The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-11-26

rot pat has superiority C."u ..s
pTedomirating feature; tn ;c.2
Gign.hcd manner, IN pclat o- E..
uressivcDeSs, in poiat e. rr.
presentation ok bis ease. NC .e.
iiy FIRST. nc came attc-JcJ 81
ret.nue, like n0hG-aia. iIc gave
persona! attention 20 HGIdCl, -n-.
beyond . certain stolid ohser,-
cast in entering equally upcy
rows Of leather bool>-haCls, UDcl
tro, upon the glittcr.rg iuL-cUnd
tho table. Like maharpjG. ne CO.
Quoted his relations with cttct
through sldifcl attendants waiting ca
stantly on his person. Que eoote fc
Ein-a sort OF regent. One iN Wh!,
? servant of an upper o:ier, saw COW
etcntly that no prOfGrirG hand touched
him, and another, OF n lower ca ,sa,
wC;t5d at tho Goor with various or
uclea of portable luggage.
lie feld, above ali persons or ny
knowledge, decided contempt for c..
tom. remember that 10 !Unctc
during the interview, that he e..
pressed without restraint his 2rncy-
ance at beam OF light which struck
him through an open shutter, and
once ne sang monotonously the fore
words OF a ditty with endless repeti-
ton, like one comfortably at leisure
dwelling on q thought that pleased
him. Something of his Gress ought
doubtless, 90 be described. He wore
sort Of yellow sandal, disclosing
white hose, ending four inches above
on his fat leg, plated froclg, q coat
hand embroidered in white silk, hat
buttoned together, having a baggy
crown, q dropping rim-al CT French
pique. In his right hand he carried q
GCg-whip, although there was nowhere
IN his retinue q deg, and, tucked TN
der his left elbow, man in minute
efiiGy named-as presently observed
most curiously, "How de-do," ana
more curiously, l thought, referred to
by his master as baby"
Now / admit here upon this record
the superiority Of St. George Fairfield
Porter in All qualities deemed excel
lent among'men; but in the matter Of
sight / am as good as any O. Gods
creatures, and my gorge rises Gt the
word baby applied TO such q beast as
this HOw-de-do. There was never On
this earth a more debauched. evil-fea-
tured thug Of middle age. The worst
strains in three alien races wero hide.
ously mixed in him. The negro kink
in his hair spoke of long pig" eaten
half-raw by camp fires on the Congo;
his puffy, cruel, Turkish face, Of
ghastly-writhigg sacks cast out OF pal
ace windows into tho Bosphorus; his
slim Mexican body, desovmed at the
extremides, OF good priests buried
alive to the chin in the slime CT the
Verde, their faces smeared with
honey that the flies might de7our
them. Ii at the last door-post, by rea-
son OF my sins, am to meet the devil,
I pray that he nay not come upon me
IN the mortal habiliments of this How
de-do. I saw now the larger uses Tor
the dog-whip.
St. George Fairfield Porter was per-
hapg two years old. He camo accom-
panied ~ his mother, n nurse and q
lesser servant. This mother was q
woman whose face impressed me; It
bore record of disaster without ct
tendant hardening of lines, rather the
face seemed cleansed by misfortunes,
as plate passed through acid. She
spoke directly, without coloring her
words, without restraint and without
apology, as one speaks to the surgeon
before he strips for The knife. She
did not desire sympathy or verbal con-
ISOLATION. She wished merely that Ran
dolph Mason should have the object
Of her visit laid clearly before him.
She had consulted with an eminent
attorney In New York, who had sent
her to him, as the practicing physician
sends tho difficult case to the expert.
She was born in New York city. and
had been married three years before
to Charles Porter, an iron-broiIer OF
that city. This man was progress
sive, brilliant fellow. lie had risen
swiftly from a subordinate position,
partly By reason OF his excellent ad-
dress, but chiefly because he was the
most practical authority In America
on the manufacture OF pig-iron.
Tho era OF Industrial consolidation
arrived about the time of this mar
riego, and Charles Porter was the first
in the cast TO step into tho opon door
lie swiftly got optional control Of the
iron mill whose product no was accus-
toned to sell and materially assisted
TO bring the larger business into one
gigantic combine under o New York
charter. This tremendous, giddy rise
was the mans ruin. shot upward al
most in night from tho status Of q
riddleman to o position OF authority
in one Of the greatest consolidated in