1
/
of
1
Leila's Books
THE PRETENDER - A Story of the Latin Quarter
THE PRETENDER - A Story of the Latin Quarter
Regular price
$2.99 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$2.99 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
Couldn't load pickup availability
This ebook edition has been proofed and corrected and compiled to be read with without errors!
***
CONTENTS
BOOK I—THE CHALLENGE
I. The Happiest Young Man in Manhattan
II. The Sheep and the Goats
III. Grilled Kidney and Bacon
IV. An Unintentional Philanderer
V. A Seasick Sentimentalist
VI. An Involuntary Fiancé
VII. A Bottle of Ink
VIII. The Girl Who Looked Interesting
IX. The Chewing Gum of Destiny
X. The Young Man Who Makes Good
BOOK II—THE STRUGGLE
I. The Newly-weds
II. That Muddle-Headed Santa Claus
III. The City of Light
IV. The City of Laughter
V. The City of Love
VI. Getting Down to Cases
VII. The Merry Month of May
VIII. "Tom, Dick and Harry"
IX. An Unexpected Development
X. The Life and Death of Dorothy Madden
BOOK III—THE AWAKENING
I. The Stress of the Struggle
II. The Darkest Hour
III. The Dawn
IV. A Chapter That Begins Well and Ends Badl
V. The Great Quietus
VI. The Shadow of Success
VII. The Fate of Fame
VIII. The Manufacture of a Villain
IX. A Cheque and a Check
X. Prince of Dreamers
***
An excerpt from the beginning of:
BOOK I—THE CHALLENGE
CHAPTER I
THE HAPPIEST YOUNG MAN IN MANHATTAN
To have omnibus tastes and an automobile income—how ironic?
With this reflexion I let myself collapse into a padded chair of transcendent comfort, lit a cigarette and inspected once more the amazing bank-book. Since I had seen it last several credit entries had been made—over twenty thousand dollars; and in the meantime, dawdling and dreaming in the woods of Maine, all I had managed to squander was a paltry thousand. Being a man of imagination I sought for a simile. As I sat there by the favourite window of my favourite club I could see great snowflakes falling in the quiet square, and at that moment it seemed to me that I too was standing under a snowfall, a snowfall of dollars steadily banking me about.
For a moment I revelled in the charming vision, then like a flash it changed. Now I could see two figures locked in Homeric combat. Like a serene over-soul I watched them, I, philosopher, life-critic; for was not one of them James H. Madden, a man of affairs, the other, J. Horace Madden, dilettante and dreamer. . . . Look! from that clutter of stale snow a form springs triumphant. Hurrah! It is the near-poet, the man on the side of the angels.—And so rejoiced was I at this issue that I regarded the little bank-book almost resentfully.
"Figures, figures," I sighed, "what do you mean to me? Crabbed symbols on a smudgy page! can you buy for me that fresh Spring-morning feeling in the brain, that rapture of a fine thing finely done? Ah no! the luxury you spell means care and worry. In comfort is contentment. And am I not content? Nay! in all Manhattan is there man more happy? Young, famous, free—could life possibly be more charming? And so in my tower of tranquillity let me work and dream; and every now and then, little book, your totals will grow absurd, and I will look at you and say: 'Figures, figures, what do you mean to me?'"
***
CONTENTS
BOOK I—THE CHALLENGE
I. The Happiest Young Man in Manhattan
II. The Sheep and the Goats
III. Grilled Kidney and Bacon
IV. An Unintentional Philanderer
V. A Seasick Sentimentalist
VI. An Involuntary Fiancé
VII. A Bottle of Ink
VIII. The Girl Who Looked Interesting
IX. The Chewing Gum of Destiny
X. The Young Man Who Makes Good
BOOK II—THE STRUGGLE
I. The Newly-weds
II. That Muddle-Headed Santa Claus
III. The City of Light
IV. The City of Laughter
V. The City of Love
VI. Getting Down to Cases
VII. The Merry Month of May
VIII. "Tom, Dick and Harry"
IX. An Unexpected Development
X. The Life and Death of Dorothy Madden
BOOK III—THE AWAKENING
I. The Stress of the Struggle
II. The Darkest Hour
III. The Dawn
IV. A Chapter That Begins Well and Ends Badl
V. The Great Quietus
VI. The Shadow of Success
VII. The Fate of Fame
VIII. The Manufacture of a Villain
IX. A Cheque and a Check
X. Prince of Dreamers
***
An excerpt from the beginning of:
BOOK I—THE CHALLENGE
CHAPTER I
THE HAPPIEST YOUNG MAN IN MANHATTAN
To have omnibus tastes and an automobile income—how ironic?
With this reflexion I let myself collapse into a padded chair of transcendent comfort, lit a cigarette and inspected once more the amazing bank-book. Since I had seen it last several credit entries had been made—over twenty thousand dollars; and in the meantime, dawdling and dreaming in the woods of Maine, all I had managed to squander was a paltry thousand. Being a man of imagination I sought for a simile. As I sat there by the favourite window of my favourite club I could see great snowflakes falling in the quiet square, and at that moment it seemed to me that I too was standing under a snowfall, a snowfall of dollars steadily banking me about.
For a moment I revelled in the charming vision, then like a flash it changed. Now I could see two figures locked in Homeric combat. Like a serene over-soul I watched them, I, philosopher, life-critic; for was not one of them James H. Madden, a man of affairs, the other, J. Horace Madden, dilettante and dreamer. . . . Look! from that clutter of stale snow a form springs triumphant. Hurrah! It is the near-poet, the man on the side of the angels.—And so rejoiced was I at this issue that I regarded the little bank-book almost resentfully.
"Figures, figures," I sighed, "what do you mean to me? Crabbed symbols on a smudgy page! can you buy for me that fresh Spring-morning feeling in the brain, that rapture of a fine thing finely done? Ah no! the luxury you spell means care and worry. In comfort is contentment. And am I not content? Nay! in all Manhattan is there man more happy? Young, famous, free—could life possibly be more charming? And so in my tower of tranquillity let me work and dream; and every now and then, little book, your totals will grow absurd, and I will look at you and say: 'Figures, figures, what do you mean to me?'"
Share
