Bolanyo

of me a serious and majestic chant, the tune of Old Hundred, to express a deep sense of my responsibility-a mere fancy, of course; but as a matter of fact, he did seem to believe that we ought t

raid of ghosts. It has a peculiar smell; and one thing about it is, that all the people on the stage seem to be foreigners, it makes no differen

and America," I replied. "Our race cannot associate art and relig

nd some of their idols were works of art, but there was no true religion i

de bold to ask if there was going to be a show. The Senator answered him. "Yes, there is, my little m

Var

aker down stairs. W

e it and the first thing you know the loafers about town will begin to call you by your first name. That kills a man if he's in any sort of public life. Why, Sir, if I had let those fellows call me Giles, I couldn't have remained in the Senate more than one term; would have killed me, Sir, as dead as a door nail. In this human family a man thinks more of you in the long run if you compel him to bow to you than if you permit him to put his arm on your shoulder. Our natures respect exclusiveness. We may make f

I want to than

y, I want you to come out to the house as often as you can conveniently. Ju

which I could walk in meditation upon my play; and that piece of work was uppermost in my mind. It was my hope to exist as a manager until I could pip the shell as a dramatist-selfish, I confess; and

t and that sufficient time had not elapsed for it to cool. I invited him in; and, stepping forward, he handed me a card on which in black type and with heavy impression was printed the

. Glad to meet you," I a

d, seating himself.

a cigar, he said "Thanks," crossed his legs and

like our tow

place,"

iled. Tough, I tell you, but we'll come out all right. Just heard of your deal. Ought to make the thing pay,

iend," I answered,

ways was a sort of

man, if that's

" he drawled. "

ow one of the most

not throwing anything over his shoulder this year,

ing a thing over one's shoulder was

e it that you know what I mean," he replied. "I mean tha

im hard, but, in the vernacular of t

Well, it's all right. Glad he ain't interested financiall

if he did it doe

business of mine excep

ncern the public is

nued: "Thought I'd step over and see if I could get an ad from you. Do all my own work in that line; do all the editorials and write most of the loc

"but just at present there could be no object in it.

g the change of management. The peopl

very fact make it a pie

nt news for nothing. I'm not printing news for my health

his good opinion in the hope of securing his silence, for I knew that there must be war, and perhaps a complete change of geographical lines, so far as I was concerned, if the newspaper should

f his mouth and letting it fall where it migh

ee more of you when

Haven't got a cut o

don't car

hes the women, and I want to tell you that unless you c

n in stepped old Zack Mason, the steamboat pilot. "Hah, united we stood and divided we went up!" he cried, grasping my hand. "How are you?-first-rate, I know. Oh, this climate will bring a man out of the kinks if he isn't killed instan

brother had left me that day when you were snatched out of my hand. Said to myself, as I flew through the air, 'he's got a little bit the start of me and I don't believe I'll ever see him again.' And last night, when I got home and heard you were around all right, I went straight over to old Jim Bradley's and swallowed a drink

e showed such a keenness to get at me again that I had t

ot to have a little fun as I go along. Eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow you may be blowed up. And we'll see old Joe Vark over there. Joe's got a shoeshop right down here-best shoemaker that ever pounded the hide of a steer-works till he gets ready to have fun, and then he whoops it up. He's smarter th

nything; it would fit me like a glove; but I can't. I've had to qu

put a man off on a spree. It's a fact. It would take a man two we

I can

Met the Senator just now and he told me. He's another man that can't drink. I can drink and I can let it alone-that is, I know I can drink, and I think I can let it alone. Well," he said,