The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-06-26
THAT LITTLE PLACE OF BROWNS.

q The place was mine, and we lived as
coziy there, my wife and little daughter
and I, as birds in a nest, until the
Blacks. some old friends of ours from
the city, came to live in our neighbor.
hood. p =
We were at supper one night when my
wife told me-.
"They're going to take the French
rooted house around the corner" said
Sally, awith the big extension and con-
servatory, and as happened to be walk.
ing out Just as the trucks came down, I
couldn't help seeing that the parlor
furniture is of crimson satin damask and
ebony-I think it's ebony, but I won't be
sure" continued my wife; "but at any
rate it's inlaid." .iIi ="
"Well, that's q comfort, any way"
said I. "If you're positive it's inlaid,
Sally, you can perhaps go on with your
supper.4 = H { e
s9Yes,s she said, SO preoccupied with
her theme that she hadn't eaten a NOR
sci. "and there's the handsomest bed
room set for Jane that most ever laid
nv eyes on; it's one of these dressing
bureaus, Joe, with O magnificent plate
glass that reaches down to the floor"
"That's good" said I. "You can
run around there when you have your
next gown fitted, and see the hang Of
it." ...... 81.
"I don't expect to run around there"
said Sally, craning her neck up stif1y,
turning up the end Of her nose, and
+ drawing her lips down y 81
"Why, what's the 'matter?" said T..
"Wasn't Jane friendly? I've done many
a good turn for Black jp my day, and I
hope they're not going to turn the cold
shoulder now" /
ooh, she was friendly enough" said
Sally; "but we can't expect, Joe, that
people living in that kind of style can be
upon terms ofintimacy with people that
: live as we do. There are certain restric-
:tions in society =" = r..
- Restrictions be hanged!' I cried.
"I'm as good a man as Black any day
in the week. -ry;,sra 80.
: t'You're as good as the President, for
that matter, 2 said Sally; g but it's all
like pair Of scales, Joe, when one goes
up another goes down, and, from the
way things look, it Il take a pretty
heavy weight ON the Blacks side to
bring them down to our position"
Imust own this kind of logic ve1ed
me little. I knew pretty we'll how
Black stood commercially. and I told
Sally there wasn't q feathers weight on
his side, so far as the favors of fortune
were concerned. self he hasa mind to
live above his MEANS" said I, ''he can
do it. and take the consequences.
"He has just as good o right to live
above his means, ''said Sally, Gas you
have to live beneath yours"
This was her Parthian arrow as I
went out the door, and it ranked little
i all the way down in the train,i the more
sharply that found Black the center'of
an admiring bevy at the depot. He had
quite an imposing inake-up and glib
tongue, which he used in inveighing
against our system Of paving. He COM
planned Of the condition Of good many
things in our young township, and
seemed to gain popularity with every
fault that he found. At last he spied
me, and was exceedingly loud and effu-
sive in his salutation. =, ?. @H,
"Hallo, Brown!"1 he said, shaking
my hand again and again, and declaring
to the people about him I was an old
friend whom he was glad to unearth.
sTve run you down, you sly fox.
That's snug little place around the
oorner-very snug indsedl" =.
wouldn't have believed it possible
I could have been such an ass as to feel
hattered by this familiarity of Black 8,
but found myself smirking and nod
ding with. great complacency. Here
were at least Shalf q dozen of the gentry
about me who lived in big houses in my
neighborhood, that I had been going W
and down to the city with for years, yet
scarcely knew them well enough for al
exchange of civilities, and here was Blacl
already hand in glove with the finest o
them. It makes me sick now when
remember that 7 turned my back OF
poor old White, and went toadying OF
with this aristocracy. White lived ii
= even smaller house than mine, ane
had hard enough work to pay for that
He had failed in. business some year,
before, and I don't know what they
would have done without their boy Bob
He was with me in the city, and I knew
that a goodly portion of the 4ad's earn
inge were given over to the support O
the house. IT was rather, hard for Bob
>, bnt he, bore lbs lot with great resigaa
: ton Hscame over prettyoften to hav'
. game Of cribbage and talk over bust
ness matterss with me, and I found hin
sharp enough at both. Then he had
pleasant way with the women. Our lit
tie Rosalie was little more than child
but Sally used to brighten up when Bol
came in, till she got into that kinl
about the Blacks. .r
"You1l stay here with Rosalie, won
you, Bob, till we come back ?" I said t.
young White, and as I spoke I fel
Sally give savage pinch to my arm
No sooner were we outside the door thai
she began about poor Bob.
"If you have no regard for you
daughters future, and choose to thro,
her away on poor miserable begga
like Bob White" began Sally.