The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-11-27
CA MAN
NAMED SMITH"


Zsbulon Smith dealt in real estate
at Arkvillo when there was anything
doing. When roal estate was dull he
sold coal and wood, rented houses and
placed insurance. His career for
twenty-five years had been an un-
broken ono, when two important
events occurred. His good wife died
and was buried in tho new addition to
the cemetery he had sold to the town
himself, and the funeral was hardly
over when he received ncws that dis
tant relative had died and left him a
legacy Of $4,000 in cash. A few
weeks later, when the money come,
Zebulon Smith astonished Arkville and
the surrounding county by declaring
that ho was going abroad. He not
onlv declared his intentions, but he
packed his trunk and left 5000 people
holding their breath in amazement.
Mr.. Smith spent three or four days
lnNew York before sailing. lie had
hardly registered at hotel when he
observed stranger looking him over
with apparent interest, and later on
this stranger found opportunity to in
troduco himself as Mr.. Carter, a resi-
dent of Plum Creek, Wis. Mr.. Carter
stuck to Mr.. Smith like bur the next
thirty-six hours and proved himself a
good companion. He was talkatiVe,
Jolly and pcn-handed, and MIR. Smith
was regretting that they must part
when Mr.. Carter announced that he
was going to take run over to Europe
L., oil a.
come old friends in day, as it were.
1t was 80 in this case. MIR. Cartcr's
business, when at home, Was shingles
laths and clothcspins, with wooden
toothpicks rs side issue. What par
ticular incident was responsible for his
trip abroad he did not state. Indeed,
it was evidently weighty secret, and
one he felt he must guard with his
life.
,~ In their confidential talks MIR. Smitl,
would tell of his early struggle TO get
ahea the dodgcs practiced in the
real estate busincss-the family
quarrels that had interrupted his do
mestic happiness-his hopes of finding
second Mrs. Smith on his return.
He kept nothing back. In return Mr..
Carter would toll of going to school
barcfootcd in the wintcr-or falling in
love at an early agc-of earning his
first dollar, and finally being able TO
sell the public laths and shingles by
the car load. He had also enjoyed a
fow family quarrels, and had found
the world cold and hcartless but his
story always stopped right there, and
10 III 4, f,o
Garter was still living or had been laid
to rest. That was the only mystery
about an otherwise open and pleasant
friendship.
Mr.. Smith and Mr.. Carter saw Lon
don and Paris together, and they
travelled through Italy and finally
brought up in the shadows of the
Matterhorn, in Switzerland, for stay
of two weeks. Mr.. Smith didn't care
for mountains, beng in the real estate
business and knowing how hard it was
to unload them on the public, but Mr..
Carter was more solicitous of his well
farc-more anxious as to accident.
Ills dcmeanOr somehow reminded
Smith of the deathwatch set over q
prisoner. Up to the time of leaving
Paris he had called Smith Smith.
After that he called him Xebulon, and
seemed to love the name. On one oc-
caslon he had asked Smith where he
would like to be buried IN case of
death, and on another had hoped that
ne would die without suffering if he
died at all. These things somewhat
worried Smith for time, but he final
ly dismissed them from his mind as
somehow belonging to the lath and
shinglc business.
During the first three days in
Switzerland Smith and Carter met
with unpleasant weather and did not
wander from the hotel. In this inter-
val Carter's solicitousness became so
great as to be almost offensive. He
would even get out of bed at midnight
TO see that Smith hadn't kicked the
bed clothes off or was lying ON his
back. lie bought the choicest wines
ana the best clgars-he told his
funniest jokes and his best storles-he
worked harder to give Smith a good
time than as if he was being paid a
hundred dollars day. Smith Won
dered over it, but he was soon to
know the awful truth. On the fourth
day the two walked out together in a
twin-brother way. In Switzerland the
only way you can walk out is to walk
up NIL. They walked up hill. Thew
assembled at least 500 feet above the
motel roof, when they came to bridge
spanning g ravine. 1t was 200 feet to
inc bottom of that ravine, with no air
cushions on the rocks below. The
Two mon sat down to get breath, and
smith noticed that Garter was LOOKING
OF nm In hungry way--the wav .
Won Is popularity supposed to look at n
papy weighing about ID pounds of fat.
"What's the matter now % asked
smith as a chill crept up his back.
"l have you at last !" replied Carrier
as he smacked his Inns and alol, -ool,