The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-09-22
Ralst0n's Home.

uO uOI suppooo Vuou III oho Auo"A
there will be any such unions and re-
unions Of business men as Ralston's
Without going there, q stranger hao
no adequate impression of the coast
Al Raston's 8 board he saw the soul oi
tho coast, the inginery exposed. the
cheerful heart and great imagination
which overcome obstacles by the
splend or Of their combinations. The
host all night was quiet and unob
strucsive, yet the animating presence
and cause of the assemblage, Now
that he is dead, LIE Roi,est mort, but
not yet Viue Le Roi!
The next day was Sunday. Bel
mont was empty of the crowd. ]
arose at daylight and strolled again
through the long suit of the lower
floor, picked book from the library,
fondled the big dogs, discovered the
mineral water aud tasted New Alma.
den Vichy, Pacific Congress, Idaho
soda and the salts of Saratoga; yet
we were all used up. One English
men could only say, feeling his tenn
pies: "Stor'naryl Most'stor'nary!
We lay around the porches on Chinese
chairs, and felt the parch and thirst
entailed by too much riches.
Ralston came down. He was in the
hapit of feasting thus day after day
He cried out cheorily: "Down
Heigh? know what ails you fel
lows. You want some Of the hair of
the same dog that bit you last night
Toni"
He made US a glass of something
potential to seek spirits ~ the bottom
of the we'll, where they had dropped
and we had appetite for breakfast
A bird, a sole, toast, coffee. At the
areakfast table we were half dozen
bhere were Edgar Mills, brother Of
D. O.: Captain Hartshorne, General
Hutchinson and the two Britons
One of these -Brereton, fine fellow
afterwards married an American lady
and is still resident in California. The
whole party took the big Kimbcll wa.
gon, hung on native leather between
bows of native ash, and halston had
the reins, tour-in-hand- We dashed
off through the country between the
bay and the sea, threading Spring
Valley, where were the dams to sup.
ply San Francisco with drinking wa,
ter. The rich bay trees threw their
branches over the narrow roads, the
glistening oaks shut in the way. Our
athletic driver brushed the branches
aside and the mettled horses feeling his
wish upon their strength, obevied bis
will.
The California sun came out
Here and there we stopped for a rein.
introduction to some neighbors whom
he had met before: many places that
we saw were more elegant than Raj
ston's and it was apparent that he
had missed the greatest seasoning OF
lifes enjoyments-an appreciation OF
woman at her best, in her disinterest.
ed and large nature. He was mar.
ried to a lady of abundant goodness
and intelligence; but he was like the
late Samuel Colt Of Hartford, in this
respect had lived too athletic and
masculine a life TO form just concep
ton of waman as q friend and fellow
mind. His pursuits were so wholly
material that they shut the wife out
of their secrets Besides, it is rare
that marriage with so great wealth
as Ralston had is happy choice. |
remember that the homestead of D.
o. Mills was although q sitter affair
more domestic than Ralston's house
his wife and children were parts OF
the walk and talk. 1t was not so ell
abora,e, though more beautiful thar
Ralston's and better furnished, as tc
preclude the probability of q homo
there.