The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1867-04-25
which would have thrown Woodwork

pure water, L Sl1aii describe the several
personages Of the squad which was des-
tined to enact an important part in the
direful events Of that same night. If it
be objected that this minutia is tiresome,
and, on the whole, rather 'far-fetched,"
(if | may be permitted to use phrase
of modern parlance,) I would suggest,
that it is the historians province to
make the most out Of the material at
his disposal, and should you stop here,
Dear Reader, you will lose the more in
teresting, if not the more valuable, por-
ton Of this narrative. and that, princi-
pally, which I set out to tell. There was
five in our gang, including myself, and
were all, without exception, believe,
bare-headed. Prof. was my "chum''-
a Canadian, who had left the University
at Toronto, in disgust, and had come to
the Estates" to complete his college
course. He was true Englishman;
training his beard in genuine English
style, and wearing homemade and
Worstea sent him all the way from
Canada. The only remarkable feature
in his physical conformation, was pair
OF handy legs, which bore q striking
analogy, IN form. to a set Of pot-hooks;
and he was, Withal, s. exceedingly near
sighted that, during study, he appeared
to be eating rather than reading the
book. His brain was as prolific of
erotehets as is the head of New Eng
lander of isms. Among these, the most
noticeable, and perhaps the most cher
ished, contracted, probably, in the in
sane idea that it was conducive to
health, and which, with the character
istic stubbornness of an Englishman, he
obstinately, and on all occasions, per-
slrted in carrying out, was never to
sleep in a room with closed windows. 1t
was his invariable practice to room with
me on the nights of our debate, which
occurred weekly; and many q sturdy
argument | have waged with him, OH
these occasions, to convince him OF the
fallacy Of his theory; and a shivering
or berated his diabolical hallucination
for, blew the gale never SO fercely, Or
the dew be never so damp, as memorable
as fate itself, up the window must go to
its full capacity, so that this ice-born
man should have full play for his respi-
ratory organs. | stood this shardening
process" as he sardonically termed it,
until [ bid fair to become the Wheezer
Of the college, and then | broke up the
arrangement. But for all his oddities,
Prof. was splendid fellow. Unbending
energy, unshrinking courage, and in
stinctive love of right and an utter dis
regard for consequences, where a prin-
ciple was involved, constituted the lead
ing traits Of his character; and, when to
these, We're united a fine personal adj
dress, and an intellect Of superior cast
it is not strange that he should have
been held a general favorite. No blame
can attach, nor should any be imputed
to Wilberton, the President OF the Star
Society, because he happened to bear
the name of, and be closely related to,
one of the most distinguished generals
the South produced during the late UNI
happy war; the relationship, | appre-
bend, being q circumstance i'll whose
casting he had not had the slightest
voice,-Dame Nature having kindly
undertaken to relieve mankind of the
responsibility of being, or not being, as
the case may be, akin to this Or the
would have expected to see, springing
from such lineage. The llandsomest
man, by odds, in the institutions; stand
ing six feet in his stockings, with form
that Achilles might have envied, he was
at once, SO far as mere personal beauty
is concerned, the pride of his Glass, and
the admiration OF all the ladies of his
acquaintance-these last were legion.
Yet he did not rank in scholarship with
many class mate to whom nature had
given an ungainly form, an uncouth
address. He was a fair type of a class
of student, that, take it, are found in
most of our colleges; rich, generous, and
lavish in their expenditures the repre-
sentatives of eminently respectable, and,
sometimes highly distinguished names;
but, Indifferent students and ordinary
scholars. l must not omit, however,
the distinctive feature OF his organism.
This popularity consisted in the oldest
wrists ever appended to a man. These
bulged out, and apparently, Topped over
the hand, so that it was impossible to
tell where the one began or the other
ended. Wallace was the youngest man
of the party. Like Wilberton, he was
large and muscular, rather better pro-
portioned, if anything, though he had
not the commanding appearance OF the
former. There was many story of
moonlight serenades, in which he had
acted the role of hero; for he effected a
taste for music, his time being about
equally divided between his flute Or
guitar and execrations of Livy-he was
a Freshman. The last parsonage of the
group / have been describing, was an
ath1ntic hrOad.ShOuldarad dOnhle-iOjnt-