Emerson Hough

“ While I still trembled, I felt myself and the old negro man pushed back beyond the curtains into the fully lighted room. Suzanne herself was now opening the door.
I would record my admiration for William, the old negro man, retainer of the Collingsworth family. He was not perturbed by what he saw. He glanced at my card. I heard his voice gently say “Mistah Murrell Deming Cardon” at an inner door, pompous as though he were footman for a general reception. ”

“ Approaching the shallower water, I saw drawn up on the beach, perhaps couple of hundred yards above my my car, a smart little closed runabout which had apparently a single occupant. To my vast surprise, this occupant threw off a bathrobe—I could see the car window dimmed by the garment just an instant—and sprang out, heading for the water forthwith, just as I had done!
There is—for a man—no mistaking the feminine figure, no matter how far observed or how fully concealed. ”

“ From my place toward the head of the park, where the bridle-path enters, I easily can see the throng of equestrians, sometimes fifty or more, every day. Most of them are awkward; some are fat; some are self-conscious; many are overdressed. Three-fourths of them are out for display, many of the remaining one-fourth out for exercise, and most of the residue out for anything but riding. ”

“ Suddenly a new sense of manhood came over me. “Shall I be strong, Doctor? Can I run, leap? Could I lead my men again?”
“You are good as new, my boy,” was his answer. “Prettiest piece of bone-surgery I have done and seen some in my time. “You'll not limp a particle, my boy—you are as good as new, I tell you.”
“Doctor,” said I, “there's no fee can repay you for what you have done. ”

“ Just at the moment when Van Emmons turned our car toward the curb in order to get out of the way I felt the impact of the body of a horse at the rear window of our car. His hot breath came through the broken glass, almost in my face.
No one can explain about an accident—no two minds recall it alike or clarify it at all. I had no more than time to shift in seat and try to open the door when I saw this horse which broken the glass of my car window plunge aside frantically strike against the curb and fall. ”

“ He replaced it in Adam's leg for the betterment thereof. If there was pain, I have forgotten it. I, Adam unribbed could not forget the love I bore for Eve. Of love's pains, nature gives us no surcease; nor can the art of men do much for remedy. I lay in my hospital bed the dagger point of my love always at my heart, and all I cared for was that presently I might be whole and fit Eve.
“Well, son,” began Dr. Westfield one day when he visited me—it was now well into the winter-time,—“today you are to get out of bed and stand up. Do it now. You are well. You are straight and sound as a tree. ”

“ So good a man, Van Emmons, that I never blamed him in the least for the accident. On the contrary, I raised his wages!
We were moving along smartly on the Lagoon drive, parallel to the saddle-path, and through the car window I saw a party of the riding-school type—new breeches, new coats, new boots and all—approaching us. The riding-master was out with a dozen pupils, who rode as so many women do, for the purpose of being observed. I did not envy the riding. master. He could not perform miracles. ”

“ Always the girl rode as does a gentlewoman who learned riding in her childhood—hands low and gentle, weight well back, poise effortless and unconscious, as much at home as if the saddle were a divan. Her hat, trim and faultless ”

“ But of course I know about your madness over Peggy Collingsworth.”
“Peggy?”
“Blandsford and I call her Peggy, and so does her mother. Yes? Well, there are plenty of men with two good legs who also are mad over Peggy. Something seems to run in the family. Now, there is Blandsford, smug all over himself, he is mad about Peggy's mother!”
“Great heavens! The old fool!”
“Yes? But did you ever see Peggy's mother? Perhaps I should say Suzanne's mother?” ”

“ Westfield had said, I was now as good as new.
“Fine!” commented my mentor. “And you'll have no competition on the stage Of course, no society lecture is correct without Blandsford to make a few introductory remarks. He introduces me and introduces you. Then he pleads another engagement, bows and vanishes. You sing and you also vanish, as I have said. I alone remain. It is bad you cannot also, for my boy, that is the only place to see into the soul woman. You don't know them. They are fine. ”

“ Why, I know Jimmy Blandsford as well as I do you. You don't mean to say that he—that he is—that she cares a rap for him! They aren't—they can't be engaged?”
“I don't know. I'd say, off-hand, it would be hard for anyone to be engaged to that young person for very long. She's a lot of them dangling all the time. But Jimmy is a fine boy, made the crew at Yale, hasn't got any offensively good habits, and does have a rattling fine chance in Papa's bank. He's ambitious. He hopes to be vice-president before long. Could you blame him for hoping to marry Mistress Collingsworth? ”

“ Danny laid his head on her shoulder and nickered in understanding.
The girl turned after a little, white to the lips. “Go on home!” she almost blazed at those who were following her even there. “If you can't learn to ride, stay home! Look what you've done!
The professional riding escort now came up deferentially and cleared the path. He offered an arm to the girl, seeing that her place in my car would be better than anything else that offered; for now other cars were piling in behind us on their way downtown, and the crowd was growing. ”

“ A soldier, even a captain—later to become major—is not consulted as to operations. When I made review of my case, I found myself en route home with one somewhat crippled leg, apparently permanently shorter than the other
What right had I, then, to lift hand or eye to such a girl as this—beautiful, fit, perfect, entitled to naught but the very best that life could give? As well believe that hummingbirds will take to thorns as that such a woman will not have her pick of men and her will of them. ”

“ Chapter III NOT far from our park there is a city bathing-beach, during the summer months frequented by thousands of all manner of folk, some of them good, many bad, most of them indifferent to the eye, as for the most part is the way with the human assemblage, however gathered. ”

“ If you can't do that, if you can't fix that leg so it will be as good as the other, then you're no doctor and I'm no man.”
He never changed a muscle of his face, did not smile, did not frown. He made a motion which told me I must strip. Then he went over the injured limb carefully, gently, delicately, his gray eyebrows just drawn together a little.
“Well,” said he at length, “what do you want me to do? The thing's knit perfectly—it is as strong as the other. Might have been a better operation, perhaps, but good Heavens, what do you expect in a hospital at the front? ”

“ You are to do 'The Toreador' tomorrow to open the exercises—we have had all sorts of artists at different times. Between 'Celeste Aida' and 'The Toreador,' I will lay a bet on the latter.
“As to the procedure; you sing; they applaud; you retire; then I lecture. But even so, you will have a moment or so; and all the audience also will have a moment or so with their lorgnettes. Let 'em look. I shall defy any one of them to detect my transplanting—no, not though you stood and jumped on one leg, which tenors are not supposed to do at entertainments of this sort.” ”

“ The varlet!
“You see,” he resumed, “they have taken on the old Bligh house, in Allenby Place—widow—rich—Kentucky—best people in the world—received everywhere here, of course. Everybody is crazy over them. Well, do you blame them? And you say you don't know Peggy Collingsworth!”
I drew myself up somewhat stiffly. “I had a note from her mother just the other day,” I replied. “Yes, fine people, I am sure. Some of our very best people have come from the old State.”
He had had a smile, I no more than a cut, from Peggy Collingsworth! ”

“ If they encore you, give them something Scotch. Then you and Papa Blandsford pass out and have something else Scotch, if you can find it. Do you understand the arrangement?”
I nodded.
“I'll call at your home, two-thirty to-morrow,” concluded Westfield. “Get out of here tonight and go to your own home. You are a man now, and you must take your chances.”
With nothing more, he arose and left me, briskly as was his wont.
SO, as he had counseled me, I took my chances. I opened the lecture program the next afternoon with “The Toreador,” done the best I could. ”

“ Poor boob, forsooth!
Van Emmons came up and said he had called the patrol of the Humane Society. Neither did this please our haughty maiden. “No, you don't!” said she. “Danny can walk. This chap is going to lead him. Get in quick, idiot, and drive! Do you want to wait here until the whole town, including the Fire Department, gets here? Let's go!”
So Van Emmons meekly climbed to his seat and turned his head for directions. She told him, 1219 Allenby Place, repeated it to the riding-master, who now had led Danny out and was himself in saddle. ”

“ Why, the ladies always serve tea after the lecture—it's their custom all through the course. Best part of the business. Best people in town. Westfield's always prompt—at three-forty-eight he is through. ”