The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-11-28

men and women Of a degraded stamp
and that, like them. l was fast becom-
ing brutalized.
This enforced contact with Degrade
ton caused ID me kind Of reyuIsion.
Hitherto I had kept mostly to myself,
and the gloomy thoughts in which
INDUCED were created by my own lack
of moral strength; but now that was
1 brought face to face with things alb
horred, saw, as it were, the refec-
ton of my own moral image, and the
thoughts it engendered had n salutary
effect upon me. It was this better
phase Of experience which led me into
the companionship of a man Of higher
grade than the other hop-pickers. The
name Of this man was Stanmore
was never made acquainted with his
Christian name. He must have recog-
nized in me, as / recognized in him, q
man of superior stamp, and he confided
to me that he was not hop-picking from
necessity.
"The fact is, Gaskell," he said to me
\ q had to bear some name, and I chose
that, II am killing two birds with one
stone. One bird is with me; the other
am waiting for"
This, Of course, was enigmatieal to
me, but I did not ask for an explana-
ton. He gave me one Of his own
prompting.
The bird that is here is in my port
folio; the bird that am waiting for is
a woman"
knew what he meant by this refer
ence to his portfolio, which contained
a number of sketches he had been max
ing of the hop-pickers, selecting for
choice the most squalid and disreputa-
Bile subjects. He had thrown out hints
that / might look over these sketches,
but / had not availed myself of the
offer.
The hop-picking was now over, and
we were paid off. Upon Stanmores
invitation / accompanied him to a re-
spectacle hotel and agreed to remain
with him two Or three days. It was
the first time since my Punishment that
/ had consented to lead a decent life,
and / did SO now chiefly out of a feel
ing Of gratitude toward Stanmore for
having provided me with a refuge from
the indescribably coarse associations,
which otherwise would have been my
lot. In the hotel at which we stopped
he engaged two rooms-a sitting room
and another with two beds in it. Thus
far he had persuaded me, but he could
not induce me to join him at meals. /
still adhered to my humble fare, Of
which l parto0k in secret.
On the first night of our stopping at
the hotel we were in the sitting room,
which was lit with gas. Stanmore
was busy with his sketches, which,
when he first took them, had been
merely sketched in rough outline; now,
with paints and brushes before him,
he was engaged in perfecting them.
"Gaskell,' he said, ''you are a strange
fellow, and that. I dare say, is the
reason why have taken to you.
like everything that is strange. But
you are, moreover, an enigma. Locked
in your breast is story it would en-
terrain me to hear"
Startled, I gazed at him. and half
arose.
'Pshaww he said. "Sit down again.
do not ask you to tell me your story,
unless in a moment of confidence you
choose to unbend. Now / am in the
humor to be more frank and open. Let
me give you a piece OF advice, though,
properly, you should be the better able
to give it to me, being the elder of the
two. Don't take life too seriously; it is
not worth while. Those enjoy the
most who accept it as comedy. Trag-
edy or comedy, it is before you to take
your choice. The same thing that will
make you cry will make you laugh.
1t all depends upon the view you take. {
Some people are annoyed at being
tickled I enjoy it. If man gives me
slap in the face laugh and give him
one in return. The laugh is an enjoy
able condiment in the dish; the frown
imparts an Objectionable favor to the
meat"
could have argued with him that it
was matter of temperament, but it
was not my cue to say anything that
might enlarge the field of conversation;
and therefore held my tongue.
ITO be Continued.)