The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-12
CHAPTER VII.
TALBOT AND HIS FRIENDS


John Talbot, the clerk of Cowran & Co,
lived in little fiat somewhere between
Washington square and Sixth avenue. 1t
was on the fifth floor and there was nothing
above it except some chambers for servants,
the roof and the sky. There was no elevator
In the building and the stairs by which the
several flats communicated with the outside
world were narrow and dark. But when you
had mounted to John Talbot's door and
leaving your hat and coat in the little dark
hail. had entered the sitting room, you be-
gan to find it very pleasant.
Talbot lived with his old mother, whose
idol he was and who cared for him with the
same solicitude and tenderness as when he
was an infant in her arms; she seemed
scarcely to understand that he had grown
to be a man and was taking his own part in
the world. Her imagination, inspired by
her memory, still saw him child in pima
fore and short skirts: and when he took her
on his knees to caress and make much of
her, it seemed to her, by some magic ma
ternal perversity, that it was she who held
him in her lap. She was a very religious
old lady and every evening, before they
went to bed, she read chapter from the
Bible to her son, as she had done thirty
years before, and ever since. She knew
nothing of worldly wickedness, save in the
abstract theological sense; and she could
hardly have been more shocked at a murder
than she was at a fib or at the idea of drink
ing glass of toddy or smoking a cigar.
Talbot was certainly guilty, though in strict
moderation of both of the latter crimes,
and possibly they had led him into the fit
ting pitfall when his mother brought up the
subject of those evil indulgence5 for discus
sion. But if his garments ever smelt of to-
bacco, or his breath of whisky, she did not
know it; not because she could not smell,
but because she did not know that tobacco
and whisky produced those aromas but, like
the ancient Romans wife, took it for granted
that all men smelt like that
Talbot was a steady worker and as regu-
lar as a pendulum; but he found time for
other things besides looking up references
and writing lawyers letters. His taste was
for things in the way of art and he made it
serviceable for the adornment of his rooms
The walls were hung 10y Johns own hand)
with papers which were pleasing in hue and
design and had the additional merit of not
costing much He devoted a good deal of
thought and ingenuity to the friezes and
dados, and mitigated the darkness of the
ceilings by washes of a warm tone that it
harmonized with the papers. From various
sources he had collected prints, etchings and
photographs, which he framed and hung up;
and he spent the leisure hours of several
weeks In constructing a set of bookshelves
that filled the spaces not occupied by the
doors and windows III one of the rooms.
These shelves he then gradually filled with
books, giving much pains and thought to
their selection, his aim being that they
should be not only of good literary repute
but readable into the bargain. He got Mil
ton, perhaps in Difference to his mother;
Shakespeare he got for himself he owned a
COPY of tom Jones, " but Johnson's "Ras-
selas" was not among his possessions. He
bought a number of comfortable chairs, in
which to sit while reading his volumes, and
broad-seated sofa for his mother to lie
down upon when she felt tired. They did
not keep a servant of their own. but the
wife of the janitor, for consideration, did
the rough part of the work, leaving old
Mrs. Talbot to cook her sons breakfast and
dinner, and perform such busting and pol
ishing and setting -n-order as could be
properly performed only by mother or a
wife. With the latter commodity and
crown of domestic happiness John Talbot
at 80 years of age, was unprovided. Per-
haps this was the result of his own fastidi-
BUSINESS or lack Of social opportunities; per-
haps lack of appropriateness on the la
dies part was TO blame; or perhaps John
felt that his mother would be critic much
less easily satisfied than himself. At all events
he was still bachelor, though signs, were not
wanting that he had registered no vows of
perpetual celibacy.
In fact-and it was a fact which, as we
have seen, nad nOJ eScdpeu JHe eye Ol ull-
bert Cowran--Talbot was at this very time
in the throes Of an affair of the heart, with
no less a parsonage than Mr.. Cowran's type
writer-the young lady, that is to say, not
the instrument. She had been in the office
several months and had acquitted herself
admirably: she hardly made mistake once
a day and she was always ready and good
humored She had short hair-the tendency
OF literary pursuits is 20 lengthen the locks
of the male practitioner and ~ curtoil those
of the female--a turned-np nose aud spec
tacles. but you could not talk with her ten
minutes without liking her and feeling con
WINGED Of her iudestruetibe goodness
Though she never allowed anything 10 in
terfere with her official duties, she was an
extremely sociable body and loved talking
better than reading Or than anything else
except. perhaps, John Talbot himself. whose
long lank and melancholy-loOking figure
rad captyated her maiden fancy from an
early Period II their acquaintance; possibly
h was a reflection Of her tender cordially
,gilleh lrst apprised John that biA own AZ
feelious were breaking loose. Though johns
yleage weG caat ~ naelaaeholy sngia, y