, 1882-10-14
WEST INDIAN IL
the Demerara Argosy, Aug. 26, 1892,

MY friend and neighbour Carew, who
managed his own estate in st. MOlasSes.
had u young overseer named McGregOr, a
strong well-made Highlander, who learned
his duties quickly, and was a faithful ser
want one day, however, he sickened, and
fever set in; there was IN those days, no
district medical officer, and McGregOr was
sent off III a canoe to town so as to be un-
der proper care and treatment. Carew
gave up his own rooms, and enlisted the
sympathies of old Jane who looked after
them, and a better nurse than that thin
frail looking old mulattO woman no one
could desire.
In a day or two, the doctor rel O"ted that
poor McGregOr's was a case of yellow fever
one of those sporadic cases which will crop
up now and then apparently without cause.
CareW. who received the message sons
days later, at once hurried up to town,
and I went with him. There could be no
doubt as to the poor OyeISeer'S condition,
but some days had elapsed since the crisis
and McGregor was reported better, but IN
need of stimulants, especially champagne.
NY friend who was annoyed that he had
not been earlier sent for, gave carte blanche
for everything that could be required and
then left, promising soon to return.
Now in st. MOlasses there was a fellow
called Plantagenet who was a Government
employ6,-a .fellow of infinite wit" but
of very ininitesimal principles. lie man
aged to live on a couple OF hundro a year
in a style which cost other pe)plesthrlce as
much or more. lie was, however, always
ready to proffer his services in q most
generous fashion: often undertook a trou-
blesome task "tO Oblige Bens0n"; volun-
teered assistance whenever he thought he
could be 0fuSe, and 50 laid a fOunda l n on
which he could venture at some Subsequent
period to base d request. Many of his
friends paid for these little servlcej by a
loan siust until Tuesday" which day never
seemed to arrive; or 10y an endorsement
"0nly as a matter of FORM which resulted
in a matter of hard cash. P~ialtagenet
has been known to Saunter into the Ice
house at the heels of some couple who had
gone in to get 4 drink, and ask the bar
man in an apologize tone for q glass OF
iced water.
"Anything in it Mr., P~lantagenet|
ENot to-day Cyrus thank yOu-not to-
day am not in cash as 1T happens,
"and I, as you know, never run a tlck Tor
drink there were reasons beyond Plan'
tagenets control for this). 'Plain water
{" with a big lump of ice II you can spare 1t
thank you CyruSW
But before the glass was raised to his
lips, he would of course be asked to join
the otter drinkiSts, and L am told that
his firm refusal, then hesitation, followed
by a surrender, and a murmured adhesion,
"whatever you're taking, thank YOU
was a study.
AS Carew and l went home in our canoe
that night, and he leant back III the stern
steering with the yoke lines over bis shout
der. and his face turned up TO the sky, he
said, 81 nave had a lesson to-day old
mani"
eyes, 1 replied, "what's thatW
Merely. that in every fellow, "there's
d" some good, which, bad as the mans
" nature may otherwise be, at0nes for
1" much of that badness. | used to think
" and speak of Plantagenet as a mear,.
" selfish snob, without one particle OF real
=. GOOD in him; but ] was wrOng.'
What has occurred to make you alter
"your opinion?
Well! would you believe it; old Jane
{" says nobody had been near poor Metre
g cor. Everybody funked yellow Jack,
" EXCEPT Plantagenet, and he has been
" round daily of late, reading to the poor
:. fellow and cheering him up. SO there
"must be some good in him, must there
" not be ?"
assented, and we glided In the moon
light along the coast, where the sea was
like glass. We did not chat much, and
the silence was broken only by the tnud
of the oars against the thule pins, and the