The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-10-04

men and women Of a degraded stamp.
and that, like them, was fast becom-
ing brutaliZed.
This enforced contact with degrada-
ton caused in me kind Of reYulslon.
Hitherto had kept mostly to myself,
and the gloomy thoughts in which 1
INDUCED were created by my own lack
of moral strength, but now that l was
brought face to face with things l ab-
horred, l saw, as it were, the rehec-
ton of my own moral image, and the
thoughts it engendered had salutary
effect upon me. 1t was this better
phase of experience which led me into
the companionshir of 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-
nizea in me, as l recognized in him, a
man of superior stamp, and he contided
to me that he was not hop-picking from
necessity.
"The fact is, Gaskell," he said to me
Il had to bear some name, and chose
that, 81 am killing two birds with one
stone. One bird is with me; the other
l am waiting for"
This, of course, was enigmahcal 10
me, but |. did not ask for an eXplana-
ton. He gave me one Of his own
prompting.
"The bird that is here is in my port
G
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 disrcputa-
BILE subjects. He had thrown out hints
that I might look over these sketches,
but I had not availed myself Of the
offer.
The hop-picking was now over, and
we were paid off. Upon Stanmores
invitation 1 accompanied him to re-
spectable hotel and agreed to remain
with him two or three days. 1t was
the first time since my banishment that
l had consented to lead decent life,
and l did so now chiefly out Of feel
ing OF gratitude toward Sanmore for
having provided me with 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 il. Thus
far he had persuaded me, but he could
not induce me to join him at meals. L
still adhered to my humble fare, Of
which partook 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.
"Gasken," he said, you are strange
fellow, and that, 1 dare, say, is the
reason why I have taken to you. l
like everything that is strange. But
Youtare, moreover, an enigma. Locked
in your breast is story it would en-
tertain me to hear"
Startled, 1 gazcd at him, and half
arose.
"Pshaww he said. "Sit down again.
do not ask you to tell me your story,
unless in moment Of confidence you
choose to unbend. Now l am in the
hunor to be more frank and open. Let
ME give you q 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: 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 flavor to the
meat"
1 could have argued with him that 1t
was a 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)