Part 17 (2/2)
For a fewin all the rows, pathetic whisperings and ”go ons” or eager urgings of one and another to sacrifice himself upon the altar of necessity, insistences by the ex-truood as any one--what the deuce had got into him anyhow? It must be the horn!
”Well,” shouted Culhane finally, as a stop-gap to all this, ”isn't any one going to blow that thing? Do youall of you around, with not ayou able to blow a dinky little horn? What's the use ofa lot of fancy vehicles in my barn when all I have to deal with is a lot of shoe salesmen and floorwalkers?
hell! Any child can blow it It's as easy as a fish-horn If I hadn't these horses to attend to I'd blow it an, what's theit?”
”The truth is, Mr Culhane,” explained Mr Kerrigan, the very dapper and polite heir of a Philadelphia starch millionaire, ”I haven't had any chance to practice with one of those for several years I'll try it if you want uarantee--”
”Try!” insisted Culhane violently ”You can't do any worse than that other mutt, if you blow for a an turned back and being very cheerfully tendered the horn by the last failure, wetted and adjusted his lips, lifted it upward and backward--and--
It was pathetic It was positively dreadful, the wheezing, grinding sounds that were e up the coach to a dead stop ”Stop that!
Whoa! Whoa!!! Do you mean to say that that's the best you can do? Well, this finishes ot up here, anyhow? Whoa! And out in this country too where I's! God! Whoa! Here I spend thousands of dollars to get together an equipentlemen, and this is what I draw--hams! A lot of barflies who never saw a tally-ho! Well, I' up for firewood before I ever take it out again!
Get down! Get out, all of you! I'll not haul one of you back a step!
Walk back or anywhere you please--to hell, for all I care! I'et back to the barn as quick as I can--up so such a bunch of hacks to deal with!”
Huely on to soroups, then by twos and threes began erly, Iroad back to the place on the hill But such swearing! Such un-Sabbath-like comments! The number of times his sturdy Irish soul ished into innermost and alles and in more artistically and architecturally nobly constructed phrases and even paragraphs than any hu that I have ever heard of before or since, phrases so livid and glistening that they smoked
Talk about the carved ivories of speech! The mosaics of verbal precious stones!
You should have heard us on our way back!
And still we stayed
So this place in company with some friends, when I askedthose who knew rounds and past the very doors of the ”repair shop,” even to stop if Culhane chanced to be visible and talking to or at least greeting him, in some cases A custom of Culhane's was, in the sureen-and-white stripedindeed, in which was placed a field-officer's table and several camp chairs, and some books and papers Here of a hot day, when he was not busy with us, he would sit and read And when he was in here or souide to visiting guests or friends At any rate, it was the presence of this pennant which caused ht have a look at hiuests,”
none of us were ever allowed to come withinvisitors, however, we ht, and many did, stop, remind him that we had once been his huratulate him on his health and sturdy years At such tih, or he ren to co there a la Napoleon at Lodi or Grant in the Wilderness, be for the first time in his relations with theed on by curiosity to see e once more and also to learn whether he would remember me at all, I had my present host roll his car up to the tent door, where Culhane was reading Feeling that by this venturesome deed I had ”let ,” I cli, recalled myself to him With a semi-wry expression, half smile, half contemptuous curl of the corners of histhat possibly , he arose and came to the door I introduced them--one a naval officer of distinction, the other the owner of a great estate some miles farther on For the first tirandly gracious he could be He accepted ratulations as to the vieith a princely nod and suggested that on other days it was even better He was soon to be busy now or he would have soh the shop
Some Saturday afternoon, if they would telephone or stop in passing, he would oblige
I noted at once that he had not aged in the least He was sixty-two or -three now and as vigorous and trim as ever And now he treated h he had never browbeaten me in the least ”Good heavens,” I said, ”how uest!” After a moment or te offered lance on my part, for the place fascinated imen! This latter-day Stoic and Spartan in his tent! And, above all things, and thetoand which he had laid upon his little table as I entered--I could not help noting the title for he laid it back up, open face doas Lecky's ”History of European Morals”!
Now!
Well!
IN RETROSPECT
Two years after this visit, in a serious atteed the following thoughts hich I closed my sketch then and which I now append for what they ht concerning his to that class of society which the preachers and the world's ares and reputable citizens generally are presuious literature of the day, trying to reach and reforathered representatives of those same orders, the so-called better element And here we see the whom they, theoretically at least, look upon as a brand to be snatched fro