The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-05-22
A Man Without Enthusiasms.

think that neither OF us could have
analyzed or satisfactorily explained our
mutual attraction. but it is certain that
nv old class-mate Manson and | were
fast friends. He was = most lovable
fellow, but had begun, long before our
college course came to an end, to show
that apparent lack of interest in life that
distinguishes what we call 6laSe man ;
and this at times to a degree at once
amusing and exasperating.
Not long ago party OF us, In the
pleasant smoking-room Of q Pacific
steamer, were talking about one Of our
ow-paSsengerS-rather q poor specl-
men of this claSS-then of the class it
self: and the oldest member of the little
group, who had been lighting his cigar
very deliberately with the little wire
which one dips in spirits of wine, re-
sumed his seat with the remark, delivered
with great emphasis:
well. gentlemen, it's dreadful thing
for a young man to have no enthusiasm. !"
The expression brought Manson to my
mind. l do not know why | had not
thought of him before, but "reminiscences
now crowded in rapidly upon me and !
sat for some moments looking out at the
blue waves Of the Pacific, and oblivious
of the nice points of the discussion.
Finally it seemed opportune to me to
narl;.te to the party some Of the circum-
stances under which my friend and had
been thrown together.
He was, as our old schoolmaster once
said. fortunate in his choice ofa father,
and feared that the tendency which |
have mentioned would be developed by
n life of virtual idleness: and when we
had parted, and / only knew Of his do
ings through his letters, and those of
mutual acquaintance, there was every
reason 10 believe that my forebodinys
were correct. He made n short trip to
Europe. 4 region which he described rs
"slow." and thcr nominally entered on
eellent, and his perceptions quick, but
after he had been for some time partner
in a firm, friend wrote me that when
he met him in the street, and asked him
where his Office was, he received the
reply:
II don't know. They've moved since
I've been there"
was travelling some years later from
India to Europe. We had a fine steamer
from Calcutta, and some most agreeable
people on board. 1t was just shout the
time that some of the officers who had
served in the mutiny were getting their
furlough, and fine fellows they were.
My roommate, stout, jolly-looking
man with red side whiskers, was in the
Residency at Lucknow, and was suffer
ing from wasting disease, but he was a
good shot and they could not spare him
and he used to tell me how, when they
had loaded his rifle, they would prop
him up on his mattress until he could
sight Sepoy and then sink back again.
All these men had been through terrible
experiences, but they were delighted at
going home, and were generally in the
highest spirits. | remember that they
would not "turn in" at all the night
that we ran up the Gulf of Suez, and
they were eager to get ashore in the
morning. We went up to tue hotel
built around a courtyard, and found a
French woman singing III Bacio" in
the shrillest Of voices to the accompani-
ment of sundry instruments played by
compatriots in fez caps. Even the
squalid bazaar seemed preferable to this,
and we were turning to go thither, when
l saw, leaning against pillar. my old
IT1elu hallSOH, alltl Dul llltl llS udu
"puggery" on his hat, he looked for all
the world just AS he had looked many
times at performance of "Trovatore'
or "Favorita" in the old days at Boston
when the supernumeraries were all from
our class. was delighted to meet him,
presented him at once to my party, and
insisted on his going to Cairo with us.
He assented with the remark that he
could not be more bored there than he
had been at Suez. My companions ap-
preciated his fine qualities, and, as they
grew better acquainted, were disposed
to chafH' him n little about his eccen-
tricities. Some time before we reached
our destination he had been telling us
his experiences on arrival in Egypt. He
had intended to go to Bombay, but had
changed his mind at Suez the day before
we arrived.
Fellows talked to me about grand
Cairo" said he, "called it an epitome o.
the "Arabian Nights" Portal of the
Orient" and all that sort of thing.
began to think that l might amuse my
self for day there. Our steamer wa:
ate; we were sent through by express
remaining ten minutes in the Cairo sta
ton; and all that saw of the g Portal o
the Orient looking. with sleepy eye
through the window of the railwa.
carriage, was an Englishman in tweed
suit and q sun-hat, standing before q re