The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-01-31
THE PRESS.
NV Friend the Communist.

There was plenty of brilliancy about Paul
Forbes, and when, after his return from Eu-
rope, he took fancy to spend his evenings
with me, | was highly fiattered by the idea
that l was fitted to enjoy free and untram-
melled intercourse with master mind. He
had sounded life and experience to the bot
tom and could relate his experiences in a
clear. picturesque fashion. He had fought
through the war of the rebellion, belonged
to secret societies in Europe, studied art I'M
der c. and lived in Paris during the COM
mune; he had been foreign newspaper cor
respondent, and written book and three
PLAYS, all dead failures. He called himself
champion failure but he took the world
with an air of success, and his accumulated
experiences, instead of depressing him,
afforded him fund of material upon which
his imagination acted with powerful vivacity.
| found him and his conversation very fas-
cinating. A holy friendship sprang up be-
tween us. He pronounced himself COM
munist and after long arguments, quite con-
verted me to his ideas. When, finally, he
made the suggestion in his frank, dictatorial
fashion that we should live together and
have everything in common, was touched
and exalted by the idea, besides being Sc
cretlv pleased with the notion OF Identifying
nv insignificant career with that OF an in
tellectual giant. Paul despised the meager
conventionalisms and corfOding selfishness
which pervaded society, and l heartily
agreed with him that, in order to readjust
the scale of human estimates and recomence
civilization. it was necessary for brave spirits
like ourselves to make beginning and afford
a spectacle of the true brotherhood OF man.
AS l had an excellent room on 18th street,
it was not necessary that we should find new
quarters. Paul brought his effects and set
tied down at once. While we were discuss
ing ways and means, he had talked good
deal about his furniture" and had gained
the idea that his belongings would inauguf-
ate an era of sumptuous luxury i'll my mod
est apartment. l confess it did seem to me
that these hints were not practically carried
out. He had, it is true, an embroidered
armchair, but it was faded and badly moth
eaten. But some woman had worked it for
Paul, and / could not blame him for seeing
more init than was apparent to my eyes.
There was sofa, too, which he had affirmed
to be q superb piece of furniture, but it
came to pieces when moved, and when the
remains were carried to the nearest cabinet
maker, the idea that it could be resurrected
entire was cynically repudiated. He had,
besides, about thousand books, some hand
somely bound, and plaster cast OF ''the
Venus" as he called it, spotted and black
ened by age, and a skeleton. | ventured to
object to the skeleton, but Paul scerned all
ideas which rested upon individual whim or
caprice and demanded foundation of uni
versal law. Anything, he declared, which
was universal was good. Now, certainly
nothing can be more universal than skee-
tons. Accordingly, the Venus stood on
draped pedestal (made Of chair that had
lost its back and an old dressing-gown) on
one side of the book-shelves, and the skele-
ton hung by hook on the other. Over and
above these possessions he had two I'M
framed pictures, presented by artist friends
in Paris. l frankly concede that his things
gave an air of taste to the room; they
showed culture. l had always felt my lack
of culture, and now encouraged large and
vivid belief in my opportunity for intellec-
tual and aesthetic improvement.
| began at once to enjoy his library, and
was not slow to notice singular circum-
stance: all the books had different names on
their fiy-leaves, as if they had been drawn
from various private libraries. l questioned
Paul about this, and he told Inc that few
had been picked up at sales, others were
presents, but the greater number had been
lent to him and never returned
''Why Brix," said he (my name is Henry
Brisbane, but he always called me Brig,
81 needed them more then the people bor
rowed them from. Why Brix, books should
be a commodity free as the universal air.
Of what use is book when shut away in
library? As well shut away sunshine.
When society is revolutionized, when sell
ishness and narrowness no longer character
ize men and rulers, books will be like the
dew which falls from heaven. Your or my
right to book lies in the need of it,
L could readily see that there was great
deal in this; still public libraries offer facili-
ties to the poor man.
''Too much circumlocution, too much red
tape" said Paul. SPY the very asking for
particular book you become the Inundated
bondsman of certain rules which cramp and
fa++o, =,
to suit my convenience. L can't read intel
ligently pent up in room with pack of
nnnieS."
had long since made up my mind that
societywas all wrong, and it was real pleas
ure to hear Paul challenge the established
order of things so fearlessy. If some of his
views were rather personal than general,
rather chimerical than practical, that seemed
mere human nature.
We got on capitally Paul had made an
estimate of our expenses: 1 was to furnish
$50 month besides the room, and he would
contribute the equivalent. But as all his
schemes turned out unluckily, and he had
no money, the entire expense devolved upon
me. We breakfasted together in our room.
Paul was capital cook, and used to get up
at daybreak in the cold winter mornings and
broil our bacon, cook our hominy and make
our coffee. Then in the evening, when we
met again, he would often offer asuggestion
of supper. l occasionally had dim suspi-
cion, which sometimes amounted to a GER
tanty, that the poor fellow needed his sup
per, having had neither luncheon nor din
ner, so l never begrudged it. In fact l be-
grudged him nothing. He was a most de-
lightful companion, and over our oysters
and lager beer would pour out confessions
suggestive, romantic, heart-stirring. Icould
not admire him enough. I felt myself a
tame, shabby fellow beside him, mere foil
to his brightness. His wardrobe was scanty,
poor devil! and he had knack of wearing
clothes so much better than [ that liked
to see him in anything. He shared my
coats and trousers as he shared my room,
and that he should make unstinted use of
my neck-tes and handkerchiefs was a mat
ter of course.
But one day, when l came in after my UNI
brella and overshoes, and found that he had
gone out and carried them off, began to
sulk a little over Pauls free and easy ways.
l remembered with some acerbity that his
part of our contract had not been carried out
l had paid the rent, furnished breakfast and
supper, and had that very morning paid his
bill to the laundress, who had become i'm
Fortunate and threatened to keep back his
small stock of linen. On no occasion had l
ever seen any money of Paul's, except at
Christmas, when he invited me with lordly
good nature to dine with him at Martigny's,
remarkng that Christmas came but once a
year and that we would dine well. Even
then his hospitality lost its force and was a
little marred by the circumstance that had
to pay for the second bottle of wine.
But on this particular afternoon | was led
to a softened feeling for Paul's faults by the
fhotT hoe i+otin 4n