The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-10-23

he began to grow up he never noticed.
some dead and gone ancestor be-
queathed him that extraordinary face
and head. but the mind that went with
II was left behind. Still. every one
judged him by his appearance, and after
awhile he didn't seem to resent it or
even try to make himself known as he
really is. He is one of the few men
Eve ever known who seemateu me al,so-s
lutely Indifferent to public opinion. He
wears his clothes in that absurd man
ner just from sort of bitter bravado."
And what's the feeling that makes
him play he's fool?"
He doesn't. You do just what
every one else does-judge only by his
appearance. He is less of fool than
any one ever saw. / told you he came
near being genius. If his talents had
been more concentrated, be would have
been genius. But they're too spread
out for absolute success In any depart
ment He can do any thing he wants.
Once, when we came home from college
together, ! went to his house with him
while he was looking for some books.
lie lived with his grandmother and some
old fossilized aunts who adored him.
They were very rich and prosy and
prndish, andliyed~ in huge old barrack
far downtown below Tenth street The
house OIL the outside looked like
prison; on tho inside It was the most
beautiful place ever had been in in my
life." \ 4
Was it illumined by your friends
beauty or his WITT"
Both, you might say have never
seen any thing more artistic than the
interior of that house. There is not an
artists studio in town that compares
with it. Nowhere, from one room to the
other, was there one EARRING color or one
incongruous piece Of drapery or carving.
/ couldn't believe they'd had decorator
at it-those men always leave their
stampon every thing you could see
the person who had arranged the place
kneM-the whole business l compli-
mented one Of the aunts on it, and she
said her nephew had fixed it. He had
wonderful taste-he- had bought every
thing and always arranged it himself.
THAT was the first surprise. The
second was when they took nue. into a
little sort of breakfast-room-I suppose
you call ito have something to eat.
1t was little eight-sided room, with
low bookcase built. into the wall and
round mirrors set above them at inter
walls. Standing on the top of the shelves
were some water-color sketches in
plain frames You know I'm some
thing of critic in water-colors, and my
-brether-in=laM,- the artist, has Guilt
waited my taste. Well, these things
executed by some one whose force and
originality were stronger than their
conventionality. This was my neph
ew' again. | never knew he drew o.
painted He did it as he did every thing
perfectly quietly, never abiding toit
He could make a name for himself by il
to-day if he wanted.
$50 on-what else could he do? I'm
expecting to hear that he led ballet
or invented patent medicine.
Not quito so bad as that But the
third shock was few evenings after
when again went to his place to spend
some time with him hunting up more
books. He took me upstairs that time
to his rooms. He had bedroom like
l-monk-and a boudoir like a girl, and
out of that study with a pianoin it.
Heavens, you ought to have heard him
play on that piano!- Schumann, Chopin,
Beethoven hardly ever heard such
playing, don't suppose it was SO mar
Il ,tf1 !,
shock to see this fellow, with his UNI
earthly face, playing away there like
Saint Cecilia. And later in the evening
he took me down into some dark
cubby hole in the bowels of the earsn,
it seems to me, where there was an old
organ built into the wall, and there he
sat in the gloom with few candles
burning and played Bach till near mid
night. felt creepy down my spine, as
If l were in theetompany Of wizard P"
Ibid he ever have love AFFAIR.""
81 don't believe SOL think he
rather scorns women. They mostly
make fun of him, you know, and as he
knows his own worth it makes him
despise them. I've seen him snubbed
and openly made a fool of by some
little Ounce of seventeen who thought
young man who could play tennis was
the noblest work of God. He never
seemed to notice her. But. once / saw
him take his revenge on girl in mas
terly style. 1t was that Robinson girl
you remember her; she was very
handsome and perfect COW. He was
rather soft about her, and she amused
herself by openly guying him when her
other admirers were around. One night,
at dance, he turned upon her-it was
all done in the most gentlemanly way
you can imagine and simply obliter-
ated herin the most exquisitely delicate
and sarcastic manner. I ever heard.
She was knocked out, couldn't think of
any answer, and he bowed and .wallSed
away. think she must haNa told the
other girls, for I've noticed they are
careful of offending him NOW.
.sBut she was mean enough to take
her revenge on him in aher own way
the spiteful way that woman only
understands. A. little while after that
scene at the dance went to see her,
and, in the course of the visit, she said:
Did you ever know Mr.. Tompkins
wrote poetry2' didn't know it. Well,
she got out OF portfolio some sonnets
and things he had written to her. I'm
not as good Judge of them as am OF
the water-colors, but they seemed to
me something wonderful. | wouldn't
have believed he'd written them II
hadn't heard him play and seen his
paintings j had got to the point
where nothing that he did could have
me. If some one had said to