The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-01-31
Incidents of College Life


Charles Kendall and Harry Hardy
were chums in college. Kendall's pa.
rents were rich. He was fair,pleasant
gentlemanly fellow, who always wore
taultless linen, and parted his hair as il
the safely Of the Union depended upon
the condition Of his crown. A servant
came every morning to brush up his
clothes and polish his boots. OF course
he used dressing gown. 1t was lined
with crimson silk, to match the color Of
his velvet smoking cap, which was en-
broidered with gold cord.
No one can be too neatly dressed, but
there is a class of students that manage
to wear an advertisement Of their light
headedness on their backs and Ken
dali was one of that unfortunate number.
Hardy was the son of a clergyman,an
inherited nothing but the inordinato thirst
of knowledge which had consumed his
fathers frail body, and burned his life
out in the prime of manhood. He had
struggled along, by dint of teaching, sing
ing, writing and day schools, and turning
every honest penny to account, until he
had drifted alongside the fastidious Ken
dali, who, while he liked him well enough,
made him the but of what little wit and
sarcasm he possessed. Upon the partic-
lar morning of their introduction to the
reader, they were discussing oratory and
rhetoric.
e" By the way" said Kendall, d" there's
going to be great political meeting in
Chester, tomorrow, and, if it is possible,
| mean to ride over and hear Mr.. Choate.
l never heard him spread himself; and
he is one of the big guns. But the
trouble is | am out of funds, and the
livery man has presented his bill, and 1
don't see how | am going to manage it."
Walk !" was the curt answer
What, foot it? 1t is twenty miles?''
Well, what of it? You are a pretty
fellow to fight the battles of life, if you
have got to be carried on somebody S
shoulders when the order comes to
march -
Kendall laughed family, showing his
white,e even teeth as daintily as girl. He
glanced towards Hardy as if the sugges-
tion was good joke.
"You don't think of going. sup.
pose?'
"Yes."
Kendall looked up more briskly.
You don't really mean you are going
to walk twenty miles over, and twenty
miles back again That would make
forty miles" !"
"Yes, sir think | can walk tc
Chester and back again almost as cas-,
as you can saunter by the young ladies
boarking school.
"There's something besides walking t.
be done. There are the hotel bills W.
should have to stay two nights, and
hate to be mean" said he.
Hardy pulled out some loose coppers
and tossed them up on his thumb and fin
ger; and, as they oil came down head
up, he piled them upon the table. There
were ten or dozen of them.
There is my capital" he said, point
to the coppers, "and there are my hors
and buggy pointing to his legs. "Nov
it is evident that the beast will cost M
nothing, so | put the horse down 0.
shall get my lessons for Monday, to-day
shall purchase six crackers and six her
rings, which will make me three sump
tuous meals and | shall walk home to
morrow night, and be here in season to
breakfast-This will leave me few cent
to invest again"
" But look here What in the world
do you walk in the night for?
:, Because it will be cooler and NOR
comfortable in the ght, and will not in
tere with my studies.'
Well Hardy, you're a queer fellow
1t would be just like you to do it, bu
I'm glad | don't have to depend on m,
legs to take me through the world"
1T would be better for you if yor
did" cried Hardy with emphasis. &c
never saw finer timber being ruined b
the rot The best thing that could pos
sibly happen to you would be to hav
your father lose every dollar OF his prop
erty."
Hardy was deep in his studies all day
and until nine in the evening, Then h
brushed up Il little, put clean cola
INTO his pocket, bade Kendall good night
and started on his lonesome tramp
1t was not the first time his legs ha
done the student good service. and h
did not expect it would be the last N
prince on his throne ever felt the gloriou
independence Of Hardy, as he sirode o
over plain and through forests, feariu
nothing, and asking less.
The first ten miles had been left b,
hind, and our student judged, by tn
slowly setting moon. that it must b
nearly midnight, when he he heard tn
} rumbling of wheels behind him, and, in
few minutes carriage drove past
stopped after it had gone short di
tance. The driver dismounted, and IIa
dy heard him say that it was utterly in
possible to proceed.
il IF l only had stout cord, l eoul