Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-09-21
TRINITY JOURNAL
TOM HOODS PICNIC EXPERT
ENCE.

met Iu6 NOuhS PONP'S "N - P-N'Nf
and il was plain that Tom Tilby loved
Bessie Welft, and impossible to doubt
the feeling was reciprocated. l took an
interest in the young people because l
had been the intimate friend of their
fathers.
Tom Tilby pere and Sam Welit had
been fast friends both at school and at
college, fast friends, boon companions,
and sure partners in every scrape as in
every stroke Of luck.
went up to the University on spe-
cial invitation TO be present at the part
ing supper given by Tom and Sam when
they had taken their degrees.
Next day l was instructed to draw up
their wills, in which each left all he pos
sessed to the other, if he should survive
him. The documents were drawn up,
signed, and witnessed, and | was request
ed to take charge of them. From that
period l saw very little Of either. l was
glad to learn, therefore-dear me how
the time must have slipped away, said |
to myself-that the pretty goldon-haired
girl at the picnic was the daughter Of
my worthy old friend Sam Welft; and
that the handsome, manly young fellow
who was paying such attention to her,
was the son of the Rev. T. Tilby, who
was best known to me as Tom .Tilby.
OF course l lost no time in introducing
myself. To my surprise the young peo-
pie did not seem overwhelmed with joy
to hear that was an old friend Of their
fathers. They exchanged looks Of sur
prise and CONSERVATION. What could it
mean?
Tom, tearing himself with evident re-
luctance from the side of his charmer,
asked me to favor him with a few words
in private. To my surprise his first re-
quest was that | would not mention the
picnic, and the fact that Bessie and he
met there, to either his father or hers.
Ny surprise was turned to sorrow when l
heard the reason of his request. Those
confound.d wills were at the bottom Of it!
Tom Tilby thought Sam Wetit must
wish him dead, that he might have his
money; and Sam felt certain that Tom
Tilby would not be grieved to hear Of his
decease.
Time went on. Suspicion begot indif-
ference, and Indifference paved the way
to hate. OF course each was conscious of
a change in the other, but did not observe
it in himself and so the mutual dislike
deepened, and the breach widened imper-
ceptibly. As luck would have it, young
Tom, who was entered at Lincoln's inn,
met Bessie who lad come to stay with
some friends in town, and they fell des-
perately in love with one another. They
wrote t. their parents, like good and ODE
dient children, informing them of their
acquaintance andlperhaps revealing un-
consciously what that acquaintance had
ripened into. This brought matters
to crisis. The Rev. T. Tilby told his
son that Bessie was, no doubt design
ing mink she was not likely to be fig,
springing as she did from thistle like
Sam Welft. He threatened to cut his
son off with a shilling if he heard any
more Of this nonsense, and forbade him
to see her again.
Sam Welft was equally stern. He
tJld Bessie that young Tom was a mer-
cenary adventurer and-like his father,
probably-a rake, an idler, and scoun-
drcl.
1t was bad case, and | told young
Tom so. He implored me to keep their
secret. consented-and what is more,
! promised to aid them. That very night
in my lonely bachelor chambers, l laid
my plan, and acted upon it. wrote
two letters one to old Tom Tilby, the
other to Sam Welft. | asked them, for
two reasons alleged, to come to me on
the following Tuesday-Tom at twelve,
and Sam at one. Then / dispatched
little note, asking Tom and Bessie to
lunch with me at three on the same day.
The day came-the hour came-and
the men came Old Tom Tilby arrived
punctually at twelve, dressed in deep
mourning, carrying in his hand my black
bordered missive bidding him come here
to p oceed with me to the funeral of our
friend Weliit. / asked him to sit down,
and began to talk Of old times. Tom
had been shocked at the news in my let
ter +; and as he went on recalling the
past, his heart was touched. Tender rec
elections came in a flood, the old love
revived, and by a quarter to one the old
boy was weeping bitterly, and wished he
had been more just and true to dear old
SIM.
Presently came a knock at my door,
Tom begged Of me to let him get away
not to show his emotion to strangers.
put him in the next room, but left the
door little open, and then [ gave or
ders for the admission Of my next visitor,
Sam Welit, of course / could see by
his tremulous lip, the moment he entered,
that should have an easy task with him.
He spoke softly, luckily, or old Tom
might have recognized his voice, but, as
a precaution, monopolized all the talk
ing, and spoke in low tone, until | had
Sam blubbering like child. Then |
changed my tactics.
"After all, SAM" said I, raising my
voice, "you'll benefit by the death. Tom
Tilby would have been pleased enough if
it was your funeral instead Of his I"
"No, I'm id if he would" said
Sam, with emphasis; land as for the
money, / won't touch "-and then he
fnpno6 as ,ulifa no N chat o,J o4o,o1 - 4