The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-03-03
CHAPTER I.
THE BROTHERS

via the workhouSe.
had been closely observing my I'M
Gle for more than two hours, and dill
gently noting his words and gestures.
when his utterance of this remarkable
sentence confirmed the dislike OF him
which I had conceived at our first
meeting. With only brief and mar
row experience Of men and manners,
the words impressed me as harsh. not
to say brutal. for rich man to adj
dress to an only brother whom he had
not seen for twenty years. and VINO
was comparatively poor.
II have made no such determina-
ton" said my father. 'As for the
workhouSe, my income is still some
200 pounds year more than nothing.
and 1 don't anticipate becoming bur
den to anybody, not even'-turning
his face toward me and smiling-"my
own SON.
"Seven hundred pounds" exclaimed
my uncle Sam. contemptuously. seven
hundred pounds! And what viii that
p,tiful sum do toward maintaining
gentleman for twelve months? Why.
there are four OF the men in my pay
who each earn $500 more than your
entire income. But how's this: Hol-
denhurst used not to be such a beg
carly property. or my memory is worse
than thought it was
While my father is occupied with the
melancholy recital o. the causes, nat
ural and political. o. the enormous de-
probation of agricultural values in
Englan6-which in ten years had re-
dIced his income by rather more ihan
half-I will furnish the reader with
brief history Of the men thus engaged.
When little more than ten years old
my father. Robert Truman, had sue
ceeded to an estate of 1000 acres. con-
sisting OF two entire parishes, Holden
hurst Major and HoldenhurSt Minor.
situate few miles from Bury st. Ed
nund's. in Suffolk. On his coming OF
age Robert Truman found himself the
possessor of a rent roll Of 1880. 4
lump sum Of about $4,000. which had
accumulated during his minority. and
a large nondescript manor house OF
which no archaeologist could deter
mine the date Or order, it had been so
much altered and added 10 at various
periods. The estate. which had
formed part Of the immense posses
sions Of the rich abbatS OF Bury. was,
upon the dissolution Of the abbey there.
settled by Henry VIII. in perpetuity
upon the first member Of my family
OF whom there exists any record.
With but one relation in the world
his brother Samuel. two years his iu.
Internationally my father entered
upon the business OF life under condi-
tions more prosperous than attend the
vast minority Of mankind. But that
balance which men adjust where for
tune has shown more favor TO one
than to another, themselves making
the tale Of human happiness and. mis-
cry nearly the same in all cases. was
soon made apparent by the two broth
ers. The affections OK these young
men centred upon one girl Samuel
was the favored lover. But women
had few rights and many wrongs in
agricultural East Anglia in Is. and
SO the beauty OF Holdenhurst became
the wife of Robert Truman: her faith
er. a small farmer ambitious OF form
Ing family connection with the
Squire having so commanded her.
Before the marriage my uncle Sam
left England for America with the eX
pressed intention of never again Wis
iting bis native land. IN less than a
year my father had lost by death the
wife he had thus acquired: loss
which. though il deeply affected MIN.
was patiently borne for The sake OF
the infant boy who was at once The
cause of his sorrow and his nope
In American Samuel Truman had
entered in commercial speculations and
dourished exceedingly. On the death
of my mother he had written to my
father few lines expressing his SYM
pathy-his first communication with
his brother after his departure from
England After that his letters had
been brief and infreQucnt. bot reports
reached Holdenhrrsr from time to
time of his extraordinary success in
trading. of bis ever-increasins wealth
and influence. OF his shrewdness. his
penetration. his Sinsleness Of purpose.
Through all the days Of my boyhood
remember no variation in the accounts
of the steady and continued decline id
value of my fathers property. and Of
the rapid increase Of my uncle's
wealth. Neither Of these circum.
stances. however, interested me until,
In my nineteenth year-the week .be
fore this history .opens-my- father re
jeeived n letter from his brother IN
New York stating that he had been
married for three years to an Ameri
can lady. and that he and his wife in
tended to visit Holdenhurst, and might
be expected 10 arrive in about ten
days.