The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-11-24
N IMPORTED 81 i.Ih;.
THE VERY D,SERTiNG i.lsiG!tt :HE NH.
i'ELEs. y ir:>lNsut

i'ELEt. '. ir:,lN%uS.
The ,he,ucrcd cnrrcr OF NI"n M. :;as':rd
to Emioy I;iS Money! i:ooG >.ory i: Max
rice r. E:an.
Mr.. Peleg Y. Atkinson WAS 4 good
man, and, if he had been roor man,
he would have been happy cue. But.
unfortunately, lie WAS ,ich. and i" had
gone to Europe-as that an:iahlc S!r
Lepel Griffin once S,,ia-to finish an
education that had never been began ;,t
home
Peleg V. Atkinson, without: nc Mir. :,
which, in obedience 10 What he WIS as
sured was New York custom, lie al
ways Lad engraved cn his cards, vas
worth much at the foot OF = cilccli.
It was great name IN the Philadelphia
marts Of trade. Third street knew and
honored it, and it WAS not r,ail2owa IL
Wall street. As l said, he was II, l."
had skinned tie cream OF Europe, "
as he phras,.d It, and he mad exhausted
all the pleasure that could be lad from
drinking sauterne ct luncheon, when he
preferred beer or ICE water, and of max
ing collection OF modern French
pictures. He had Il Corot ana a Meis-
sonnier, & Tibert and Detailie. He
never bought two specimens OF the same
artists work. He talked OF his pictures
rs examples. He had orchids, a eel
lar of good wine, and two pretty daugh-
terS, and yet he was not happy. because
Mrs. Peleg V. Atkinson was not happy.
1t is not easy for people accustomed
to the pleasures OF being well 20 Go to
bear the weight OF riches. When I first
knew the Atkinsons they were thorough
ly contented. They drank ice water
when they chose: they dined ct noon,
and corned beef and cabbage was a de-
light to them. On hot days air. -Atadn-
son threw off his coat after dinner, stuck
Q pipe in his mouth, and sat in the back
door IN his shirt sleeves, While ClarlSsa
or Jennie played Listen to tie Mock
ing Bird or '.Silvery Waves by way
of refreshing him before he went down
to the Office at the factory. ''On sont
les neige dantan?' asks Flllon. And
Mr. Atkinson, IN after years OF splendor.
often asked the same question, IL less
poetical language, as he though: OF those
happy days. Alas, there cou;d be no
more sitting under the grapevine arbor
and smoking the pipe OF pe;!cs,, Alrs.
Peleg Y. Atkinson would no r,orc make
the mint iulep with her own far hands
and come out to waken him from bliss
ful sleep as he sat in tie yard with q
newspaper over his head to keep of the
ttiies ON blissful and drowsy afternoons.
Then Mrs Atkinson was satisfied that
her four white stone steps were equal III
size and pallor to her neighGors. and
that there was 10 window glass in the
whole town Of Philadelphia more daz-
Zling than hers; but now.
Clarissa and Jennie played only
Chopin; they could not possibly condo
scend even to opera Music, although not
ayerse to q dash into Wagner occasional
ly. He dined by candlelght, ID a
dress suit and q stiff, white shilt bosom,
which he was always tempted 70 cover
I'D with his napkin. He had taken a
house just outside of Washington for the
winter, for Mrs. Atkinson saw no chance
cf making suitable matches for her
daughters in her native city. The
.:best" society was closed to her; she
lived on North Broad street, and there
fore Clarissa and Jennie could got posi-
bly, 60 to the Assembly ball; and above
ali things-outside OF heaven, of course
Mrs. Atkinson preferred wh;.ti is called
society. II
Mrs. Atkinson, who was what is ca.lea
!. capable woman, had come to know sgt sgt
social characteristics OF American cIEHs4
as well IS she used to know the points
of good fowl when she did her own
marketing, at Philadelphia, decided that
Washington was the best place to begin
the matrimonial campaign. She felt
that g foreign establishment was prefer
able to an American one and less difficult
to arrange The rich Americans, as she
knew, were too uncertain OF their OWL
status to be ready to make what Their
aristocratic connections would consider
nesalliances. Titles for Clarissa and
Jennie would make ali things easy, and
in time she might, with such prestige,
even come to glare at Mrs. C&ttwallader
Smvthe at the Assembly ball, where the
elect of Philadelphia gathers, at whose
portal she stood, like Moore's Pen,
:sdisconsolate D
Mrs. Atkinson had acquired a haugh
ty bearing, studied from Miss Morant's
Russian countess, in 'sThe Danichefs. >
She was plump and rosy and imposing,
with white hair Ia Nine. de Pompa-
dour. She seemed 70 be great lady
until she opened her mouth.
Clarissa and Jennie had become, like
their father, unwilling slaves to splcn-
dor. But they had acquired knowl
edge Of the peerage, and they knew the
peGigree of the new British minister to
the remotest quartering. 1t was kind OF
the family to ask me to spend TWO weeks
at their house outside OF Georgetown,
because it is not often that families OF
such quality remember their acqua;nt-
ances of the past. | went, and when
dear old Mr.. Atkinson met ne with
brougham at the station my heart sunk.
Riches had aged my Old friend; splen-
dor had withered him; the finger which
held immense seal ring bearing his coat
of-arms was thin and trembling. There
no, C more wrinkles IN his face than uu-
der Il, grapevine arbor. Ills eyes were
bnt he o7.nctp1 mo y-;t, tha Old