"Oh, Theo--Theodore Malken, though we call him Leo. He won't work,
either. His people are old Californian stock and dreadfully wealthy;
but they disowned him and he disowned them when he was fifteen. They
say he is lunatic, and he says they are merely maddening. He really
writes some remarkable verse... when he does write; but he prefers to
dream and live in the jungle with Terrence and Aaron. He was tutoring
immigrant Jews in San Francisco, when Terrence and Aaron rescued him,
or captured him, I don't know which. He's been with us two years now,
and he's actually filling out, despite the facts that Dick is absurdly
generous in furnishing supplies and that they'd rather talk and read
and dream than cook. The only good meals they get is when they descend
upon us, like to-night."
"And the Hindoo, there--who's he?"
"That's Dar Hyal. He's their guest. The three of them invited him up,
just as Aaron first invited Terrence, and as Aaron and Terrence invited
Leo. Dick says, in time, three more are bound to appear, and then he'll
have his Seven Sages of the Madroño Grove. Their jungle camp is in a
madroño grove, you know. It's a most beautiful spot, with living
springs, a canyon--but I was telling you about Dar Hyal.
"He's a revolutionist, of sorts. He's dabbled in our universities,
studied in France, Italy, Switzerland, is a political refugee from
India, and he's hitched his wagon to two stars: one, a new synthetic
system of philosophy; the other, rebellion against the tyranny of
British rule in India. He advocates individual terrorism and direct
mass action. That's why his paper, _Kadar,_ or _Badar,_ or something
like that, was suppressed here in California, and why he narrowly
escaped being deported; and that's why he's up here just now, devoting
himself to formulating his philosophy.
"He and Aaron quarrel tremendously--that is, on philosophical matters.
And now--" Paula sighed and erased the sigh with her smile--"and now,
I'm done. Consider yourself acquainted. And, oh, if you encounter our
sages more intimately, a word of warning, especially if the encounter
be in the stag room: Dar Hyal is a total abstainer; Theodore Malken can
get poetically drunk, and usually does, on one cocktail; Aaron Hancock
is an expert wine-bibber; and Terrence McFane, knowing little of one
drink from another, and caring less, can put ninety-nine men out of a
hundred under the table and go right on lucidly expounding epicurean
anarchy."
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account