Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-08-18
CHAPTER V.
SURRENDER.

NV chest. which had been carted back to
my mothers house, hal removed that very
night to the ferry boat which communicated
with the terminus of the railroad leading to
New York. went ON the boat in the morn
ing, before any other passengers came down,
and kept myself out of sight. My leave
taking with my mother was brief affair.
We had eaten n silent, comfortless breakfast.
At its conclusion, taking my hat, said,
swell, mother, I'm off for good now"
Perhaps it was q presentiment that my
words were true that made the change in her
manner. With softness unusual to her she
said: But, my son, what are YOU going to
do! Where are You going"
"Never mind now," Isaid. ''rve talked
enough before of my plans Now I'll keep
silent. I've an idea that talking things out
leads to bad luck I'm going away, that's
all. So good-by."
She said nothing, took my hand and kissed
me. never recollected having been kissed
by her before. She may have done so when
was an infant. Favors of that sort are not
appreciated or remembered during that ten
der period. This was not from lack Of fec.-
ing or affection. 1t came Of that reserve and
repression of all external signs of emotion
bred in the bone way back through know
not how many generations of Puritan and
Roundhead ancestry, until not only had out
ward sign of emotion been considered as
bordering on an impropriety, but the very
ability to manifest it hud been destroyed. 1t
was a turning of the softer side of human
nature inward and the harder outward, and
the fluitage was harshness and austerity: not
.
natural lives
left the house, wondering if it was in the
natural order of events that proofs of aifec-
ton, parental and otherwise, must come ut
the last moment, like the best dish ut dinner
being placed before one for a second and
then snatched away.
In few hours | was in New York. Taking
a room at hotel l shut myself therein. and
opened the packet received from Blanche. 1t
contained hills to the amount of $500 and the
following note:
II desire you to accept this money from me
as u loan, with interest at I per cent, for
three years. This is business You know. I'm
glad for your sake you did not go on the Ann
Mary Ann You will go now to California us
gentleman should. Mind you take IL cabin
passage Don't go i'll the stcerage to save
dollars 1t doesn't save them at all. There
was Il Providence in that pig, and Pcll, too
pigs both-to take you out of the ship. Shut
up on board of her for five or six months,
eating their coarse food anu leading their
coarse life, would have put You back rs many
years. When you got to California YOU
would probably have done rs tive-SiXthS of
them will do-strike for the hardest and
coalsest way of making fortune, by digging
and grubbing-the very way not to make it.
If there is gold there. mind you, its not for
those who dig for it. unless they dig with
their brains, and you can't dig with your
brains and work like Il hOd carrier and live
on hOd carriers fare. So. my dear boy, live
like n gentleman and you will have Il gentle
mans luck. BLANCHE"
SO this was the promise l had made-to
accept pccuniary favor of woman. The
unwritten code of the time held this as
hardly the correct thing, unless you married
the woman, when everything she had be-
came yours and the favor, if such, ceased
almost to be one.
Blanche had few years previous been
left few thousand dollars by an eccentric
uncle, who, possibly recognizing something
of her independent spirit, said, when closely
questioned by some over-anxious relatives
as to his reason for so doing, that he be-
lievcd Blanche was n girl who could Use her
own money for herself, and he wanted to
give her chance lie didn't think, lie
added. it was the fair thing that n girls
capital should he Saltcd down until some
lazy loafer of husband came along TO Use
it, and generally lose it. He didn't care
what she did with her money, so that she
used it for her own pleasure in any and
every possible way except that of handing
it over to husband. Il give it to you,"
he remarked, mot to the man who, not
content with robbins you Of your name,
wants your money along with it. Lend
it. spend it, scatter it, do anything with it,
except bring it, like good little girl, to
the chuckle-head who wants to marry you
for it."
Uncle John Seton was a nondescript i'll
opinion, and seemed to take pleasure in hold
ing none that were popular. He had been a
privateelSlIlan-some said also SLAYER, and
others pirate-carried a bullet in one leg,
the mark of which he was fond of showing
without much regard to time, place or fitness
| resolved to use the money. She had been