The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-04-25
FOR HIS FRIEND.
ny Chester Douglas.

yeATs-to the nappy eholt PSi'ee
but to the miserable even as eter
nifty, was young then. suppose
am young still In years ] am bu
twenty-four | was twenty then, anS
young. Those four years have made
2 man OF me.
| say made man OF me, do no
mean IT, A man Is strong, mental,
and hysicallyl his hair is not gray
unless he Is an old man | am not al
old man. but my hair Is gray. my
strength has gone, my nerves are I'M
strung; | am a wreck.
| was twenty then, and was fond
/! OF life was not Handsomely
lank, and black as night, irregular
! features. and dark skin. | was often
told ! was an ugly dog" But being
an ...ugly dog does not damp the
spirits OF young man starting out
| fresh In life with a well-stored brain
and sound body. But Cecil Manning
| did not think me ugly. To him | was
"a solemn looking chap. but deuced-
| ly cleyer--the deeentest chap in the
tell or
Cecil Manning! | will never for
get that name. Cecil Manning. The
devils shrek II in my ears every
night. ! cannot get away from II.
Cecil Manning! | hear II in every
wind. | see 1t written IN fire before
my minds eye ! dream Of 1t every
night, and awake IN the darkness to
find myself crying 1t aloud, and my
body bathed In sweat
But ! must tell you about him
about Cecil Manning fie was my
friend.
verify believe he loved me. aye.
even as Jonathan loved David. he
never told me so, but know he did.
and you win know too, when you
have heard how 1t happened. Cecil
was a young artist, and like most ar
lists, he was careless, easy-going
and extrayagant | often wondered
how his daubs' could maintain him,
and buy him bread and butter, not to
consider his white duck raiment and
suppers But the boy had talent. and
some OF his pictures fetched a lot
the majority were failures. Yes. the
boy had talent, but lacked applica-
tion. He was Just my own age,
though | looked on him as boy"
and anyone looking at his thick gold
en- cnrls. delicate Grecian features,
and blue eyes. could not call him
man" II Is more likely they would
have contemptuously styled him
woman"
Cecil Manning was wonderfully
handsome far too handsome, it was
said, for young man, but he was
unconscious OF II, and never could
be convinced on the subject, He was
wont to fy into a passion when any
person commented on his looks, and
cry, They'll curl my hair for me
next" | have no doubt many dame |
at that time was yearning for that |
honor. but Dame Nature had 1t all |
her own way, and too much her own |
way, Cecil would say as he plas- |
tered 1t down with some evil-smell- |
Ing pomade. But | digress At that
time | thought Cecil Manning
breezy, careless boy, incapable OF any |
depth OF feeling. But have not yet /
told you what happened. | will net
delay longer ! was a bank-clerk
then. and am still; but for Cecil
| could not now call myself
hat was gambling, OF course.
wanted money | did not think dis
,overy would ever come To falsify
accounts was simple. | did so, and
ook ei00. II was exactly the sum /
needed. All went well for a time;
thought all safe. when suddenly l
ound out 1T would not interest you
o know by what meansl that. /
would be discovered II could not re-
)lace the money by next day. You
nay imagine what terror | was in.
Ruin doomed ahead, fearful mon
ter. Sinking and leering at me To
'orrow money would have been to
Xcite suspicion. went to Cecil /
iegged-i prayed him TO get the
money for me He could not, for he
ad then but a few shillings himself
sat down in his little studio and '
iept Yes. wept. didn't think c
ayself weak to shed those tears. | S
las weak | was a knaye. a game
ter. q thief | knew the boy was |
loyed. | saw the sweat standing in G
liz drops on his forehead. He threw I
is arms around met is true /.
nd We embraced. Il will save you,
ed" he said
was saved. Cecil Manning stood
5 a self-confessed thief. He had !,
ibrlcated some story about forging
check for Ei0c. and drawing on the 9
ank.
Cecil Manning had saved me. Ce-
] Manning. the pleasant. careless, d
reezy. good-for-nothingi But It was I
range | felt more miserable, and "
ct more miserable as | thought It 81
] over True. 1t would not hurt him y
UGH. The boy had no situation 10 fC
Ise. and people who bought pictures b
snerslly looked on their painter as S,
cipher II didn't concern them n,
neither he was g seoundrel or not. n,
III. was uneasy. and anxlously a
waited a letter from Cecil. | was .
raid TO call on him; / could not
&c BIN.
The letter came II was curt Init