The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-10-20

! trv. from ten 10 fifteen years of age and some
OF them quite pretty. We boys at College were
now very happy. For long time Wilson IS
| girls were guarded closely, so that there was
not the least chance for any of US to get more
than o far-off glance at them Every fine even
ing they were walked out, under the lead OF a
tall, manly looking old maid, the teacher
sister, nfeknamed 10y the boys "the Ola grey
goose" from a song of that day, the pnrtheh y!
which told of an "old grey goose smiiine az ~
the gander." But although we knew none OF
them TO speak TO them, we soon found out tue
! names of tha nrettiest ones, and where they
lived Also we made 1t a rule to pass them ~, y,
| stroiline much TO the grievance Oh tue oiu
| erey goose" who didn't own the green neuKe-
rows and level lanes of Oldark, and couldn't
.top oyer-tasked students from easing their
| minds by walking along them In this way, we
soon learned which OF the girls liked lun ana
| which didn't. Their" were only two or three
| who showed signs of wildness, but these two
or three, i know not why, had the prettiest
and sweetest of all the girls under their
thumb. And with this giri--was her name
Pope II fell in love.
| Time sped The boys could no more talk
| TO the girls than when they first came, hut
| they ogled them awfully on the street, in the
| lanes, and at church. The "old grey GOOSE
/ was the next thing to n dragon in taking care
| of Wilson's virgins. How we belabored her
| with words she never heard! how we made
| mouths at her behind her broad, fiat back, as
| she strobe along with her youthful flock at
| her heels. There was beautiful silver maple
| tree hard by the fence that shut out the front
| cdmpnS from the cows that wandered along
| the street and you may be sure that tree
| became favorite lounging place for the stu
| dents. On the sweet, soft, balmy mocnlit
nights passed under that tree. Oh the glori-
Gus sunsets ami the cool evening breeze. Oh 4!
| the girls in the windows and the narrow little
| yard that belonged to the yellow house. ON J!
| the silvery laughter, the endless musical
! chatter, the lovely faces of the younP girls
Oh, the tunes from George Gilbert's fiageolet,
Duncan Chester's ACCORDION, and my poor
flute.
farewell. farewell, It's a lonesome sound,
AID always brings a slgh
But give to me that better word, $50
| That comes from the heart, Good bye"
Oh! how we used TO sing that. 1t had just
come out then. And
| when left thy isle, o Naxos,"
a pretty thing, 1 never heard out of Oldark
| We used TO sing that, too. On the serenades
| The rich speeches Alex. Mckay made before
| we began, aud after we got through. How we
| rolled in the grass, III agony OF laughter =
| Oh youth, youth Its gaiety, its strength,
| its daring, its towering hope, its burning
dreams of Joy, its boundiess scope OF love, It's
| longiugs tuat sent US wandering under the
| moon half mad. seepless. until nature gave
! way and we fell into bed, mastered by sheer
| WEAKNESS. Then the sound deep sleep broken
! by that vile bell. Thank Heaven the craving
and the craze of happy youth is over. No
| Wild hopes, no vain lonEings now Welcome
| the calm of manhood, thrice welcome.
| l. for one, couldn't stand under the maple
tree forever. Get nearer the fair creatures or
| die''-that was the voice of the aching in my
| breast Never too careful about myself, was
| reckless now that was in love, and word had
| come from NY father that should leave Ken
| ophon College. How TO carry out my scheme,
| how TO get within ear-shot of my sweetheart
| that was the question. Fortune, in the shape
| OF fence favored me. The next house to the
school was rickety whitewashed mash-tfap
| of a thing, used as Il cake and beer shop by a
man of the name of Hill-VaIiey, Mckay called
| him when at TWO or three in the morning,
| he would rouse him by banging at his door.
| Hills house had fair-sized yard to il, and
| between this yard and the alley that led to the
| side.door of Wilson's, was a tall, white fence.
| At the street and for some twenty feet running
| back, this fence lay all open to the view but
| behind Hill's house 1t was screened by high,
| thick bushes. Here was the very thing had
been looking for and l wondered L had not
found it sooner. 1t was not much TO my aste
TO go prowling at night in Il low fellows back
garden but, as l told you before, was reck-
less SO l stole softly through Hills potato
patch, and hid myself snugly in the bushes
beside the fence. 1t was the night the singing
master came; the girls were all in the school
| room the windows of which were vide open,
it being summer time, July; and from my
| covert saw everything as plainly as it had
| been in the schoOl-room itself-ln fact was
| only four feet from the wall. How my heart
beat there in the bushes, as l gaZed on my be-
| loved and listened TO the music pouring out
into the night air! did nothing that night
but look. As soon as the singing ended, l
| crept away my room and gloated over what
| had done. Night after night found me hid
| in the bushes by the fence. Whether / gained
| my point; whether anybody came on tip-toe,
| all fiuttering TO speak to me; whether there
| was first kiss or a second, or what else fol-
| lowed shall never be known.
You recall what said about the prettiest
| girl in Wilson'S school being at the beck
| and nod of the widest. Hence 1t came to
| pass in less than ten days after began 10 hide
| in the bushes that my sweetheart brought NE
| word from the two tom boys that m fetch
| Duncan Chester with me the Lext time came,
| sd xyinn IN hnr ma
| to the very quick to do this. Ny tryst by the
| bush EN- powered fence was doubly sweet in
| that not man in College shared the priceless
| secret with me. l loved TO be by myself all
| day lorg so stingy was l with my unknown
| bliss. But there was no help for i'll had TO
| bring Duncan with me- The wild girls met
him at the fence and stayed talking with him
| as long they dared. But when they went
up to their bed chambe in the second story,
my fair haired lassie with them, think The fell
| low didn't climb tree whose branches al
| most touched the windows of that room, and
| there keep up his nonsensical whispering
| (Which, of course, put them all to glggIng J
| II is true it was smothered, but still plenty
| loud enough to alarm me, who stood waiting
| for him at the foot of the tree) until was
| tired to death, and tempted to go home alone,
| leaving him there all night, Tor that was his
| aim, do believe. But at last the girls closed
| the blinds and he had to come down. was
| in no good humor with him, promise you,
and made him swear a mighty oath that he
would never tell a living being OF what had
happened. He swore, and called upon strange
gods to heap all manner of woes on his guilty
bead if ever he opened his lips to mortal man
or woman about it. also took the oath and
kept it.
The next night was singing night. AS soon
as it was fairly dark, l sent Chester off 20
Hills back fence, telling him l would be there
anon. OFF he went by round-a-bout way,
of which had told him, SO that nobody might
guess where he was going. In less than thir-
ty minutes l reached the fence, and took my
stand a yard or two below the bush in which
guessed Chester was hid. As the singing was
not yet over, employed myself for some time
in listening and looking at the girls. Ere long,
/ heard a noisy rustling in the bushes not tar
from me.
"Hush!" I whispered to Chester, as
thought. The rustling became still noiser.-
"Hush! hush! l tell You; they will hear
you" In answer, there came a great chuck
| ling. Then, for the first time looked along
| the fence, and to my utter horror and rage,
| saw not less than half a dozen heads pokad
| out from the bushes, and drawing toward
them the sly glanees of the girls who sat near
| est the school room windows. Chester had
| told the boys! He always dsowned the
| charge, but could never get myself to believe
so outrageous fb.
The fun being all spoilt was bent upon
| ending the work, then and there, at once and
| for all time. would make pretty thing of it.
That morning l had bought two large silk
| handkerchiefs, one OF which l had put in my
| pocket. Taking out this handkerchief, went
first TO a sand pit, on the road leading down to
the depot and put into it about half peck OF
dry sand. then got into HIPS stable lot, just
behind his garden, and from there climbed the
fence and got into the back yard of the school
house. Creeping slowly and stealthly along,
got around TO the other side OF the house
from the fence, and peeped IN at the open Win
dow. The singing was still going on, but the
noise at the fence had drawn all eyes that
way. Now was my time
had been STOPPING TO keep ont of sight.
now rose to my full height, and putting all