The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-04-09

Il
talk. At that time, / did not know
much in regard to his antecedents; he had
the air of a person well brought up,
| and he told me his father had been a
| Georgia planter before the war. Evi-
| dertly he was not rich fellow, though
he never seemed to want for means. He
had an ateiicr, like many of US, and lived
round at the restaurants. He had no
friends in Paris outside of the class, and
l was the only one there whom he visited
intimately. However, the fellows all
felt honored by an invitation to Esby's
atelier, and many crust of bread we've
broken there. There was piano which
Smith used to play, and we had some
good voices, too. Esby himself never
touch the piano before any one. Of
course he only had one hand to play
with, yet I've heard him making music,
pretty, strange and beautiful, as I've
sometimes come up the stairs, which
would stop as soon as he heard my step.
He was particularly sensitive about his
music. A song he never sang through
with the fellows, though in particularly
fine passages he would often join in, and
his voice had rich quality. But if ever
he sang more than O few notes there
would he the consciousness of something
out Of harmony in the singing-some-
thing which you did not quite like to
hear, though rHt off the tune Or any
thing of that kind. He would immedi-
ately stop himself then, with a slight,
impatient movement, and probably not
try it again the rest of the evening.
There was one subject that we never
broached at Esby's. That was 'the
ladies' 1t always fell fiat, and We
learned by-and-bye Il at either Esby was
totally indifferent |, the fair sex-his
manner implied tor else he had had
a wound from Cupid which was not
healed. The fellows speeulated some
about it.
"Imagine, then, my surprise when I
came in on him one evening and found
him sitting over his fire with letter in
his hand, which he held in listless,
melancholy way. As he didn't put it
away or make any effort to conceal his
attitude of mind, the characteristic
thing for him to do, of course, I looked
at him inquiringly. I said: whats up,
EsbyT He just handed over the letter,
with I'm rascal, Harry and then got
up and began pacing the floor. The let
ter was delicate-scented thing, in a wo-
mans hand writing. It ran thus:
"tM9 DEAR RALPH: You will be surprised
to receive this letter so soon after my last,
which mailed but two days ago. But that
last was Like all the letters which / have
been writing to you this winter, not true
frank letter, but kind Of make-believe.
And to-day have determined to tell you all
have been thinking, that for once more
things may be open and real between US.
For your letters, dear Ralph, have been
make-believes too. Indeed, is it not so that
before you said farewell? felt it, although
I would not believe it then. I cannot e1-
plain-I cannot understand it. Not in re-
gard to you, Ralph. With another person
it might be different Oh! Ralph, my dear
Ralph, you still love meS
"The letter was blistered with tears
here, and there was no signature.
"You may imagine felt melancholy
enough when l read that letter.
"Esby came over and took it out of
my hand, saying: Il shall write to her to
come over, and I'll give it fair trial.
Perhaps it will return to me. I thought
it might by absence. But I'm afraid it's
like the painting and everything else, I
can't put anything more into it. 1t must
be left unfinished. I'm afraid it's con-
stitutional.' And Esby-reserved Esby
actually buried his face in his hand
and wept.
"I felt sure that it was the first time
he had candidly declared that last even
to himself. I left him weeping there,
although full of sympathy for him; in
fact, was crying myself. But I knew,
with his temperament, the reaction would
soon come from such an extra amount of
confidence, and that it was by all means
tie most delicate thing to leave him
alone.
"The month following this, Esby
worked in a particularly spasmodic way,
and he was in a more than usually re-
ticent frame OF mind. We had no con-
fidential talks, he did not come to my
room without one of the other fellows,
and I avoided surprising him alone in
his.
"But one evening he came in with the
expression of detected determination,
which had been growing on his face for
six weeks,'a good deal deepened.
"'Bright, he said, I'D like you to
meet some friends of mine-Miss Hart
ley and her father-just come over
81 understood perfectly who Miss
Hartley was, and was somewhat agita-
ted by the invitation. After ali, it was
only formal call that we made, but
came away feeling that if Ralnh could
cease to love Madsss hartley, there must
be something normally wrong about him.
All his other peculiarities became as moth
ing in comparison with this strange in
capacity, and my sympathy and pity for
him were dazed. felt almost ready to
call him rascal, as he had called him
self. That was when I thought Of her
eyes when she looked at him.
But when I said goodnight after our
silent walk home through the streets of
Paris, the moonlight showed me such
face, that 1 cried within me, God help
him.
''For whole week, Ralph and I saw
Mr.. Hartley and his daughter daily. We
show them Paris-Ralph devotedly at.
tended the lady, and I piloted the old
,ra,fIo,,on uo ond kent I'm nrettv