Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-02-22

ment. Does that suit you
"Itsuits me extremely we'll" said Richard
who now began to think he must be dealing
with an amiable lunatic.
"Then you can make your arrangement:
with the landlady. Don't mind my taking tht
room you now occupy, if you please; I'm sor
ry to make You change, but the light there
suits me so perfectly. I'm coming at twelve
o'clock tomorrow, sharp. Well, l believe
that's all. Good.evening, I'll see you in tht
morning.
"Well, he is queer old genus" soliloquizec
Richard after he had shown him out l an
very lucky to have fallen in with him, how
ever this will set me on my legs again, if th'
employment does not last but few weeks
even."
He then went off to make arrangement with
his landlady about room, and found sh'
could accommodate him with one nearly a!
good as that he was now occupying, only 6
story higher up.
"I'm real glad you are not going away, at
ter ALL" she said heartily; and Richard, whose
heart always opened in response to friendlines'
and sympathy, told her Of the employment ht
had obtained, and the relief thus afforded tt
his mind.
Punctually at twelve the next day Mr.
Danton appeared, carrying an immense bun
die, which proved to be the manuscript he
had spoken of. He was accompanied by 6
boy trundling trunk on wheelbarrow, and
in his own hand he carried valise, which
in conjunction with his papers, was about as
much as he could conveniently manage This
valise contained his wardrobe; the trunk, as
he afterwards showed Richard, being filled
with books and papers, the latter consisting
chiefly of manuscripts, all in different hand
writing and carefully tied in separate packa'
ges.
"There are many writings, the labor OF
wears" he said pointing them out "You see
was not wrong in saying that had written
a great deal. These will be quite an heirloom
to my family when am dead they can have
them printed if they like. I have never pub
lished anything"
"Never published anything" exclaimed
Richard.
"Never. The worry, the excitement, the
expense, the uncertainty of the thing would
be too much for me; I couldn't stand it.
shall bequeath these to posterity in their mosl
valuable form an authors works are always
most priced in his own handwriting. BY the
way, these are not precisely in my own hand
writing, I forgot that; but they are in manu-
script, which come to the same thing. You
see, it would never do for me not to have them
copied off fair; my writing is so far from dis
tinct."
Richard fully agreed with him. Of all
grabbed, crooked, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
specimens of chirography, Mr.. Danton's GER
tainly was the worst he had ever come across
He foresaw that his task would not be so light
q one as he had at first expected however, he
went to work at it courageously, resolved tc
do his best. He accomplished more in the
first day than he had ventured to hope he
would, and more apparently than his employ
er had expected, for the latter seemed quite
charmed with his progress. 1t took him three
weeks ofsteady work to get through the first
volume; after that, becoming more accustom
ed to the hand, he began to read the original
with tolerable ease, and got on much more
rapidly.
1t did not take many days of intercourse
with Mr.. Danton to confirm Richard in his
first imprission, I. e. that he was kind-hear'
ted, but decidedly eccentric character. He
was Enthusiastically weak on the subject of
writing he was now engaged on fresh story
over which nearly his whole time was spent
and Richard could not bel p thinking that, if
the result were not more satisfactory than
that of which he had an opportunity of judg,
ing, it would hardly compensate for the ex'
penditure Of time and paper. His own task
was a novel, written in the most exaggerated
and high-fown style; the characters were un-
natural, the language nonsensical, and plot in
by an unwarped brain. 1t was
no concern of his, however; it was his duty to
copy, not to criticise; yet he could not forbear
laughing in secret over the very
absurdity of the thing, while he pitied the
hallucination that caused a lifetime to be spent
ID Sucn an OccuPaClOn.
Whether Mr.. Danton's brain was afflicted
or not his pay was prompt and sure. At the
end of each week he insisted on "squaring up
accounts" as he expressed it, and as Richard
was saved the expense of board and lodging
he found himself, when his task was accom-
plished, which result was attained in little
over six weeks from the commencement of it,
with nearly three hundred dollars in his pock'
et-a sum which he would once on time
have spent unhesitatingly on the merest tri'
aes, but which now appeared to him a treasure
of magnitude, to be boarded with care, and
expended with the utmost prudence and con-
sideration.
"Upon my word, my young friend" said the
old gentleman, when he had paid the last in
stallment, and received the fresh-looking
neatly written manuscript from Richards
hands, II am really sorry that you have got
throug Oh with this so quickly. 1expected you
would have been at it couple of weeks
longer for the very least. And so admirably
too-the best written MS. in
my possession. owe you a thousand
thanks"
81 owe you my thanks, sir, said Richard
''for finding me employment. 1t came at a
time when was pretty hard pushed, assure
you. Now I shall have breathing time, al
any rate, and an opportunity to look about
for something else"
"What do you purpose doing?" asked Mr.
Danton.
"Anything I can. If I can only make a
living, I shall be satisfied"
"Make living! Nay, my friend, don't be
satisfied with that. Acquire fame! Slacken
not in pursuit of her, and her laurels will
one day crown your effulgent brow"
"Fame!' said Richard, smiling at the gran
diloquent language in which the advice was
given. 1T would be very pleasant to be ia,
nous, dare say but how is it to be done?
"Write, write, write!'' said the old gentle