Chapter 6 6. The Hargraves scam

Chapter One Pendleton of Mobile.Mr. Major Talbot and his daughter Lydia.When Miss Talbot came to Washington to settle, she chose a boarding-house fifty yards back from one of the quietest streets.It is an old brick building with a porch supported by tall white columns.The yard is shaded by locust elms, and a seasonal catalpa tree is in full bloom, with pink and white petals falling all over the grass.Beside the fence, rows of boxwood towered beside the sidewalk.It was this southern look that made the Talbots fall in love with it at first sight. They booked several rooms in this delightful private boarding house, one of which was to be used as the study of Major Talbot, who was to finish his book, Memoirs and Observations of the Alabama Army, Courts, and Lawyers. "The last few chapters.

Major Talbot belonged to the old South.In his eyes, everything today is dull and useless.His mind lived before the Civil War.At that time, the Talbot family owned tens of thousands of acres of high-quality cotton fields, and a large number of serfs worked in the fields; at that time, their mansion was full of guests, and nobles from the south came here one after another.He carried everything about the period: the old pride and scruples of honor, the formal manners, and (you'd expect) the dress of the period. Surely no one had made such a garment for fifty years.The Major was tall, but whenever he did that fine old bow he called the bow, his frock coat swept the floor.Even in Washington, where the robes and wide-brimmed hats of Southern legislators have become accustomed, his coat was astonishing.One of the boarders named it Daddy Hubbard, and the coat was indeed short in the waist and wide in the hem.

Although the Major dresses eccentrically: the shirt bosom is trimmed with large ruffles and fringes, the bow tie of the little black bow is always slipped to the side; but in the boarding-house of Mrs. Like him, greet him with a smile.Often, as some young agency clerks said, they would tease him, tease him about the traditions and history of his beloved Southland, the subject most dear to him.When speaking, he often freely quotes the contents of "Reminiscences and Observations".However, they were very careful not to let him see their designs.For, though he was sixty-eight years old, he could still make the boldest of them uncomfortable under the gaze of his piercing gray eyes.

Miss Lydia was a fat little spinster of thirty-five.Her slicked-back, tightly coiled hair made her look older than she really was.She, too, was dressed out of date; but not with the major's pre-Civil War pride.She is a thrifty person who manages the household finances and handles paying all the bills.The major thought the boarding and washing charges were trifling and tiresome.Because these bills keep coming.Why, the major wondered, could they not be left there and paid for again at a convenient time, say, when his Memoirs and Observations were published and paid for?Miss Lydia would always say, as she calmly worked on her needlework, "We'll pay as long as we have money to pay, and when there's no money to pay, I'm afraid they'll have to be more lenient."

Most of Mrs. Waldman's tenants were office workers and businessmen who were out during the day.However, there was one person who stayed in the store from morning till night.This is a man named Henry.Hopkins.A young man from Hargraves, as he was called by his full name in the boarding house, he applied for employment at a light comedy theater.In recent years, the status of light comedy has risen year by year, and it has begun to be respected by people. Mr. Hargraves is a humble and elegant man, and Mrs. Waldman has no reason not to accept him as her lodger. In the theatre, Hargraves was recognized as a versatile vernacular comedian with a knack for playing Germans, Irish, Swedes, and blacks.Hargraves was ambitious, however, and often expressed a desire to succeed in legitimate comedy.

The young man seemed particularly enamored of Major Talbot.Whenever the gentleman began his Southern reminiscences, or repeated some of the most vivid anecdotes, Hargraves was there, and the most attentive listener. For a time the Major had a tendency to hold the mummer back; however, the young man soon won him over completely by his charming manners and his unquestionable appreciation of the old gentleman's story. favor. It didn't take long for the two men to be close friends.The major set aside every afternoon to read his manuscript to Hargraves.Hargraves never stopped laughing where it should be while reading the anecdotes.The major was greatly moved.He remarked to Miss Lydia one day that young Hargraves had an astonishing understanding and a satisfying respect for the old system.And Mr. Hargraves listened with fascination whenever Major Talbot spoke of those old days when he liked to talk.

Like nearly all old people, the Major liked to dwell on details when he talked about the past.He would falter and haw when he described the old planter's glorious days, until he remembered the name of the black person who led his horse, or the exact date when some trifle happened, or such a year The number of bales of cotton produced in the village will not stop.Yet Hargraves never grew impatient or lost interest.On the contrary, he always asks questions, which he always gets satisfactorily answered, on a wide range of subjects closely related to his life at that time. Fox hunts, possum dinners, ghetto balls and folk songs, feasts in the halls of plantation houses to which nobles for fifty miles were invited; occasional feuds with neighboring nobles; kindness.Culbertson fought for Kitty, who later married a South Carolina man named Enwitt.Chalmers; private yacht races with huge prizes on the Mobile coast; the quaint beliefs, disregard of the future habits, and virtue of their faithfulness of the old slaves—all these are things that have often irritated the Major and Hargrave. The two of them talked for hours.

Chapter two Some evenings, when Hargraves went upstairs to his rooms after a play in the company, the major would beckon to him with surreptitious gestures at the door of his own study.In the study, Hargraves always saw a small table with a phial, a sugar bowl, some fruit, and a large bouquet of fresh mints. It occurred to me that the Major always began in this way. He was always very polite. Mr. Hargraves, in your professional position, I am afraid you have found that it is difficult to appreciate poets when they write. One of a kind, when something is conceived in his mind, your task is extremely difficult.

For Hargraves, watching the major concoct the drink was fascinating.He never changes the modulation procedure, look at his every move, is simply an artist.How deftly he pounded the mint; how delicately he estimated the raw materials; how meticulously he covered the resulting mixture with red berries!Look at the red fruit glowing red against the dark green burrs!Then, after throwing in a straw of oatmeal of his choice, he serves it to his guests with gracious elegance. After four months in Washington, Lydia discovered one morning that they were almost out of money. "Memoirs and Observations" was done, but publishers were not rushing to embrace this gem of Alabama ideas and wit.

They had been two months behind on rent for their little house in Mobile, and their boarding bill was due in three days for this month.Miss Lydia had to consult her father. No money?He had a surprised look on his face, and it was annoying to be bothered about these small sums of money.honestly i The major fumbled in his pockets, but produced only a two-dollar bill, which he stuffed back into his coat pocket. I have to pay attention to this right away, Lydia, he said, and get my umbrella, please, and I'll go down to the business district right away.General Fulham, MP from our district, assured me a few days ago that he would use his influence to bring about the early publication of my book.I'll go to the hotel where he lives right away to see if there are any arrangements.

Lydia watched with a sad smile as he buckled on to his Daddy Hubbard and headed out.As usual, he paused at the door and bowed deeply. He returned just after dark that night.As if MP Fulham had seen the publisher who was reviewing the Major's manuscript, and the man said that the book was saturated with local and class prejudices from beginning to end, and that if half of the book's anecdotes etc. were carefully cut out to remove those prejudice, then he can consider its publication. The major was very angry, but his principles restored his composure the moment he saw Miss Lydia. We must be rich, said Miss Lydia, wrinkling a little above her nose. Give me the two dollars and I'll call Uncle Ralph tonight and borrow some. The major took a small envelope from his coat pocket and threw it on the table. Probably unwise, he said mildly, but the money was so small that I spent it on tickets to tonight.It's a new play about war.Lydia, I think you'll be delighted to see it premiere in Washington.I heard that in the play, the South was treated fairly.I admit that I want to see this scene myself. Disappointed, Lydia raised her hands silently. However, since the ticket is bought, it should be used.So even Miss Lydia temporarily put their troubles in the second place that night, as they sat in the theater listening to the cheerful overture.The major, in his neat linen shirt, his coat distinguished only by its buttoning, and his silver hair, carefully arched, looked otherworldly. When the first act of "Flowers of Magnolia" opened, the stage showed a typical southern plantation scenery.Major Talbot showed some interest. Oh, look!Miss Lydia nudged his arm with her elbow, pointed to the program list and reminded. The major put on his spectacles and looked at the line in the cast list where she pointed. Webster.Colonel Calhoun Henry.Hopkins.Hargraves. 'It's our Hargraves,' said Miss Lydia, who must have been seen for the first time in what he said was the show.I'm so happy for him. Until the second act Webster.Colonel Calhoun just came on stage.As he emerged, Major Talbot drew a sharp breath and stared at him as if frozen.Miss Lydia let out a faint cry of surprise, and kept rubbing the program list in her hands.Colonel Calhoun and Major Talbot are like two peas indistinguishable.Long, thin, silver-white hair with natural curls at the ends; the aristocratic, aquiline nose; the broad, wrinkled and fringed shirtfront; the bow-tie that slipped almost under one ear; all were almost exact replicas. .Secondly, to cling to the image, he wears an uneven coat, which is almost a twin brother of the major's unique coat.High-necked, wide, short-waisted, wide-legged, and a foot long in the front instead of the back, the coat couldn't have been modeled on anything else.Afterwards the Major and Miss Lydia sat fascinated to see a false show drag a noble Talbot into what the Major later said was the mire of much ado about nothing on a depraved stage. Mr. Hargraves took his chance well.He had caught the subtleties of the Major's speech, dialect, tone of voice, and exaggerated grandeur.Moreover, for the needs of stage performances, all are exaggerated.There was a burst of happy applause from the audience as he performed that splendid bow which the Major naively conceived to be typical of all occasions of salutation.Miss Lydia sat quite still, not daring to glance at her father.Despite her best efforts to restrain herself, she would sometimes cover her cheek with the hand that was close to his, as if to conceal a smile she could not quite suppress. The climax of Hargraves' wanton imitation occurs in the third act.In the background, Colonel Calhoun entertains several planters from the neighboring estate in his den. He stood at a table in the center of the stage, and his friends gathered around him.While he was skillfully mixing cold drinks for everyone, he uttered the unprecedented, famous and rambling character monologue in "Flowers of Magnolia". Major Talbot sat quietly.But to hear his best stories retold, to see his best theories and hobbies developed and expanded, to see the dreams in "Memories and Observations" acted out, exaggerated, and even falsified, his face All angry.His most proud account of his duels with Rushburn and Culbertson has not been deleted, and it is more gunpowder-scented, more self-centered, and more flavorful than the major's own narrative. The monologue ends with a beautiful, quirky and witty short address on the art of chilling whiskey, with action instructions.Here, Major Talbot's ingenious but somewhat ostentatious science is faithfully reproduced, from his dainty handling of the thousandth part of a grain of fragrant mint to the strained words, gentlemen. , you squeeze bitterness not savory juice from this god-given plant.to his meticulous choice of granola bars. At the end of that scene, there was a burst of excited applause from the audience.The typical portrayal is so exact, so sure, so thorough, that the other main characters of the play are forgotten.After repeated requests, Hargraves came to the front of the screen and bowed to everyone. His childish face was flushed, showing the joy after learning of the success. At last Miss Lydia turned to look at the major.His narrow nostrils were fluttering like a fish's gills at the moment, and a pair of trembling hands grabbed the armrests of the seat, trying to stand up. Let's go, Lydia, he said, his voice choking, this is abominable profanity. Before he could rise, Miss Lydia pushed him back into his seat. We're going to finish the play, she made it clear, are you trying to advertise the replica by showing the original?So they sat there until the play was over and then left. Hargraves' success must have kept him up late that night, for he was not seen for breakfast or lunch the next day. third chapter In the afternoon, about three o'clock, he knocked at the door of Major Talbot's study. The major opened the door, and Hargraves entered with a handful of the day's morning papers in his hand. He was so engrossed in his success that he did not notice the slightest difference in the Major's mannerisms. I had a great success last night, Major, Hargraves began his talk with gusto, that I had my chance to bat and, I think, to score.Here's a comment from the Post. His ideas and his portrayal of the old Southern colonel with his almost absurd exaggerations, his eccentric costumes, his quaint idioms and idioms, his old-fashioned family pride, his genuine kindness, his insatiable sense of honor, and his lovely The innocence is the best handling of characters on the stage today.Colonel Calhoun's coat is a spiritual evolution in itself.Mr. Hargraves won over his audience. What do you think of this review for an actor in a debut play? Last night, the Major sounded ominously cold, and I had the pleasure of witnessing a very good performance of yours, sir. Hargraves looked a little overwhelmed. where are youI simply didn't know you I didn't know you liked theater.Oh, I say, Major Talbot, he said frankly, you're not mad at me!I admit that I do get a lot of ideas from you that have helped me to successfully complete my role.But that's a typical, you know, not an individual.The extent to which the audience understands speaks for itself, and half the patrons of that troupe were Southerners, and they all endorsed it. Mr. Hargraves, the Major still stood and said, You have insulted me unforgivably.You comically satirized my personality, brutally betrayed the truth I confided to you, and abused my favor to you.If I ever felt you had the slightest idea of ​​what is a gentleman's signature, or what is a proper signature, I would have fought you hard, sir, though I am old.I want you to leave this room, sir. The actor seemed a little bewildered, and he seemed to be having trouble fully understanding what the old gentleman was saying. I'm really sorry for making you angry, he said regretfully, we people don't look at things the same way you do over there.I know that people will give everything to put their personality on the stage for public recognition. They're not Alabamians, sir, said the major contemptuously. Maybe not.My memory is quite good, Major; let me quote a few words from your book.In reply to a toast at a dinner in Milledgeville, I believe you said, and wished to print, the following: The Northern man has no feeling or passion at all, unless the feeling becomes himself commercial wealth.He readily endures any insult to his own reputation or to those he loves without special loss.In terms of charity, he is generous, but it must be for publicity, and it must be able to spread history.Do you think this portrait does more justice than the portrait of Colonel Calhoun seen last night? That description, said the major, frowning, was not unfounded.A certain degree of liberty to exaggeration must be allowed in public speaking. In public performances, too, Hargraves shot back. That was different, the major insisted without flinching, and that was a personal irony.I will never forgive, sir. Major Talbot, said Hargraves, with a charming smile, I hope you understand me.I hope you understand that I never even dreamed of insulting you.In my line of work, all life is mine.I choose what I need and can choose, and reproduce it on the stage.Now, let's stop here, if you will.I came to you for another matter.We've been good friends for months, and now I'm going to risk offending you again.I know you're in a tight spot at the moment, don't care how I know; it's impossible to keep such secrets in a boarding house, and I hope you'll let me help you through this.This happens to me myself from time to time.I've been making good money this quarter, so I've saved some money.Two hundred, or more, you just need to use it, wait for you to get it shut up!The major raised his arm and ordered, it seems that my book is really right.You thought your monetary comforts would heal all honor wounds.I would never accept a loan from a man whose only acquaintance is nodding; and as for you, sir, you would rather starve to death than consider the humiliating financial compensation we have just discussed.I repeat, please leave this room. Hargraves left without saying anything, and left the boarding house that same day.According to Mrs. Vardman at the dinner table, he moved to be near the theater company in the downtown area, where "Flowers of Magnolia" was scheduled to run for a week. Major Talbot and Miss Lydia were faring badly.The major's reserve prevented him from finding anyone in Washington to borrow from.Miss Lydia wrote a letter to Uncle Ralph.But it's hard to say that the financially depleted relative was in a position to help them.The major had no choice but to apologize to Mrs. Waldman for the late payment of the boarding fee, and explained that the reason was that others were in arrears with his rent and that the remittance had not arrived.The words he explained were somewhat incoherent. The rescue came from a completely unexpected source. One afternoon, very late, the door-maid came in to announce that an old Negro wanted to see Major Talbot.The major had him taken to his study.Soon, an elderly black man appeared in the doorway.He held the hat in his hand, bowed, and wiped one foot unnaturally on the floor.He was well dressed, a baggy black coat, a pair of large rough-made leather shoes that had been polished to a shine, and his short, thick curly hair was gray and almost white.After middle age, the age of a black man is difficult to estimate.The man had lived perhaps as long as Major Talbot had lived. I'm sure you don't know me, Master Pendleton, that was his first sentence. The major got up and came forward to greet him in the usual old way.No doubt it was one of those old niggers on the plantation; but they had all gone their separate ways, and he could not remember the voice, nor the face. I really don't know you, he said kindly, unless you help me remember. Do you remember Cindy's Moss, Master Pendleton?The one that moved out as soon as the war was over. Wait, said the major, rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers.He liked to look back on everything connected with those lovely days, Cindy's Moss, he thought for a while and said, You work on the stables, yes, training ponies.Yes, I remember now.After the South surrendered, you named Don't Remind Me Mitchell, and went West to Nebraska. Yes sir, yes sir, there was a comfortable smile on the old man's face, that is, yes.Nebraska.It's me Moss.Mitchell.MossUncle Mitchell, that's what they call me these days.Sir, your father, when I left there, gave me a pair of colts for the journey.Do you remember those mules, Master Pendleton? I don't seem to remember the mule, said the major, you know I got married the first year of the war and lived down there in old Flinsby.But you sit down, sit down, Uncle Moss.I'm glad to see you.I hope you have developed. Uncle Moss took his seat and carefully placed his hat on the floor beside the chair. Yes sir; I've been doing pretty well lately.When I first came to Nebraska, the locals came to see the little mule.They had never seen a mule like that in Nebraska.I sold the mule for three hundred yuan.Yes sir three hundred dollars. Then I opened a blacksmith shop, ha, made some money, and bought some land.My wife and I had seven children, two of them died, and the others were fine.A railroad came up four years ago, and a settlement started right next to my land, and, ha, Master Pendleton, Uncle Moss's money, property, and land's worth ten thousand dollars. I'm glad for you to hear that, said the major sincerely. I'm glad for you. And that little girl of yours, Master Pendleton, is the one you call Miss Liddy, and I'm sure that little girl must be too old for anyone to recognize. The major went to the door and called: "Lydia, my dear, will you come here?" Miss Lydia came from her room.She looked like she was fully grown, with a little anxiety on her face. ah!What did I tell you?I knew this baby was really mature.Don't you remember Uncle Moss, boy? This is Aunt Cindy's Moss, Lydia, the major explained, and you were two years old when he left Sunnymead for the West. Oh, said Miss Lydia, at that age I am afraid I am unlikely to remember you, Uncle Moss.And as you say, I'm really mature, but I was happy a long time ago.Although I don't remember you, it was a great pleasure to meet you. She is really happy.The major was really happy too.Something alive and tangible came to connect them to the happy past.The three sat down and talked about the old days. The major and Uncle Moss reviewed the scenes and days in the plantation. They corrected each other and reminded each other. The major asked the old man what he was doing all the way from home. Uncle Moss was a representative, he explained, coming to the city for the Baptismal Assembly.I had never prayed, but I was an elder at the church in that area and could pay for it myself, so they sent me. So how did you know we live in Washington?Miss Lydia asked. There was a fellow nigger from Mobile who worked at the hotel where I stopped.He told me that he saw Master Pendleton coming out of the boarding-house one morning. The purpose of my coming here, continued Uncle Moss, putting his hand in his pocket, was to pay my debt to Master Pendleton, besides seeing the folks back home. owe me?said the major in surprise. Yes sir three hundred dollars.He handed the major a roll of notes, and as I was leaving the old man said to me: Take the pair of mules, Moss, and return them when you can, yes sir, that's what he said.The war has sadly left the old man with us.It's been a long time since the old man died, and it's up to Master Pendleton to collect the bill.Three hundred yuan.Uncle Moss is now fully able to pay the debt.You have some money, Master Pendleton.That's what I sold my mules for.Yes, sir. With tears in his eyes, Talbot took Uncle Moss's hand with one hand and put his other on his shoulder. My dear, faithful old servant, he said in an unsteady voice, I will tell you that Master Pendleton spent his last penny a week ago.Uncle Moss, since it's a debt payment in a way, we'll take the money, this old token of loyalty.Lydia, my dear, you put this money away.You know how to spend it better than I do. Take it, baby, said Uncle Moss, it's your money.This is Talbot's money. Miss Lydia was glad to weep after Uncle Moss left; the Major turned his face to the corner, and smoked furiously at his clay pipe. In the following days, Talbot regained his calm and leisure.Miss Lydia's face no longer showed that worry.The major wore a newly made frock coat that looked like a wax statue marking his golden days.Another publisher who read the manuscript of Memoirs and Observations thought that with a little embellishment and a little tonality of the best parts of the book it could have been a very good and bestseller.On the whole, the situation is gratifying, and there is not at all the hope of a sweeter blessing than that which has already come. One day, about a week after their good fortune, a letter addressed to Miss Lydia was delivered to her room by a maid.The postmark stated that the letter was from New York.Miss Lydia was a little bewildered that she could not think of anyone she knew there.She sat down at the table and cut open the letter with scissors.The letter reads as follows: Dear Miss Talbot: I think you will be delighted to learn of my good fortune.I received and accepted an offer from a New York show company to play Colonel Calhoun in "Flowers of Magnolia" for two hundred dollars a week. There is one more thing I want you to know.I think you'd better not tell Major Talbot.I very much hope to be able to compensate him for the great help he has given me.It was he who helped me get acquainted with the past, for which he was in a bad mood. He refused to let me make it up to him, so I made it up anyway.I can save the three hundred dollars without any trouble. Yours sincerely Henry.Hopkins.Hargraves Added: How is my Uncle Moss doing? Major Talbot stopped in passing the hall when he saw Miss Lydia's door open. Is there any mail from us this morning, Lydia, dear?he asked. Miss Lydia hastily tucked the letter under a fold of her dress. Here comes the Mobile Chronicle, she said quickly, on the table in your study.