The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1874-12-16
THE STORY OF OLD BILES.

THE STORY OF OLD BILES.
Take that chicken out of your hat, "
was the expression uttered in a shrill.
boyish treble, Chat fell upon my ear |;
and q ragged. dazed looking old man,
In very seedy suit, and dilapidated
stovepipe hat, surrounded by a crowd
of vicious looking, rowdy boys of ali
ages,wss the spectacle that met my eyes,
as turned the corner one day recently
- was about to-pass on. without giving
= the affair any attention, when some
thing familiar about the old mans
i appealing ookss struck m chord of
memory.
stopped and drove off the crowd
who were prosecuting him, while he
looked still more imbecile and Woe
begone at the unexpected succor than
heyhad ths ahase. Evidently feeling
the nedesityfor some word of thanks
and expfanation, heS faltered out, 81
amt got no more chicken in my hat
than You mas, sif. and them young uns
knows it; but they has just got go into
the habit OF. persecnting poor Old Biles,
that they cant sort Of help It, it seems
Il like. asIm Iobeeged ste syou, sir, for
battered hat, which he had removed
both as an act of courtesy and to verify
his words, he shuf1ed off down the hill.
geasped my cigar tighter between my
teeth, and swung my cane in that ever
lasting whirling fashion which has be.
come second nature to me. with more
than usual syehemeIce, Fl went on
,toward my daily vocation; FOR in that
mon1entary fash of memory there had
opened to- my inner sight a glimpse
down the vista of the past, in which
young love, broken heart and green
grave, were prominent objects.
had known the man whose identity
was lost in the miserable appelation
of cold Biles," in days which were to
his present position as is the noon
he bore an honest name, and lived
peaceful life. -
Years ago, when I was but strip
pling, I first knew him among the green
hills of Maryland, where he was plain,
unassuming, but well-to-dor farmer,
then in the prime of ife--one of that
class of men once so common in the
Middle States, who, without education
or culture, and depending solely upon
native shrewdness, move through the
world calmly and prosper after their
own fashion. Biles had quite little
farm upon the eastern shore of the
Chesapeake Bay, and owned an inseres.
In the little schooner which conveyed
his garden products to market. He
was widower with one child, who was
his idol. ,,t..I--s., n
Originally named Dorothea, after her
mother. a feminine freak had changed it
to the prettier and more euphonious
Dora; and who at the age of sixteen
was one OF the fairest Of Maryland's
fair daughters. Her face was that Of
pure oval form rarely seen.. Eyes of
!impid liquid blue. Hair of that IN
describabies shade which morenearly re-
sembless sunshine in wav9 folds than
aught else to- which ID can Be compared.
A form petite, yet perfect in its round
ed beauty; and voice musical as the
laughter of birds. All, me even at
this distance of time-in spite of the
gray threads that are thickening around
my temples, and the ftrrows that gath
er in my brow--my heart beats faster
and the blood circlss through my veins
more rapidly as ] look with the lin
gering glance OF memory upon Dora as
she was in the days of my youth.
It was q hard trial for Biies when he
realized the necessity for sending his
blselssS Z Fiji gdss,aty aHsy f1sa the he. home %,,s
AO Auu IuCh VI lfO1CoO OOt1luOu btub6,
and knew that TO carry out the golden
dreamslof DorA's future in which he
reveled, she must be educated and
he placed her in the academy of DIR.
Tilton in the city of Baltimore, where
she soon, by her beauty and quick wit,
won the hearts Of her teachers and
~ Dora lid remained a as school for a q
year, and her father had made monthly
trips on his sehooner 10 visit her, when
the first heavy blow Of his life came
upon him. In the innocence and sim
plicity of his soul he had never thought
of his awkward ways and ignorant
speech as being anything out of the
way. What he lacked in knowledge or
refinement was to be more than com.
pensated for by Dora's accomplish
ments and beauty. To him the oppor-
tunity Of seeing her In her loveliness,