The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-11-13
OLD PEI L,
THE VENTRILOQUIST.

NV friend and chum, TIM JoCELYN pos
sessed TO an astonishing degree the singular
-. ,fr,ntr;L ,o,,;s,u. We had entered col
iege tooether-I was his room-mate-and
many were the times that my friend, while
we were sitting together of an an evening,
after all had retired to rest, had given me
proofs ofh astonishing faculty, by filling
the garret with screams of turkies, the squeal-
inc of pigs. and with different limitations OF
the human voice. which he would convey away
,o some ,emote distance, and then bring II
gradually nearer and nearer, till 1t reached
The Mace where we were sitting. 1t was not
known TO any of the students except myself
that Tim possessed this power, and he exer-
c;sed il only on few occasions while at col
Iepe. and in one instance made it subservIent
~ the ACCOMPLISHMENT of at least his own
good, and thwarted the purposes of vlllainy.
Tim was humorous. yet frank and noble
minded feIIow-au excellent scholar, and
much beloved by his classmates. There was
a fellow in the Sophmore class of the name OF
David Benson, the son OF a wealthy land
holder, who possessed little talent, but had
that superficial and insolent contemptuous
hearing towards all the students, whose cir
-cumstances were inferior in wealth to his,that
rendered him deservedly unpopular among
the cIass-yet notwithstanding, as he was the
son of Mai. Benson, who was an arlstocrat OF
the old school. and whe was desIrous that
ms son should be placed in the highest rank
of academic honors, the tutors, las IN duty,
or rather in interest, bound) made much oil
David and did not scruple to exercise lenl'
encv and forbearance towards him, which
thew did not extend to others; and although
r whom
was my friend Tim. outstripped him In study,
and the attainment of science, still there was
evidently a desire on the part of the tu-
tors to put him ahead, and to prophecy that
he was to become the greatest scholar of
them all. This misplaced favoriteism, added
10 the insolent ard consequential demeanor
of Benson. procured for him the unanimous
dislike of all the inmates of the school, and
many were the pranks played of upon him.
David affected sentimentality and romance,
which was in him perfectly ridiculous-and
would sometimes perpetrate doggrel, which
he submitted to the criticisms of the tutors
and sometimes to the students deficient In
meaning or measure, except where he had
stolen entire snatches from Byron's Hours
of Ideness,' which never failed to gain him
the sneers of the school in the same proper
ton as his verses were commended by the
teachers. On one occasion he appeared al
the adjoining village, with copy of his latest
effort lacked to the skirt of his coat, which
some mischieyous student had pinned there
during school hours and before Benson's de-
parture.
During summer vacation, ball was given
at the neighboriug village, and Benson and
Tim among other students, who renamed du-
ring the vacation, were invited to attend
among the young ladies in attendance at the
iball,was Eliza Ayers, beautiful girl OF elsnt-
cen, whom report said was great helress.-
She was an orphan and under the guardian
ship of an uncle, misery old fellow, whose
'tyrannies though often extended over ms
household, had not been withheld from MS
ward. Benson was here introduced to Miss
Ayers, and exercised the whole of his powers,
TO render himself agreeable to her. Tim was
also introduced-sad before the evening drew
TO close. it was easy to discover that the in
telligent and beautiful girl had drawn in her
own mind the difference between the two
young men. She seemed annoyed at the
vapid tonafooienes of Benson, while she lis
tened with respectful attention, and with