Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-04-25
g M#isfellansous.
A Reminiscence Of Eton Life,

taic Is not ueStinet TO com memoir AT e
adventures Of nv own, but those Of .
iellow-fag called Jickling-Jickling.
who had already been at the school q
year when l arrived there, and was bv
common consent accounted the most
idle, unkcmpt, incapable, and, in q
general way, the least promising among
the six hundred aud fifty Of Us. 1t Is
a painful thing TO say, but nobody es-
teemed Jickling. His house-fellow ws
were ashamed Of him and regarded
him as black sheep in their small,
eminently tidy fold; our tutor viewed
hun with cool and careful eye. II il
had been put Ia any body i1 the school
whom 1t would have been the least
desirable fellow to mess with, or in
decd be Intimately associated with in
any WAY. the answer would have been,
'Jickling; and this impression was
more than doubled bv the cynicism.
not TO say effrontery, with which JicA.
ling bore of his Shortcomings. For
OF shame at his own unworthiness
Jickling possessed none. Thus l mad
not been five minutes in his company
on the night of my arrival, before be
informed me-not little TO my con-
sternation. when l understood what he
meant-that he expected to be swish
ed on the very next morning for hay
ing, IN the train down from l'adding-
ton, blown mouthiul Of peas into the
lace of an engine-driver, and been
nailed in the act by master who had
! got into the carriage next his At Exl-
lng and this communication was quite
Of apiece with Jiek.iug's habituai con
iienccs respecting himself. He was
continually playing a part in those
short but painful interviews with the
| head master that are conducted in the
/ presence Of the slxth-iorm prepostor
and two holders down : and nobody
I would have vcntured 10 assert that he
came out from these interviews other
wise than hardened in spirit,-how-
ever II might be IN erhon, and stead
lastly minded to bc peccant again a.
soon AS he had the opportunity. He
WAS one of those unfortunate boys who
seem pre-doomed To SO wrong. Though
| provided with good clothes enough,
his dress was always shabby and ILL
matched. the uowsers OF one suit
doing duty with the waistcoat Of an
other and thougl, he WAS supplied
with money sut!lccnt. and more than
sufficient, for all his needs, vet he
never had n sixpence, and WAS always
in debt.
In school, Jickling was unsatisfac-
tory as out of it. When called up to
construe, he never knew where to 90
on. often he had brought the wrong
book and, somehow, he generally con-
u'ved TO get himself weighted with .
sentence 10 write out ana u translate the
lesson before he had fairly started,
Anu wien ne uau s..sI lr'i, who shall
describe the torrent OF solecisms, false
quantities, and hideous errors OF trans.
laiion that flowed imperturbabty from
his mouth! Needless to add that.
although Jickling was in lower fourth.
that Is. IN the last division OF the
upper school, he had only arrived there
alter failing to pass his first exanina-
tiou Out of the lower school. Ii was
even rumored that he would have been
rejected the second time had it no,
been for the Machiavellin determine
ton OF the lower master 10 get rid Of
him at any price, as bov whose in
durable idleness was contagious, aud
likely 10 corrupt the whole form. SO
there was JicklIng. at the very bottom
OF his divisional boy OF about twelve,
with lauk hair OF n muddy faxen
color fingers permanently lux tanned !;
Balmoral boots that were never laced /;
and curious white face, that looked
inqurinSly at you, out OF q pair OF
ewes 81 Wild, shiity, and defiant in
their expi ession, that it was n wonder
Nature had not taken them to put into
tle head OF a polccat.
Now, that Jickling should have
hourlshed in our midst was circum-
stance astonishing enough. seeing that
OF all the stald and proper Youngsters
had ever met with, we Etonians were
certainly the most exemplary but that
he should nave been the fag of such a
fellow as Asheton was downright
puzzle; for Asheton being captain OF
the house, and entitled TO four fags.
might have chosen any one he pleased,
and was under no compulsIon whatever
TO select Jickling, who blacked hi =,
toast for him, spilled the gravy OF
sausages over his trowsers. aud when
sent 10 cary note, invariably took
1t TO the wrong place. There could
| a hAan 81 Lac
or sympathy between Asheton aud
Jickling; for the two were simply rs
opposite to each other as white is Ia
black, or coal to sugar. What Jick.
ling did wrong, Asheton did we'll /; and
what Ashton did we'll, Jickling was
morally certain to do wrong.
About eighteen years old, lightly
built. and rather above middle height,
he had a handsome aristocratic face ol
essentially English mould, though,
perhaps, little too serious for his age
and figure that was fifty set of BY
the absolutely faultless style in which
he dressed. His white oravat, tied
, as only Etonians used 70 tie them
his speckless linen, glossy hat, and
trinity folded silk umbrella, were
things to see, admire. and copy.
This said by way Of introducing my
drdmdtis personae, let me, with youl
leave. take up the thread Of my mar
rative at the point where, having JUS,
arrived At Eton in the month Of Sep
tember OF the year lS5-, l learned
that untidy Jickling and were to b,
fag-mates.
1t was not Jickling himself wh<
t brought me this p.ece Of news, but
e Stumpes minor, brother to the Stumpe.
in the Eleven, who entered my roou
on the next morning but one after N,
E arrival, holding copper kettle in on,
hand and plate Of muffins in the 9th
er. and said, Rivers, you're to CON,
!, down with me to Asheton's ROOM
t | cannot say this SUMMONS causet