The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-06

in our villages, IL Is not nee
essary to say it Was not detlNefed,
But the ~fox-hunter failed TO return.
He languishrd in jail for q fe" days
his downfall not Scotch but z par
ticularly eviI brand Of still whiskey.-
I think this attempt at q hold-up Vas
4 severe strain on Mr.. PorterS. falth
in the m~ountuineer, but there are
mountaineers good and bad.
Back in New York. care and worry
and the strain OF failing health wrap
ped Ike a Mantle about Mr.. Porter.
close and closer as the days went on.
one morning | dropped in TO see hlm
at his place OF Tw~enty-siXth street
and seeing no one at the telephone
ran up the stairs. his rooms being on
the first floor. Half way up q man 5
voice stopped me. | turned. saw the
proprietor Of the house, told him VINO
was and said was going lip. tie
asked me to wait and be announced.
[ said carelesslE that It Was not nee
eSsary. He insisted, looked SO dis
tressed as I mounted another step or
two, and said SO SOlrmnly,
Mr.. porter's rules are irOn-clad,' that
I came down the stairs. took q char
and waited meekly while We went
through the w~ell-known formula. Ad-
mitted to the apartment without
greeting Nj. Porter, | went TO the
fire escape. Where is She | asked.
coming back. 1T must have been a
she-one of these gorgeous ladies that
only Broadway produces. Mr.. -
gave you plenty OF time to WhlSh her
away" When explained, Mr.. Por-
ter aughed heartily. You see why
always live here he said. NO
where else can | get such protection.'
Down on Long island the summe
Of 1orS, he made q work room or
the loft Of the unused stable on ~
place. out OF the enNlronnenl IN
Which he was accustomed to work ne
could not write, and each day that
passed saw him more restless and de-
pressed. He could rarely be perSuid-
ed from his WOrk-rOOnl, though. pdt
after day he would sit at the irnp"o-
yised desk staring down somberly It
| the blank page of the yellow pad. Al
ways when he gave it up and decided
to so back to the city his detection
dropped from him. And all thai sum
Iner every line turned out was writ
ten in his city rooms.
Once he came home bringing an
editor friend with him and | saw
that he was more buoyant than he
had been in months. 1T is not the
work that kills a man. he said. Its
the worry when the work refuses to
come He had invited the man. and
when the time came he did not want
him because he was not ready to come
back. He did mot want to return
without a certain sum Of money w
needed risht then. He told me that
he had gotten up at daylight ant
searched his brain for an excuse tt
remain III town-nothing that was
plausible presented itself. In des
peration he sat down at his desk a
6 O'Clock, no plot Of any sort in mind
At 9 O'Clock he sent out a finished
story, and at 10 he got his money
double the amount Of the ursen
need. 'It was a good story, too, IL
ended in triumph. "D called n
up and said So
The fall Of 1909. broken in health
and suffering greatly from depression
Mr.. Porter came South to be with hi
daughter and me. But the work CAV
him no rest, no peace. Sitting da,
, after day at a writing table trying t
force back the old-time light-heartec
irresponsible mirth that was a par
Of him. he said to me 80 often, If
would debase it as some OF the Eel
lows do, I could. get out something.
could turn out some sort Of trash
but I can't do that"
Al editor friend OF his once sal
to me, The Colonel is a citizen Q
the asphalt" And he was. Solitud
depressed him. II could look at thes
J, mountains a hundred years n neve
get an idea" he would say mourn
, fully, but just one block down tow
= (down town mostly meant Sixth Ave
!. nue) and I catch q sentence, see some
, thing in a face-and I've got III
= story
He took a work room in AsheVil!
and my brother returning h a fir:
day Of his move told me he had see
r him hanging from the office windo
t Git was in the fifth story OF q buiit
Y ing on Patton Avenue) feasting h
: eyes on the sight Of W thousan
r school children marching through tt
town. He hated darkness, too. TT
n little story told al the time Of h
death was true He did ask that tt
d lights be left on. In his bachelor
days hts habit OF burnine a dim lig}
e at night in his bedroom dinlinishe
g his store Of handkerchiefs greatl
a for he pinned them about the electr