The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-21
MY FRIEND SLAUGHTER.
It was when was an office clerk.

Every day, from 10 to 4, was volun
! tary prisoner in weary bureau hung with
! yellow portfolios and reeking with the
sickening odors of old papers. There
| lunched on Italian cheese and potatoes
that | cooked in the open mouthed stove
| there | read the newspapers, even the ad-
vertisements; rhymed sorry verses, and
there | even transacted affairs of state. in
order, at the end of the month, to get hold
of sum of money which just kept me
from dying of hunger.
One of my companions in captivity l re-
member well.
His name was Achilles Slaughter, and
certainly from his ferocious aspect and his
great height he was worthy of the name.
Slaughter was a devil of fellow about
forty years old. He had neither great
breadth of chest or shoulders, but he
dressed himself as if he had He wore a
wide brimmed felt hat, jackets ample and
short; capacious, checked trousers and red
cravats under turn down collar. He had
full beard, bushy hair-then little gray
and he was very proud of his hairy
hands.
The only affectation of Slaughter-for
be was the sweetest and best of companions
was his pretension to an athletic consti.
tuition, of possessing the biceps of Disco
bolus, and, as he himself phrased it, of not
really knowing his own strength. He
never made the slightest gesture even in
the exercise of his peaceful profession,
which was not intended to convince who
ever was standing by of his prodigious
vigor. When he had to take down a port
folio, even if it was almost empty, he
walked toward the shelf with the ponder.
GUS step of porter, seized the portfolio
with tigl grip, arm extended, and car
ried it to tie nearest table, with raised
shoulders and frowning brow worthy of
the Crotonian Milo. He carried this so
far that he never raised the lightest object
except In the same manner. Once, when
he was carrying out a basket of old papers,
/ saw him extend his left arm horizontally,
as If to balance the mighty burden.
! must say that his strength inspired me
with great respect; nor was the coEversa-
tion of Slaughter of a nature to lessen the
admiration felt for him.
Above all, Monday morning, he could
scarcely wait to tell me of his deeds of valor,
his feats of strength. After having hung
up his hat, his coat and his waistcoat, and
having unbuttoned his shirt collar and
cuffs, in order to hint at his fiery, inf1am.
mable temperament he would plunge his
hands in his pockets and, seated near me in
an attitude superb in its cool assurance,
would begin a recital in this style:
my dear fellow! Such Sundayi Yer
fly there was no sort Of fatigue that did
not encounter. Fancy this Yesterday was
the regatta at Joinville-le- Pont At 8
nfplOnl- in tho at
Bercy, Sign of the Ship for the crew Of
the MarsoUin.' Already such sunl A
glass of white wine; jump into our suits of
tIicot, cotton trousers; seize an oar. Lay
hold nowl One-two-three We are at
Joinville. There-a bath before breakfast
Heinl Quick, some trunks, leap over
board, now the she'll When l had taken
my turn had the appetite of demon
Good. l laid hold of the boat with one
hand, and said to the coxswain, 'Charpen-
tier, hand me little ham, One, two, three
mouthfuls; | had nearly devoured it.
'Charpentier, pass me flask of brandy
Two swallows and it was drained. Now
some more measures for digestion"
Thus the description continued, daz.
cling, Homeric
1t was the hour for the regatta. It was
noon; the sun streamed down. The canoes
placed themselves in line in the river.
sparkling with sunbeams and in front Of a
tent gay with futtering pennons. One
saw on the bank the mayor in his scarf,
the police in their yellow shoulder belts,
swarm of summer toilets, of open um-
brellas and straw hats Pouml Off goes
the rocket; it is the signal The Marsouin
shoots by like an arrow, wins offhand
and carries away the prize
Fatigued? not bit. Round the tower
at Marine and return to dinner at Creteil |
The night comes on cool. In the shadowv |
arbor the lighted pipes show like constel- |
latlons. At the end of dessert, served |
here, there, where you will, the sound of |
the cornet at the ball at Willis's. In place |
for the quadrillel But holdl rival crew,
vanquished that very morning, had Sc
cured all the pretty laundresses. To the |
rescued Now for broken teeth, black eyes, |
broken bones, blows on head, below the |
belt-in word, a whole poem of bodily /
enthusiasm, of brawling joy, of overflow
ing health, not TO speak of the return at
midnight, of crowded stations, of women |
hoiSted into the cars, of friends separated |
and calling to one aHother from one end of |
guard on the top.
Painful as 1t is to avow it, must confess
that my admiration of Slaughter was tenn
pered with regret and bitterness Perhaps
there was in it even something of envy.
But never did the recital OF his most mar
velous exploit awaken in me the least
suspicion of incredulity, and Achilles
Slaughter early found place in my mind
between heroes and demigods, between Ro-
lard and Pirithous
At this same time | wandered much
about the suburbs, spending my idle sum-
mer evenings ia solitary walks in these far
OF regions, as unknown TO the Partisan Of
the boulevard IS the country Of the Carl
bees. and OF which hope later to celebrate
in verse its melancholy charm.
One hot and dusty evening in July, lust
as the gas Jets were beginning to shine
through the twilight mists, | returned,
walking slowly from the outskirts of Nau-
Zirard. chose one of the long and weary
streets of the FaubouVg, framed in by
houses OF unequal height. where the CON
,erges sit IN the doorway n shirt sleeves
and short gowns. fancyiEg they are taking
he air At long distances a mason. white
With plaster, passes by; policeman or q
,had with a loaf of bread longer than IL
'elf. or, perhaps. a young girl hurryinu
along, In bonnet and waterproof, with
Gather bag on her arm, and every quarter
u an hour half empty omnibus return.
nG to the station 20 the dull trot of its
weary horses.
Walking in the middle Of the street. fol
he asphalt foOEpaUh was as yet an uu
,nown luxury in these parts, l wandered
long in the street tasting the small but
weet joys of the sauuterer. Sometimes |
rnrrNnN hafo-.a NJ ln. rnea-ir,rr