The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-04-04
CHAPTER ".
a CASE OF PSYCHOLOGY.

CHAPTER "
a CASE OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Back from a continuous line Of
wharves, and running parallel with
them, is long, narrow street of a
great commercial city. The latter
now contains few of the oldest bond
ed warehouses, but for the most part
has long since been abandoned to a
miscellaneous collection of small
stores, beer saloons, sail-lofts, truck.
mems restaurants, shipping and tow
boat Offices, junk shops, sailors
homes" ship-chandlers' shops, and the
Like.
On this street, hemmed in on either
side by tall brick structures running
many stories higher than its roof,
stands the last OF the old wooden
houses of century ago. This relic,
for some unaccountabie reason, has
withstood both the ravages of time and
all dangers Of destruction attending
the increased valne of the land on
which it has so long stood. The out
side front of its story now emits q
warm and somewhat cheerful glow ,ln-
der the combined influence of
bright winters sun and 4 fresh
coat of red paint. a small anchor
hangs as swinging sign in front of
the doorway, against the casing OF
which are nailed, with seemingly stud
led irregularity, some dozen or mole
metal letters and figures of various pat
terms and sizes. Over the door is q
weather-beaten fragment of wood-carv-
ing, that evidently formd at one time a
part of ships figure-head. All these
indications, together with the display
of odd ships blocks, bits Of tackle, a
rusty boat-hook or two and a pile of
row-locks in the one large window of
the building on the ground floor, serve
to notify the public in general, and
ship-masters in particular, that here is
q shop to which their old junk can be
brought, and almost every thing per-
tanning to ship-chandlery procured at
secondhand.
Standing before the door of this shop
is Arthur Beckweth, trying to persuade
himself that his desire to enter is not
q surrender to foolish whim or fancy.
For many days now he has not been
able to drive from his mental vision
the picture of certain OF those metal
letters that are now staring down at
him from their place on that door-cas-
ing. When, in the pursuit Of some busi-
ness matter week or two previous,
he had passed this little red-front shop,
his naturally observant eye had
bot failed to bestow casual
glance on its swinging anchor, its
window display and the uniquely
decorated doorway. These made
the same impression on him at the
time as did all other objects Of no es-
pecisl interest that he saw during his
walk on that particular street.. All
was driven from his mind as rapidly
as it was received, to make way for
new impressions that were forced upon
him by the rapid succession of scenes
in crowded city A few hours later,
however, when he was not especially
preoccupied, mental picture OF the
junk shop arose involuntarily before
him. Every detail of its exterior came
before him with minutenesS that
it would have been impossible for him
to have survived q moment after his
first and only sight of it.
Most prominent of all the picture
was the doorway, with its phantastic
decorations. Of these, the vision of
three letters, of peculiar shape and
style of finish. and differing from all
the others there, refused to be dis
missed from his mind as q passing i'm
preston. Perhaps their peculiar ar
rangement, P E x, so nearly ap-
preaching a word when pronounced to-
gether as such; their peculiar style, or,
possibly, a previous acquaintance with
them, may have had something
to Do With the tsRasioas hosd which