And indeed he was not; he was filled with an exhilaration akin to mysticism, and he sat waiting for what he was certain must be the experience above all others in his prosaic existence.
"McIlvaine's disappearance coming so close on Richardson's gave us a beautiful story," said Harrigan. "The only trouble was, it wasn't new when the Globe got around to it. We had lost our informant in Richardson; it never occurred to Alexander or Leopold to telephone us or anyone about McIlvaine's unaccountable absence from Bixby's. Finally, Leopold went over to McIlvaine's house to find out whether the old fellow was sick.
"A young fellow opened up.
"'Where's McIlvaine?' Leopold asked.
"'I'm McIlvaine,' the young fellow answered.
"'Thaddeus McIlvaine,' Leopold explained.
"'That's my name,' was the only answer he got.
"'I mean the Thaddeus McIlvaine who used to play cards with us over at Bixby's,' said Leopold.
"He shook his head. 'Sorry, you must be looking for someone else.'