The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-05

effort, especially that Of gentlemen en-
igrants in the Southern States Of Ameri-
ca, must, Of hidden necessity, prove
fruitless; that a mans destiny is born
with him; may just as well be met
with folded as with uplifted hands:
and that a happy accident, a turn OF
luck, was as likely to befall n here
in the Channel Islands as in Virginia
rather likelier. This was what he
sought to prove. The things he laid
bare in all their deformity were-tbe
weak, d~evitalized brain, the faulty as
sociations, the perplexed dependency,
born of self-indulgence, alcohol and
nicotine, Of MI. Barry Chester.
By the time he finished even Aunt
Hosie's cheeks were dyed with a fush
Of honest shame. Miss Theodore sat
more severely upright upon the edge of
her chair than ever. Old Isabella Van
| sittart (primed beforehand with a few
Of the Tupperian sentiments commonly
used IS stalking horses in family con
tentions) uttered the axiom conduct
Is Fate" opening her eyes as she spoke
with the stony blank Wilderness of i'll
suppressed sleep, full upon Barry Ches.
ter's face.
eyes. Conduct! That is the word"
said Miss Theodore, preparing to hit
closer and harder than before. "Pur-
sue fortune, if you will our lamented
papa used to say to his children, but
remember that there is something
more fortunate than fortune, more
successful than success. Conduct
To what strange uses are dead mems
aphorisms put! Sp%endthrift, genial,
open-handed George Vansittart quoted
as a promulgator of copybook moral
ty! GAS for accident, no one but an
lmbecile," continued Theodore, holly,
would wei speculate upon the acct
dents Of life. A happy turn of luck!
If any turn of luck befall you, Mr..
| Chester, it will be for the worse. You
may rely On that"
He muttered some of the old fulfill
| ties about horse breeding. "IIf n could
rent a few acres Of moorland here on
| Quernec Common, even-the little Nor
man b~orses-a ready market in Eng
land"
But Miss Theodore put him down
briskly.
Horse breeding! In an island that
| you might cover with g: Union Jack! A
man might as we'll talk Of making a
| fortune by oyster beds on Salisbury
| Plain. Have you ever in your life
made money by horses? Have you
I ask it honestly, Mr.. Chester-have
| YOU gained either in reputation or
pocket by your connection with the
turf-your steeplechases, trotting
matches and paper ~hunts-since you
married Daphne"
1t was a poisoned dart. The Miss
vansittarts had a wide acquaintance
| (Aunt Hosie among the working, Miss
Theodore among the ornamental or
useless class in the island. And from
every side stories had reached them
| of Mr.. Barry Chester's sporting trans
| actions. Stories of after-dinner bets,
| repudiated when he was sober; Of sus-
picions Of foul play between himself
and the other gentlemen" riders; of
| ignoble quarrels; Of yet more ignoble
teconciliations. Ugly stories, all Of
them!
II Just don't mean to stand this sort
of cross-questioning," he exclaimed,
with a rising temper. my money is
my own, to do as I choose with, and
q, regards my debts of honor"
"Honor" interrupted Theodore. "Oh,
I think, sir, the less we say on that
subject the better. When you married
Daphne, such money as she possessed
was given into your hands" This was
true. Daphne's fortune, amounting,
poor child, to between two and three
hundred pounds, had been made over
unreservedly to Mr.. Chester, OH the
condition that it should furnish forth
his wife's colonial outfit. "You told us
then, on your honor that it was your
intention to settle in Virginia; that
your capital"
"And suppose I have found out that
settling in Virginia, that all settling,
is a - mistaken" he %retorted, GAS to
my capital"
Mr.. Chester raised his eyebrows,
folded his arms, and, glancing up at
the low-raftered ceiling, gave a sup
| pressed kind Of whistle. He had, in
truth, reached the stage Of reckless
ness at which a man will fain "let the
tow gang WI the bucket" Even the
pitiful motive power or selfish enjoy
Lent in life was spent; and he cared
not how soon or how absolutely his
beggared condition of soul and body
became known.
"Your capital, I have no doubt you
wish to imply, is m~oonshine," said
poor Miss Theodora-a choking sensa-
ton rising in her throat as the full
measure Of their misfortune began to
break upon her. IF it be so, and as it
is impossible for Us to ask you to pro.
long your visit at Fief-de-la-Reine Jaw
full was her chill italcizing Of the word
"visit,'O the more reason for Daphne's
sake, and your own, that you should
look out for work of some kind with
out delay"
Work! A fellow brought up as I
have been?" he answered, giving a
glance of saddened jauntiness at his
~nerveless. pale hands. And what
branch of hard labor do you suppose /
am best fitted fora blacksmith, or
carpenter"
~ think you are fitted for no work
whatever" exclaimed Theodore Van
sittart. with emphasis. $50 many posts