Show I SPLENDOR OF GILBERT PARKER The Writers Glnss Doors and Flunkies Flunk-ies Cause Agent to Lose Courage An agent for an American publishing house called not long ago upon Gilbert Parker the Canadian novelist and playwright play-wright at his house in St James place London Mr Parker makes a handsome Incomefrom his writings and his wife has a fortune her own name They live in one of the aristocratic parts of London in an Imposing house isrorit pf these things however rudlcd the agent He had dealt with authors before be-fore on both sides of the Atlantic and he knew many publishers who were even richer Therefore in setting out for Mr Parkers house he wore his ordinary businons clothes and in spite of the cloudiness of the day he curried no umbrella Vhen ho reached the house and ascended the marble steps that lend to the glass doors he looked around him for the bell but before he 0 could hind J it two flunkies Immaculate 1 as to dress Immovable as to form and Impassive as to face stood like statues holding the doors apart With this ceremony he was ushered Into a tiled vestibule at the further end of which were more glass doors I Here again he paused for the electric button But as before two more I flunkies cast In the same mold and I ulad In the same style opened the doors for him to enter This time he was In a handsome hull from which more doors opened upon drawingrooms and studies Here another and a very superior su-perior flunky met Him naked him what his errand was and took him Into Mr Parkers reception room Now this agent had called to bid for the novelists forthcoming book He was prepared to offer a pretty stiff figure fig-ure for the same but when he reflected that Mr Parker wrote only one book a year that he lived in an expensive part of London and that five flunkies were expensive to maintain he made his mind that he could not afford to pay what In accordance ho believed would be Mr Parkers prlcp Presently the author appeared and after a pleasant chat chiefly social In I character and devoted largely to current cur-rent British topics he started to leave Mr Parker bade him adieu at the re ceptionroom door There the superior flunky look him in hand and led him to the flrat pnlr apparently Just as they were half an hour before As he stepped on the outer stairs he noticed that It had begun to rain and he carefully rolled up the bottoms of his trousers This took him a trifle longer than usual for he was unaccustomed unac-customed to London weather and happening hap-pening to glance backward out of the tall of his e ehe saw the two flunkies stiff as stone with the doors wldojopcn I I Jut as he had left them Then It dawned on him that It was I London etiquette for flunkies to stand at present arms until the caller had reached the street So he hastily descended I I de-scended the flight and lost himself in the crowd A s he reached the last stop I I the flunkies vanished the doors came to and the Parker house resumed Us natural order Two days later tho agent summoned courage td make Mr Parker an offer for his hook by mall Saturday Evenlmr Post I |