkness beneath him—night
made visible by street lamps; and he
found himself suddenly and acutely
sensible of the wonder and mystery ol
the ( ity; the City whose secret life
ran fluent upon the hot. hard pave
meats below, whose voice throbbed,
sibilant, vague, strident. Inarticulate!
upon the night air; the City of which
he was a part equally with the girl in
ay, w horn he had never before seen,
and In all likelihood was never to
see again, though the two of them
were to work out their destinies within
the bounds of Manhattan island. And
yet. . . .
“It would bo si range," said Maitland
thoughtfully, “If , . He shook
his hoad, smiling;. “ 'Two shall be
born.'" quotrd Mad Maitland, sent!
montally—
I wo shall be born the whole wide
world apart—* ”
A piano organ, having maliciously
sneaked up beneath his window, drove
him indoors with a crash of metallic
melody.
As he dropped the curtains his eye
was arrested by a gleam of white upon
his desk—a letter placed there, doubt
less, by O’Hagan in Maitland’s ab
sence. At the same time, a splashing
and gurgling of water from the direc
tion of the bathroom Informed him
that the janitor-valet was even then
preparing his bath. Hut that could
wait.
Maitland took up the envelope and
tore the llap, remarking the name and
address of his lawyer in its uppeKleft
hand corner. Unfolding the inclosure,
he read a date a week old, and two
lines requesting him to communicate
with his legal adviser upon “a matter
of pressing moment.”
"Bother!” said Maitland. “What the
dickens—”
lie pulled up short, eyes lighting.
That s so, you know," he argued.
"Baunerman will be delighted, and—
and even business is better than rush
ing round town and pretending to en
joy yourself when it’s hotter than the
seven brass hinges of hell and you
can’t think of anything else.
I’ll do it!”
He stepped quickly to the corner of
the room, where stood the telephone
upon a small side table, sat down, and,
receiver to ear, gave central a num
ber. In another moment be was in
communication with his attorney’s res
idence.
“Is Mr. Rannerman in? I would like
to—”
“Why. Mr. Rannerman! How do
you do?”
“You re looking 100 per cent, bet
ter—”
“Rad. mad word! Naughty!_”
“Maitland, of course.”
“Reer out of town and just got your
note.”
"Your beastly penchant for econ
omy. Its not siampod; I presume you
sent it round by hand of the future
president of the United States whom
you now employ as ofhee ooy. And
O’Hagan didn’t forward it for that
reason.”
“Important, eh? I’m only in for the
night—”
"Then come and dine with me at the
Primordial. I'll put the others off.”
"Good enough. -In an hour, then?
Good-by.”
Hanging up the receiver, Maitland
waited h few moments ere again put
ting It to his ear. This time he called
up Sherry s, asked for the head-waiter,
and requested that person to bo kind
enough to make fi.j excuses to “Mr.
CTossv and party;” he. Maitland, was
detained upon a matter of moment,
hut would endeavor to join them at a
later hour.
Then, with a satis0«d smile, he
turned away, with purpose to dispose
of Rannerman’s note.
“Rath’s jvady, aor.”
O Hagan's announcement fell upon
heedlesa ears. Maitland remained mo
tlonless before tbo desk—transfixed
with amazement.
Rath a ready, sor!”—imperatively.
Maitland roused slightly.
Very well; in a minute. O’Hagati.”
Yet for some time he did not move.
Slowly the heavy brows contracted
over intent eyes as he strove to ptiz
7.1'' if Out. At length bis lips moved
noiselessly.
"Am I awake?” was the question ha
put. his consciousness.
Wondering, he b**nt forward and
drew the tip of one forefinger across
the black polished wood of the writing
bed If. left a dark, heavy line. And
beside, clearly defined In the heavy
layer of dust, was the silhouette of a
fund; a woman s hand, small, delicate,
unmistakably feminine of contour.
’Well!" declared Maitland, frankly
“J am damned!”
(TO HU CONTINUED J
SIX MONTHS.
Mrs. Hill—Now, tell me at once—
where have you been all this time?
Hill — Why, dear, it hasn’t been
long.
Mrs. Bill—How dare you tell me
that? You have been out all night.
Industrial Education.
For training the workman the tech
nical school can never supplant the
workshop. The system that is likely
to give the best results is a combina
tion of part time apprenticeship
and compulsory attendance at tech
nical schools.—London Electrical Re
view.
A TEXAS CLERGYMAN
Speaks Out for the Benefit of Suffer^
ing Thousand*.
Rpv. G. M. Gray, Bar tist clergy*
man, of Whitesboro, Tex., says:
‘Four years ago I
suffered misery with
lumbago. Every
movement was one
of pain. Doan's Kid
ney Pill3 removed
the whole difficulty
after only a short
time. Although I do
not like to have my
name used publicly.
I make an exception
in this case, so that other sufferers
from kidney trouble may profit by my
experience.”
Sold by all dealers. 50 cents a box.
Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
“Seeing Is Believing.”
Herodotus: We are less convinced
by what we hear than by what wo
see.
Any girl can hear compliments If
she cultivates the habit of talking to
herself.
QjbL
M&icttdb/
zlu&btiow
“ Do you know of any woman who ever received any
benefit from taking Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Com
pound? ”
If any woman who is suffering with any ailment peculiar
to her sex will ask her neighbors this question, she will be
surprised at the result. I here is hardly a community in
this country where women cannot be found who have been
restored to health by this famous old remedy, made
exclusively from a simple formula of roots and herbs.
During the past 30 years we have published thousands
of letters from these grateful women who have been cured
by Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, and never
in all that time have we published a testimonial without
the \\ riter s special permission. Never have we knowingly
published a testimonial that was not truthful and genuine.
Here is one just received a few days ago. If anyone doubts
that this is a true and honest statement of a woman’s experi
ence with Lydia E. Pinkham s Vegetable Compound write
and ask her.
Houston, Texas. “When F first began taking- Lydia E. Pink
hams Vegetable Compound I was a total wreck.' I bad been
sic k for three years with female troubles, chronic dyspepsia,
and a liver trouble. I bad tried several doctor’s medicines! but
nothing did me any good.
“ For three years I lived on medicines and thought I would
never get well, when F read an advertisinent of Lydia E. Pink
ham s \ cgetable Compound, and was advised to try it.
3Iy husband got me one bottle of tlie Compound, and It did
me so much good I continued its use. I am now a well woman
and enjoy the best of health.
t wo#,n®? suffering from such troubles to give
Ljdia E. I inkham s Vegetable Compound a trial. Tliev won’t
regret it, for it will surely cure you.’* — Mrs. Bessie I flic ks
810 Cleveland St., Houston. Hicks,
Any woman who is sick and suffering is fooiish surely
not to give such a medicine as this a trial. Why should it
not do her as much good as it did Mrs. Hicks
Qpenmg Qjeyenne River
Indian Reservation
(2,800,000 Acres)
Register for a free homestead October 4th to 2^rd
I he Commissioner of the General Land Office at
W ashington has designated
Le Beau and Aberdeen, S. Dak.
as registration points. These cities arc reached best
by the Iowa Central Ry. and
The Minneapolis & St. Louis R. R.
Le Beau is the
the only registration
from the town.
Gateway to the Reservation and
point where the lands can be seen
I be country is fertile and
in all respects of land a few
S 25.00 per acre.
Frequent trains and low
on request.
well watered—the equal
miles east that sells for
fares. Full information
or atk any a«ent of the fowa Central or Minne
For rates, etc., write
apoli* & St. Louis R. R or
A. B. CUTTS, General Passenger and Ticket Agent
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hahl|NSWizari> Oil g?sst
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I"me bring'
pi*>t4 pa r tic
-Knrn fit) wrolrly dr coral l n« poM^arda.
* R?2?*?r '■? xnmplrs wnd r«m
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RUBBER STAMPS SJ’S&ZS: "SUS
wantf-d. W. ft WEIIER « CO »« «,» C)*eM«t.«U