Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-05
FOR HIS FRIEND.


young. Those four years have made
q man of me.
say made q man OF me. l do not
mean II. A man is strong. mentally
and physically his hair is not gray.
unless he is an old man. am not an
old man, but my hair IS gray. my
strength has gone, my nerves are un
strung; / am a wreck.
was twenty then. and was fond
of life. was not handsome hair
lank, and black as night. irregular
features, and dark skin. ! was often
told was an ugly dog" But.being
en- ugly dog" does not damp the
spirits of young man starting out
fresh in life with well-stored brain
and sound body. But Cecil Manning
did not think me ugly. To him ! was
"a solemn-looking chap. but deuced-
" clever-the decentest chap in the
world" 1t is Cecil Manning ] would
tell OF.
Cecil Manningl will never for
get that name. Cecil Manningl The
devils shrek 1t In my ears every
night. cannot get away from 1t
Cecil Manning! hear it in every
wind. / see 1t written In fire before
my minds eye. ! dream OF It every
night, and awake In the darkness "
find myself crying 1t aloud, and M
body bathed in sweat.
But / must tell you about him
about Cecil Manning He was M
friend.
| verify believe he loved me. aye,
evea as Jonathan loved David; he
never told me SO, but know he did,
and you will know too, when YOU
have heard how 1t happened Cecil
was young artist, and like most ar
lists, he was careless. easy-going
and extravaganza. / often wondered
how his "daubs" could maintain him
and buy him bread and butter, not %
consider his white duck raiment and
suppers. But the boy had talent, ami
some OF his pictures fetched lot
the majority were failures. Yes, thu
boy had talent, but lacked applica
ton. He was Just my own age.
though l looked on him as a boy,
and anyone looking at his thick gold
en- curls, delicate Greelan features,
and blue eyes, could not call him
man II Is more likely they would
have contemptuously styled him
woman"
Cecil Manning was wonderfull
handsome far too handsome, 1t wa
said, for a young man, but he was
unconscious of It, and never could
be convinced on the subject. lie was
wont to fly into a passion when ans
person commented on his looks, and
cry, They'll curl my hair for me
next" have no doubt many a dame
at that time was yearning for tina
honor, but Dame Nature had II all
her own way, and too much her own
way. Cecil would say as he plas
tered II down with some evil-smeil-
ing pomade. But ! digress. At thai
time / thought Cecil Manning a
breezy, careless boy, incapable of any
depth OF feeling. But / have not yet
told you what happened. ] will net
delay longer. was a bank-clark
then, and am still: but for Cecil
Manning | could not now call myself
that. | was gambling, OF course. {
wanted money. / did not think dis
covery would ever come. To falsify
accounts was simple. / did so, and
took e100. 1t was exactly the sum !
needed. All went we'll for time; |
thought all safe, when suddenly /
found out CT would not interest you
TO know by what means) that !
would be discovered If could not re-
place the money by next day. You
may imagine what terror / was II
Ruin doomed ahead. a fearful mon
ster. Sinking and leering at me. To
borrow money would have been 70
excite suspicion. | went to Cecil /
begged prayed him to get the
money for me. He could not, for he
had then but a few shillings himself.
| sat down in his little studio and
wept. Yes, / wept. | didn't think
myself weak to shed those tears.
was weak. / was knave, a game
ster, a thief. l knew the boy was
mONGQ. 4 saw llC bNGdl bAduQtH% Ia
big drops on his forehead. He threw
his arms around met Is true
and we embraced. Il will save you,
Ted" he said.
was saved. Cecil Manning stood
as a self-confessed thief. He had
fabricated some story about forging
a check for 800, and drawing on the
bank.
Cecil Manning had saved me. Ce-
ell Manning, the pleasant, careless,
breezy, good-for-nothingl But II was
strange. / felt more miserable, and
yet more miserable as | thought 1t
all over. True, 1t would not hurt him
much. The boy had no situation 10
lose, and people who bought pictures
generally looked on their painter as
a cipher. 1t didn't concern them
whether he was a scoundrel or not.
Still. I was uneasy. and anxiodsly
awaited letter from Cecil. | was
afraid to call on him; ! could net
face him.
The letter came. 1t was curt, Dat
affectionate. 1t was also puzzliEg
Next morning / understood It, when
saw by the paper that Cecil Manning
had been found lying stiff and cold IN
= T.. 80 s-l