New town, new man By Tom MercerCarbondale-ish Alven Smith was a reclusive, 50-year-old bachelor. Most people who knew Alven regarded him as “painfully shy,” or worse yet “possibly anti-social.” And, over time, Alven had become aware of his unfortunate reputation, but did not know what he could do about it. Then, one day, Alven’s landlord […]