The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-08-01

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"But I'm ateared Pm keeptn youup."
ner. thought the pleasure Of hearing
about him would soonest efface the Bit
ter consciousness Of the blush. In tax
ing this course l suppressed my own
sentiments.
Idetested my cousin Elmore Clay
more. He was curious being, as beau
tiful as an angel. with straight. strong
features, large, limpid. dark dashed
gray eyes. an exquisite smile and a
wonderful inexplicable imitation in
tellect. don't think any one ever quite
understood what he was and what he
was not, and by the mass Of his &C.
quaintances the sham character Of bis
cerebration was never detected. He
made speeches at meetings-election
meetings, town meetings, temperance
meetings and Sunday school picnica
All oratorical opportunities were en-
braced, and his speeches were full Of
metaphor and ALTERATION and were in
formed with really splendid tempera-
mental frs-which; had nothing what
ever to do with his ideas or rather
which successfully survived their alb.
sence. .F
Southerners Of all classes worship
intellect and are much given to regard
ing it as something quite too bright
and good for human natures daily food
and not to be judged by the coarse
logic Of everyday existence. Nowhere
else Is the failure Of the man who
"would have done great things in
paradise" looked upon with such kind
ly respect, and this beautiful trait, the
awe Of what they can see and can't
see over, serves well many harebrain-
ed crank and rattle headed charlatan.
Elmore Claymore was not exactly
either crank or a charlatan. He had
flashes Of appreciation and curious
chickering's of thought through his
rhetoric OF course he was made to be
an actor if only he had ever heard Of
such thing. 1t is odd to think, with
his beauty and his ardor, what great
man he might have become. In the
world in which he lived saw nothing
before him but ignominious failure. 1t
did not seem to me that he had the
mental conference to see that"the whole
of thing is equal to tho sum Of all its
parts
Icould fancy him going off: "What
is the whole Of thing equal TOT What
can it be equal to in this land Of equal
ity in this reunited Union, but to its
own unity, each individual in one COM
mon brotherhood" and with lumi-
nously pale face and glowing eyes feel
ing that he had made step toward
bridging the bloody chasm Of civil war.
My uncle, John Kilbraith, grimly
humorous and somewhat cynical per-
sonage, saw through Gilmore complete
ly. He was, l believe, the chief joy Of
Uncle Johns life. To see the impress
sion that he made on people, to watch
him sway a crowd with his passionate,
sounding swash, to observe his deepen
ing regard for himself, were pleasures
which never palled.
I burst forth one day in the presence
Of several people with my estimate Of
Elmore's powers, and he stopped me
with look.
When we were alone, he said, IRE
member, If yen could unmask Elmore
and have him recognized as fool you'd
deal him deathblow, and his mother
as WELL"
"But. uncle" said I, "you-don't
you suppose-you must-that life will
unmask him? You don't think he can
20 on through actual affairs and be
estimated as these schoolgirls estimate
him?'
Judge Kilbraith looked at me with
curious scorn.
"You don't know much about actual
sffairs, do your When you do, you'll
find out that it is not in this world that
they reduce men to their fighting
weight That's an illusion. Some affairs
may. You'd think war would as much
as anything, but it didn't. Ask any
soldier il the best men got the best
places, l suppose professor Of maths-
MATES must know something Of his
business, and in the dry goods trade an
eye on the market may be Imperative;
but, though lawyer doesn't have as
good chance as doctor to be fraud,
I can tell you that there are more
things than law or logic that decided
his fate Elmore. stands good chance
for good living. Lawyers may have
their opinion about him, but as long as
he has iuries on his eide it will not be.
come the lawyers to express themselves,
and until he gets chance TO establish
himself with the juries the less bis
do TO discount him the better
for the family"
Patsy listened and knitted as chat
tered on about my various relatives,
Elmore and she OCCASION
ally brought forth a question or re-
mark.
"Miz Claymore's mighty proud. She
air good to rale pore white folks and to
but she's ha sh. and proud
with . neighbors which amt pore and
amt quality" she said once. She
trusted herself no more on the fatal
name. and this apt and true charac-
Of Cousin Nancy, whose
darkest dread was that Of becoming or
having any Of her children become one
with the people around her, was her
nearest approach to the subject Of FL
more OF her relations with him or his
family. She did not quite recover her
squanimity, and when she went to go
the faint color crept reminiscently up
her snowdrop face.
Evidently this homespun small per-
son belonged to the class of women in
whom sex and pride are forever unit.
ed as one thing, whose senses Of femi-
ainity and dignity are one. To have her
hearts blood thus turn rank and sue.
,essftll traitor tn her heart aecret-it |