| Show L q tIC rl LJ e RECLUSE f L f FIFTH AVENUE Ar l j WYNDHAM MARTYN I COPYRIGHT In Ii M the ih UNITED STATS STATES SERVICE STORY FROM THE START From th the comfortable financial situation to which ho he had been born Peter Milman American gentleman of ot the tho old and last of ot life hla hI family la Is practically reduced d to penury through the misfortune of ot a n friend Kasen Hazen Bre Brewer warI whom he had unwisely trusted Learning of Brewers Brewer's sui sui- suicIde suicide cide clde which means the destruction of ot his lust hope Milman engages a French butler Achille Achilla Lutry who speaks no English and Is le leto Isto Isto to replace Sneed servant of ot long longstanding standing By Lutry Milman sends letters to Prof Proto Fleming Bradney Floyd Malet and Neeland Neeland Neeland Nee- Nee land Barnes men whom the world has classified as failures once of ot high position In response the three call on him at his hll homo CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 4 r. r By degrees Bradney y found himself to Barnes' Barnes anecdotes with a aass ass ass ess ss critical attitude Barnes had hu- hu Dor A handsome man Bradney derided de de- ded courageous popular with men god md women alike aUke and not burdened kith Ith sufficient mental power to enable slim film to feel he had a mission In life lite tie Ile lived no doubt as his wealthy lam Jass ass does simply for tor the moment In ln truth Neeland Barnes had for for- otten entire entirely 1 The dinner vas ens vas excellent A fellow countryman if t Achilles Achille's had seen to that The vines Ines were superb Barnes adopted tn m in air of ot exquisite but lofty lotty courtesy toward oward his fellow They said very very r little but their table manners here ere fere reassuring When the dinner hould be finished Barnes determined o o lean back In his chair survey MUD Mil Mil- D Ban nn ln with a smile that had world- world and kindly cynicism In It ft L Lod demand to know for tor what reason l e ie was brought from Peekskill retirement retire retire- ment nent As one old New Yorker to anther anther an- an ther ther Peter Milman would give gl his a very ll fine e oil painting oil over our head Mr Milman said Floyd let disturbing the train of ot Barnes' Barnes tA LA A relative of ot mine Milman an an- Capt Oliver er Milman That vas as painted In Holland when he was wast wasI t I iV S young oung soldier In England's wars with France It Is by Jordaens the student fellow of ot Rubens He pined his brother In Plymouth coun coun- y Massachusetts Just after atter that pie plc- tire the ure was painted Later he fought In InKing inKing King Philips Philip's war var He was was was' killed for England against France In Pennsylvania anla Historians know It as asKing asKing King Ing Williams William's war His brother I him for his godless ways wa-s of ot ite ife In revenge Captain Oliver Oll bei bel be- be i l him his entire fortune which rescued the stern and righteous from beggary But nut for tor Oliver Oll oilman we might have become ob ob- cure cure farmers on Cape Cope Cod What the had they owe to him F Neeland Barnes launched Into a bIter biter biter bit bIt- er Invective In against righteous rela- rela Ives i Take It from one who knows I IC e ie concluded It Is the black sheep do a n man a good turn when le ie le needs It Ive I've found that my relatives always gave ga me rood pod advice and the shadier sort lipped Upped me the coin Some iSome day a n great lawlessness will weep over oyer the world Malet Valet declared j I dont don't mean as a concerted action n m m the part of ot any Socialist or Syn- Syn but an nn expression of ot human forest We have been tied down too ong ong ng We have endured too much the oppressions of ot those In authority Well stampede you mean 1 said Sarnes IJames Ill be there Do you ou think Peter Milman that there Is any Justification or or r the human herd stampeding bemuse bemuse be be- muse ause It la 13 dissatisfied with Ita its masera masers mas- mas ers era rs r Certainty Certainly Floyd Valet Malet said Sometimes Sometimes It Is Just to take the law Jaw lawn Jawn n ones one's hands The law scoffed Bradney radney recall- recall ng I certain earlier passages of ot his life Ute The law v. Now v o Im I'm a typical low law abiding citizen clUzen but I cannot regard I any my ny man made statutes as sacrosanct What Is law lu A rule of ot civic con con- duct prescribed by the supreme power and prohibiting what Is la wrong That's Blackstone's definition t I z Neeland eland Barnes looked Instinctively over v r the table to hIs hla host It was as his experience that all rich men supported support SUpport- ed ed those laws which k kept pt the masses mosses in order In his own days of ot wealth ife he had done dene the same But there wa wano was n no frown on 00 Peter lIlman's fac face ThIs Is a n discussion which Interests m mu u more than Ulan yop cun can Imagine said Peter Peter eter His guests noticed that tnt hi ht turn turns turned his head and glanced swiftly lit nt Captain Oliver I 1 usually Have nave have coffee corree and liqueurs served In the harden fardon He lie rose Think you may prefer It there I 4 garden 1 Floyd Fiord Malet t AI A I garden tn to Lower th Fifth a avenue You Yoo shall hull see said Bald Jd Milman They toll followed owed their h host st through library and corridor to what seemed a blank wall A door cleverly concealed con coaled by moldings swung open Not for tor twenty years had strangers been offered the chance to gaze upon Peter Milman's Japanese garden This Is ie Japan Malet exclaimed I have seen this In Nagasaki I modeled It on a part of ot the gardens gardens gardens gar gar- dens In The Teahouse of ot the IndescrIbable Indescribable Indescribable Inde Inde- Butterflies Butterflies' In Nagasaki with a suggestion here and there from the garden Neeland Barnes knew nothing about Japanese gardens but the thing took his fancy amazingly Quaint bridges little streams with brilliant goldfish g garden lanterns garden lanterns strangely set stones made this back yard of ot seventy feet teet long by half halt as much wide the most entrancing garden he had seen on this Avenue where he too had been born At the other end of ot It was a sort of ot platform on which comfortable seats were arranged Immediately below It was a lily lUy Twenty feet above was a framework of ot steel mesh to which mosquito netting was attached This Is exquisite Malet mur mur- No wonder you do not move if S I By Degrees Bradney Found Himself Listening to Barnes' Barnes Anecdotes Your taste seems to me to be perfect I have never been In a amore more harmonious ous and beautifully furnished house While Achille was bringing coffee and liqueurs Milman explained how by the use of ot glass where now was netting he could regulate the temperature temperature temperature tem tem- and keep his garden beautiful ful tul when snowstorms raged and frost frostbIt frostbit frostbit bit viciously It was when Achille had gone that Neeland Barnes found himself sigh- sigh Ing lag He had abandoned the Idea of ot hi lift world the man the of-the world questioning of ot his host He lIe was content that this pleasant pleasant pleas pleas- ant atmosphere remain unchanged He did not want to think of going back to and the rent question The wine and the green reen Chartreuse Induced a pleasant lassitude Neeland Barnes stretched his long legs and felt Celt at peace You have been very patient gentlemen gentlemen gen gen- Milman began In not asking asking ask ask- ing me ere this for Cor what reason I In Invited In you And you ou have been very courteous to come when my letter X might have been construed In an offensive of of- light Neeland Barnes per himself to smile at being Insulted Insulted In In- suited by a gift girt of ot a hundred dollars I 1 have never met any of you personally personally per per- before although I have h heard ard Mr Bradney lecture and have seen seeD some of ot Mr Malet's work I also was thrilled many years ago by Mr Barnes Barnes' horsemanship Very handsome of you to say so 80 saId sold Neeland Barnes I flatter myself myself my my- self I could ride In those days What I am going to say may seem nothing whatever to do with me at first It may even be that you will consider me guilty guilt of ot some breach of ot good form when I mention certain matters In the past life of ot all three of ot you If It so 50 I beg you to believe I shall say nothing Idly I have a definite plan In asking you to meet and I must tell my stor story In my own way Peter Milman looked from one to the other of ot them a v little t tHe anxiously He was meticulous In matters of ot personal personal personal per per- conduct and he feared he might be exceeding his rights right So far as I am concerned said Fleming Bradney you have nothing to fear I have done nothing to be ashamed of f although I cannot e expect the world to believe that My y I 1 reputation said ili Malet Is s a trifle trine besmirched led but I have long since ceased applying whitewash Juvenal JU says that to be poor Is to be ridiculous Well Mr Milman I can plead guilty to that count Peter Milman turned courteously to the third guest Dont mind me said Barnes genially I 1 am used to It ft If It you yon bad had had all the d n d-n n silly relations rye had you'd have no sensitive spots left I have been worthless since birth He chuckled But nut Ive I've had a d n d-n n good run for my money even If It this Juvenal person has my number up and the race lost Rub It In If It helps you My wool Is black and I know It It Im afraid you dont don't exactly un un- Peter Milman smiled I Iam Iam Iam am neither schoolmaster nor reproving reproving reprove ing relative I merely wish to ask your pardon If It I talk of ot things In your Jour lives that may stir up unhappy memories Floyd thought of ot his lonely room his uncongenial work and looked about him and sighed He liked this unknown Peter with his charming manner and a dignity that had something forgotten and Victorian about It ft Life Lite had not given Malet what It had promised and the disappointment disappointment disappointment had embittered him but there was nothing disgraceful In what had brought him low Go 00 ahead Mr Milman he Bald said You can talk for tor days If It you like Let me begin with Mr Fleming Bradney sold said Milman I have said saidI I once heard him lecture It was because because be be- cause I read an article of ot his hi In the North American Review on radio ac What I read and afterward heard him say stirred up my Imagination tion powerfully and I understood that thata a man may have a passion for tor knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge which Is fe a burning hunger Fleming Bradney nodded his head hlad Yes he commented a good description of ot It It Is a passion that recognizes no limits of ot time or labor I expended It is a passion that has i knowledge as Its goal and not fame tame I I or money Yes I had It once The circumstances which led Mr Bradney to give up his work life and drop out of ot his world have never been told In their entirety Peter Milman said after atter a pause I am going to tell you now I may say that up to the moment of ot his retirement we have never h had d a physicist who gave such I promise as he It Is to the honor of ot a great university In this state that he was el elected professor protessor of ot physics and asked to erect the most superb laboratory for tor his work that could be built It was to exceed In equipment that of ot Cambridge sity He was allowed ved to design It ft I think such a chance has rarely been given to one so 50 young Bradney nodded his head It was the greatest opportunity ever offered a n man And he lost It Milman's quiet precise voice went on He lost It and with it the chance of ot making a career of ot supreme service to mankind I wonder If It Mr Bradney would mind telling us how TO BE CONTINUED X X X X X X X X X X X X X 0 |
