Books Should Be Free Loyal Books Free Public Domain Audiobooks & eBook Downloads |
|
In the Onyx Lobby By: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) |
---|
![]()
BY CAROLYN WELLS Author of "The Man Who Fell Through the Earth," "The Room With the
Tassels," "Faulkner's Folly," etc.
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1920,
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CONTENTS
I SUCH A FEUD! II A TRICKY GAME III THE SCRAWLED MESSAGE IV THE BUSY POLICE V WHO WERE THE WOMEN? VI THE LITTLE DINNER VII ENLIGHTENING INTERVIEWS VIII JULIA BAXTER IX THE LIBRARY SET X SEEK THE WOMEN XI THE OLD FEUD XII ONE WOMAN AND ANOTHER XIII MOTIVES XIV PENNY WISE XV AND ZIZI XVI TESTIMONY XVII A WOMAN SCORNED XVIII FITTED TO A T
IN THE ONYX LOBBY
CHAPTER I Such a Feud!
"Well, by the Great Catamaran! I think it's the most footle business I
ever heard of! A regulation, clinker built, angle iron, sunk hinge
family feud, carried on by two women! Women! conducting a feud! They
might as well conduct a bakery!" "I daresay they could do even that! Women have been known to bake with
a fair degree of success!" "Of course, of course, but baking and conducting a bakery are not
identical propositions. Women are all right, in their place, which, by
the way, is not necessarily in the home, but a family feud, of all
things, calls for masculine management and skill." Sir Herbert Binney stood by the massive mantelpiece in the ornate
living room of the Prall apartment. The Campanile Apartment House came
into being with the century, and though its type was now superseded by
the plain, flat stucco of the newer buildings, yet it haughtily flaunted
its elaborate façade and its deeply embrasured windows with the pride of
an elder day. Its onyx lobby, lined with massive pillars, had once been
the talk of the neighborhood, and the black and white tessellated floor
of the wide entrance hall was as black and as white as ever. The location, between the Circle and the Square, which is to say,
between Columbus Circle and Times Square, in the City of New York, had
ceased to be regarded as the pick of the householders, though still
called the heart of the city. People who lived there were continually
explaining the reason for their stay, or moving across town. But lots of worthwhile people yet tarried, and among them were none more
so than certain dwellers in The Campanile. Miss Letitia Prall, lessee of the mantelpiece already referred to, was a
spinster, who, on dress parade, possessed dignity and poise quite
commensurate with the quality of her home. But in the shelter of her own fireside, she allowed herself latitude of
speech and even loss of temper when she felt the occasion justified it.
And any reference to or participation in the famous feud was such
justification. Her opponent in the deadly strife was one Mrs Everett, also an occupant
of The Campanile, and equally earnest in prolonging the life and energy
of the quarrel. Sir Herbert Binney, an Englishman, knighted since the war, had come to
America in the interests of its own business, no less an enterprise than
the establishment of an American branch of the great and well known
"Binney's Buns." Celebrated in England, he hoped and expected to make the admirable buns
equally popular over here, and trusted to his engaging personality as
well as his mercantile acumen to accomplish this purpose. Not exactly related to Miss Prall, Sir Herbert was connected by the
marriage of a relative. That is, his stepbrother's son, one Richard
Bates, was also the son of Miss Prall's sister. This young gentleman,
who, by the way, lived with his Aunt Letitia, was another reason for Sir
Herbert's presence in New York. He had thought that if this nephew
showed the right sort of efficiency he could be set to manage the
American branch, or, at least, have a hand in the management. And so, Binney of "Binney's Buns" had established himself in one of the
smaller suites of The Campanile, had had his living room repapered to
his taste, had made arrangements for his proper service, and was
comfortably domiciled... Continue reading book >>
|
eBook Downloads | |
---|---|
ePUB eBook • iBooks for iPhone and iPad • Nook • Sony Reader |
Kindle eBook • Mobi file format for Kindle |
Read eBook • Load eBook in browser |
Text File eBook • Computers • Windows • Mac |
Review this book |
---|