Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-02-27

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I6H5o| arts, the number Of gentle
&&SkJ men who became poets for
the sake of Miss Betty Carewe need
not be considered extraordinary. or
all that was written Of her dancing,
Tom vanreveIs lines, Il Danced With
Her Beneath the Lights" (Which he GER
tainly had not done when he wrote
them, were perhaps next to Crailey
Gray's In merit. though Tom burned
his rhymes after reading them to Graf.
ley.
As Crailey Gray never danced with
Miss Carewe, 1t Is somewhat singular
that she should have been the inspira-
tion Of his swinging verses In waltz
measure, "Heartstrings on Violin,"
the sense of which was that when q
violin had played for her dancing the
instrument should be shattered as wine
glasses are after great toast. How
ever, no one except the author himself
knew that Betty was the subject, for
Crailey certainly did not mention it to
Miss Bareaud nor to his best friend,
VanreveI.
1t was to some degree strange COM
radeship between these two young men;
their tastes led them SO often in oppo-
site directions. They had rooms to-
gether over their offices in the "Madril-
lon block" Oh Main street, and the
lights shonc late from their windows
every night in the year. Sometimes
that would mean only that the two
friends were talking. for they never
reached silent intimacy, bat, even
after several years of companiOnship,
were rarely seen together when not In
often eager, conversation,
so that people wondered what In the
world they still found to say to each
other. But many Il night the late shin
ing lamp meant that Tom sat alone.
with brief or book, or wooed the
lOrn hours with his magical guitar, for
he never went to bed until the other
came home. And if daylight came
Crailey, Vanrevel would 60 out,
yawning nightly, to look for him, and
when there was no finding him Tom
would come back sleepless to the days
work.
To the vision Of the lockers OH in
Rouen, quiet souls who hovered along
the walls ut merrymakings and cheer
fully counted themselves spectators at
the play, Crailey Gray held the center
Of the stage and was the chief come
dian Of the place. Wit, poet and scape-
grace, the small society sometimes
seemed the mere background set for
bis performances, spectacles which he
also enjoyni. and from the best seat
In the house. for he was not content as
the actor bat must be the prince in the
box as well.
His friendship for Tom Vanrevel
was in Il measure that Of the vine for
the oak. lie was full Of lcvities ut
Toms expense. which the other bore
with grin of sympathetic compre-
hension or III long intervals returned
upon Crailey with devastating effect.
Vanrevel was the one steadying thing
In his life and ut the same time the
only one of the young men upon whom
he did not have IN almost mcsmeric in
duence. In good truth. Crailey was the
IN all the deviltries Of tie
town and had been so long in the habit
Of following every impulse, no matter
how mad, that he enjoyed an almost
perfect immunity from condemnation,
and, whatever his deeds, ROuen had
learned to say with Il chuckle that it
was "only Crailey Gray again"
Now and then he would spend sew
eral days in the offices Of Gray & Van
revel, attorneys and counselors at law,
an dir Of unassailable virtue.
hough he did not far Overstate the case
when he said, Tom does all the work
and gives me all the money not to
bother him when he's getting up a
case"
The working member Of the firm got
ND cases to notable effect, anI few law
yers In the state enjoyed having Tom
yanrevel Oh the other side. There was
nothing about him of the ioridity prev
alent ut that time; he withered ora
tory" before the court; he was the foe
Of jury pathos, and, despising noise
and the habitual voice dip ut the end
of q sentence, was nevertheless At
times an almost fearfully effective ora
tor. So by degrees the firm of Gray
& Vanrevel. young rs 1t was and III
spite Of the idle apprentice, had grown
10 be the most prosperous In the dis
trict. For this eminence Crailey was
never accused Of assuming the credit.
Nor did he ever miss an opportunity OF
making known how much he owed to
MS partner. What he owed, In Drief,
was everything. How well Vanrevel
worked was demonstrated every day,
but how hard he worked only Crailey
knew. The latter had grown to depend
upon him for even his political beliefs
and lightly followed his partner into
abolitionism, though that was to risk
lnpopularity, bitter hatred and worse.
OH certain occasions VAN
-eyel had made himself, IL not his
creed, respected, at least so far that
here was no longer danger Of mob
violence for an abolitionist In Rouen.
He was a cool headed young man or
linarily and possessed Of an elusive
not to be trified with,
though he was quiet man and had
what they called Il fine manner and,
not In the latter. but in his dress. there
was an echo Of the beau, which afford
ed Mr.. Gray point of attack Tor sal
les of wit.
(ro BIZ CONTINUED