Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-22
THE RIVALS.
A Story of the Times of Aaron Burr and
Alexander Hamilton.
BY JERE CLEMENS.

knew all, you would excuse It,"
Possibly I may not know all OF
your share in the business; but 1 know
more Of my own than 1t is agreeable
to reflect upon in a still night and
lonely place. l know that you invent
ed the calumny, and that I circulated
lit; and although neither of us could
foresee the melancholy result, we are
none the less guilty Of murder"
"Calumny! 1 tell you, Billings, that as
God is my judge, 1 believed it at the
time. l believed, too, that the story
would never reach her ears, for knew
that she was about starting for her
home in Connecticut, and l hoped II
would die away except in quarters
where we might think proper to keep
II alive"
Then, Captain Hamilton you have
the advantage OF me decidedly; for
never believed a syllable Of 1t. nor did
l ever doubt but that some kind friend
would communicate to her all that was
said. together With whatever additions
were necessary to fill up any little
omissions in the pleasing tale. But
this is profitless. The question is not
what degree of guilt attaches to either
of us, but rather how we are to turn
untoward circumstances to the best
account. Before we begin the discus
sion, you must pardon the liberty am
about to take in offering you some ad-
vice. l am nearly double your age,
and there are new phases Of the hu-
man character have not had occasion
to study. The first step toward sue
cess in life Is self-control Such out
breaks as you have been guilty Of to-
night are disagreeable to your friends
and dangerous to yourself. No man
will trust his fortunes In the same
boat with yours, If they are continual
ly liable to be upset by ill-governed
passions. In the path of ambition you
have deliberately chosen, you must
command your words, your looks, your
actions. You must be able to call
hot pincers at your heart-strings.
Avoid self deception, for Of all decep-
tions it is the least profitable. Look at
your acts in the light of their conse-
Cuences. Weigh those consequences
before the act is irrevocable, and not
afterwards. If the end to be attained
Is Of sufficient Importance to justify
the ruin of a dozen honest names, or
the breaking of as many gentle hearts
why, ruin or break them; but do II
deliberately, and do not fly into a rage
with those who may be serviceable,
because you are conscious Of having
been a very naughty boy. Exhibit as
much temper as you please; the often
er the better since it helps to build up
character for frankness; but never
exhibit it when you feel 1t for nine
ty-nine times in hundred 1t will be
foolish and imprudent. Genuine feel
ing Is a great drawback, affected feel
ing a great advantage, to a rising
man. Follow this advice implicitly,
and there is no eminence you may not
hope to attain. History furnishes more
than one instance in which a success
full soldier, with worse prospects than
yours, has won the diadem Of king"
There was much in the cool and vii
lainous counsel of his confederate not
altogether unfamiliar to Alexander
Hamilton; the concluding sentence,
too, pointed to a result that he was
beginning to contemplate as possible,
and to cherish with a good deal more
pleasure than was becoming in a re-
publican soldier. Still he was irritated
by the tone of superior wisdom in
which it was delivered; and there was
a touch of scorn in his reply, from
which he did not seek to divest it.
Pray, Mr.. Billings, how does it hap
pen that you, who know so we'll the
paths to success, have yet missed them
so widely?"
Your question is natural, and the
sneer that accompanied it was natural
also; though, let me tell you, it was far
from a wise one. 1t is one of the very
indiscretions against which l have been
warning you. A revengeful man
would remember it to your prejudice
and some day do you a mischief on
account of it. l shall only register II
as the second folly of which you have
have been guilty in the last half hour
And now, to answer your Inquiry,
might say that | had failed for the
want of your genius, your capacity, OF
your accomplishments, and your vanity
would accept the explanation.
choose to be more candid. In my
youth, there was no such revolution as
this of the colonies in progress, or ir
contemplation. The opportunities tina,
you possess were therefore denied tC
me; and this explanation would be as
soothing to my vanity as the Other
would be to yours. To another thar
Yourself, it is all that | would give; but
as l have just warned you against self
deception, must not give you occasion
to suspect me of belying my own theo'
ry. | failed, because my knowledge
came after my character was gone
But the ueNll nllllSell upon Sdi III "
it be known that he is the devil, anc
he could not mislead a child. At the
commencement of my career, l was IL
possession of fair fortune and fai
character Both were dissipated IL
|. gambling hells, and other resorts o
vice and immortality. What mattered
that in the mean time l had acquired
an amount of knowledge and of self
| control that would have been inValua
BILE few years earlier! The road t
what men call honorable ambition wa
barriCaded against the broken-doWl
/ gambler and debauchee. Instead of ;
struggle for power and place, my lif
became a struggle for bread; and whel
at last l had accumulated wealth, tn
, means by which it was acquired Wer
, so questionable, that | did not care t
give occasion for impertinent inquire
5 by placing my name before the public
2 believe it is not necessary to eXten