The Portland daily press., 1872-09-14
SELECTED STORY.
JACK MAYNARD'S CALL.
FACOIlege story.
From Old and New Magazine.

INC sle;obheIIs. dulled by the snow, that lay
ms ms 9,1 ~, roof and branches. In Jack May
narlis room nothing was moving but the llre.
In the wide, old fashioned CRATE, the rudy
flame of huge piece OF camel leaped and
oniyered. now cleaning on the long oar over
fine windows, now throwing out a pictured
face in tremulous life from the darkened wall,
or tightening up the Venus of Milo in the cor
ner with half rosy flush 1t played on
books thrown loosely about the big study
table; it sent rays into the high book case,
that glimmered back from polished bindings,
and from the silver cup that Jack had won in
the class-races; it made the. chandelier glow
as it it were full of little jets of flame; 1t sent
rosy sparlles among the cluster OF German
favors that lined the frame of the picture OF
the Harvard crew, and spent all its power IN
vain irving to Danish the shadow of the neaVy
curtains.
Jack himself, Saxon six-footer, was lying
before the CRATE, with his chin between his
hands, and his elbows on the arm OF the
lounge, pensively tapping the other end OF
that much enduring piece OF furniture with
the toes of his top-boots. Through the fra
grant vapor that curled lazily about his head
from a long stemmed pipe, he was looking
out into the yard, where the twilight was fast
deepening among the gnarled elm-branches,
and lights were already beginning to shine
over the snow. He was not taking much no.
tice of the landscape, for his face had tar-off
expression and he made no, movement till
his pipe went out, when he skillfully dropped
it on the floor, without taking the trouble to
move his hands from his head, and spoke.
'Robert, my child, are you awaken
F3"Just what was going to ask you," said
the child, in sleepy base voice, from the
depth of the easy chair. Why ''child'', no
body knew but Jack. Certainly neither OF
the chums was a child in stature, or in any
sense except in the sight of the law. But
Jack, who objected to sentimentality between
men, was fond of using tatherly terms, as be-
ing sort of combination of absurdity and af-
fiction, that could hardly be found fault with
from either point of view.
81 was thinking, Bob, how many hearts
had been broken under those old elms in all
the years since the college was founded.
Just think of the average damage every class
day! Do you remember that effusion of
Holiness ?-something about
Many classic beach is strewn
With heart-shAped pebbles of blood-rcd stone.'
Though l don't exactly see where the beach
comes in"
Probably refers to Harvard during the
glacial period" suggested Bob.
"And was wondering" Jack went on,
"how many of all the engagements made in
college have lasted. L suppose What's-his-
names calculating machine would give the
figures easily. 'Twould be good thing for a
fellow to know, so that he could calculate his
chances on mathematical principles"
Jack, said Bob, rising and looming SOL
emily between him and the window, "are
you smashed?'
'My child" said Jack meelzly, 81 fear l
am"
Ozark or lght?" said Bob, sternly.
DARK, was the answer, with powerful
sigh.
f., Where? said Bob, after sad silence.
THAT last assembly. / was slightly ham
mered on that occasion; and last evening 1
madly proceeded to put myself under pile
driver, by calling on her. We talked about
philosophy and cooking and music and art
and women's dress, and religion
Fatal symptom, that last" said Bob
II KIN w it." groaned Jack.
His feelings were so strong, that his boots
inspired by his passion, tapped off one of the
legs of the lounge, and let him down on the
hoor; where he lay in state of detection,
pititul to behold, until the sx-o'clock bell
rung.
Going to supper" said Bob, cor is your
appetite defunct?''
My child,' was the feeble reply, ''where
there's food there's hope"
Gong to supper he kept musing aloud,
Ethel Hastings! Enhancing name! She
tarries at the De Vres' Said she was going
to visit some other friends in Cambridge
Knows some people in my place. What if
she should be there next summer?"
And he clasped his big fur gloves in an &C.
stacy, and struck an attitude
With this thought his spirit improved rap
idly, so that when he entered that Spartan
club house called Commons he was quite ra-
diant. He beamed upon the somewhat time
worn houri that waited on his table, and adj
dressed her in kniphtly terms
What, hol thou jewel of me heart bring
hither the wheaton refreshment, and crown
me goblet of bovine nectar
The good-natured girl grinned, as if she
were used to it, and complied with the courte-
Gus requdst. But Jack was too high to eat
much. He handed every thing within his
reach to his absent-mnded neigbbor Brown.
to watch his puzzled look; and finally sue
ceeded in exchanging Browns plate for
plate Of crackers, without attracting his at
tention, and then accused him lsolemnly of
selfish gutteny. He recited off-hand the first
chapter of his new sensation novel, to be en-
Titled, .'Fhe BLOODY Fork; or, The Madman's
Midnight Meal, within the pirate captain
tWho, he remarked, wasn't essential to the
plot, but required by the rules of art) said
"Oho, my damond-hilted spy-glass p' no less
than seven times; andall the principal charac-
tiers were poisoned at the outset, ''to give full
swing to the tragic" as he said. ''Nothing
like appeasing the mucker element when YOU
write" he said. ''What does the mucker
element delight in ? Bloodp'
lie set the table in such a roar, that the
steward had to stop him, and advise him to
retire; which he did side-wise, with covered
lace and uncertain step, after the style of the
rejected lover in comedy.
After supper crowd of fellows went rou ,d
to jacks room, as usual. But to night he re-
fused to try his hand at chess, and even drop
ped challenge to be "ceaned out'' in the
most rapid and mysterious of games, Califor-
MA Jack, and went to reading intentlv. One
OF the others looked over his shoulder. and
read aloud:-
Many an evening by the waters did we watch
the stately ships
And our spirits rushed together at the touchino Of
the lipsr'
Beautiful p murmured Jack.
Ihere was general laugh as the reader
said, bad symptom, to appreciate that.v
WELL" said Jack, ''it's safe THING to
read, any way. The hero behaves in a sensi-
bic manner. He knows that one love lost
doesn't prevent his trying again, and that he
may yet have chance to pass down that neat
little property which he calls Alltheages to
the next heir | detest those French writer's
who make their disappointed lovers stand in
the sea till the tide comes over them. If II
couldn't get UP more rational hero than
mat, "a neveriwrite novel. Why, it's all i'm
agnatlon, any way. When fellow finds that
all is over, and he must part, ard he'll be a
rover, to the serious detriment of his heart
and all that, you don't suppose that there
ism somebody else that would do lust as well
sor him, if not better? 1t doesn't iniure any,
thing vital inhim, as it does when YOU shoot
MN. A man may die of imagination, if you
can make him believe that he's sick. lust so
q man may suffer mentally from a diseased
IMAGINATION and he mover sees till afterwards |
now foolish that imagination is. The Dracti- |
cai English novels, in which everybody be-
naVes exactly like very ordinary persons in
real lie, are better; though, to be sure, some
OF them grind along rather slowly"
The trouble isn't so much that the novel
mil grlnds slowly, as that It grinds exceeding
small, SAID Bob. ''But don't you see that
you reduce all our affections and griefs to one
1ead level OF empty Imagination
Just so, said Jack. ''There isn't any, |
thlng real about it; and almost eyerybodv |
yes 1t SO, once or twice in his life. and then |
,ries to forget it," '--'''
IF you're going into the Diogenes line -
,aid one of the visitors, ''Pve got a tuD I'd
ike to sell you. The bottom isn't sound. but
he sides are strong; and that's all YOU want |
or roof You could keep it tight by taking
bath In it occasionally. By the way. if the |
I'D Athenian had used his tub for that purpose
OCCASIONALLY, psrhap, he wouldn't have been
III, illiiSa:hthropic. l think a philosopher in
~, IN some good position, say the corner
.ro.t;, Harvard and Hollis, would be an in