"The man, now," he suggested, with the least perceptible change in his
voice, that, however, escaped the attention of his companion. "What was
he like; young or old?"
"Well, young--about twenty-five I should say; medium height, but very
firmly and squarely built, with a strong face, large mustache, brilliant
eyes, and a look--I cannot describe it, but you have caught that of the
lady so well, you will, doubtless, succeed in getting his also."
But Mr. Byrd's pencil moved with less certainty now, and it was some
time before he could catch even the peculiarly sturdy aspect of the
figure which made this unknown gentleman, as the young fellow declared,
look like a modern Hercules, though he was far from being either large
or tall. The face, too, presented difficulties he was far from
experiencing in the case of the lady, and the young fellow at his side
was obliged to make several suggestions such as:--"A little more hair on
the forehead, if you please--there was quite a lock showing beneath his
hat;" or, "A trifle less sharpness to the chin,--so;" or, "Stay, you
have it too square now; tone it down a hair's breadth, and you will get
it," before he received even the somewhat hesitating acknowledgment from
the other of: "There, that is something like him!"
But he had not expected to succeed very well in this part of the
picture, and was sufficiently pleased to have gained a very correct
notion of the style of clothing the gentleman wore, which, it is
needless to state, was most faithfully reproduced in the sketch, even if
the exact expression of the strong and masculine face was not.
"A really remarkable bit of work," admitted the young fellow when the
whole was completed. "And as true to the scene, too, as half the
illustrations given in the weekly papers. Would you mind letting me have
it as a _souvenir_?" he eagerly inquired. "I would like to show it to a
chap who was with me at the time. The likeness to the lady is
wonderful."
But Mr. Byrd, with his most careless air, had already thrust the picture
into his pocket, from which he refused to withdraw it, saying, with an
easy laugh, that it might come in play with him some time, and that he
could not afford to part with it. At which remark the young fellow
looked disappointed and vaguely rattled some coins he had in his pocket;
but, meeting with no encouragement from the other, forbore to press his
request, and turned it into an invitation to join him in a social glass
at the bar.
To this slight token of appreciation Mr. Byrd did not choose to turn a
deaf ear. So the drinks being ordered, he proceeded to clink glasses
with the youthful stranger, taking the opportunity, at the same time, of
glancing over to the large, well-built man whose quiet absorption in the
paper he was reading had so attracted his attention when he first came
in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account