The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-29
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pay the fee for registration, degree os
master OF arts, and two of the number werc
selected by the faculty TO pronounce ora
lions. Every one was mad that Ralph was
to be one of them.
He was poor-poorer than / quite knew
then; Tor he had not merely a pride that
buttoned over his poverty, but true con
tempt for poverty as for something that
should never stand between him and any
1riendship ne might form or aim he might
set before himself. He would not LET en-
base thing as shame at the absence of
riches mar his pleasure in all lasting and
worthy things; and SO it was that he made
me forget his poverty even when the evil
dence OF it stared me in the face.
wrote him when | should be at st.
Johnsoury and he, coming from another
oirection, promised TO meet me when I ar
rived. He was there, with the same hearty
swinging grasp of the band with n trife
more seriousness ia Lis face, | Thought.
but with the old sunny smile breaking over
IL and deepening into a strong, self reliant.
ana resolute glow. OF course, we knew
many OF the seniors, who had been fresh
men when we graduated, and we enjoyed
the easy superiority which they cordially
allowed US. AS we were passing one with
a WORD OF recognition, Ralph suddenly
stopped and said =
Il say, Treat, can you spare us a couple
OF comfortablesp Shrub" Chat was my
nickname) sand | arc going 70 sleep out,
tonight, and as have to speak, to- morrow
l want mufler."
Certainly" said he "come round to nv
room in East college after tea, and held
yourself"
What capital ideal" said 1. II won
der had not thought of that" and / re
member how laughed at Ralph's otf-hand
way OIL making the request and telling ME
OF the plan in the same breath. l knew at
once where we should go-an old haunt,
Pulpit rock, a bowlder on a hillside. which
nau been the silent witness of many a burst
OF eloquence in rehearsals for public per
formances; and there we went, that july
night, Juggling our two comfortables up the
the mil, and laughing at the figures we cut
-such awkward BIRDS with such clumsy
twigs for their nest, as Ralph said. He was
TO speak on the morrow, and so we fell TO
talking of his grafton.
"lt all depends" said he, ION the way
pronounce my first sentence. If l can get
through that with the right infection, all
will go well; but if fail to get my audi
ence on that first sentence, never shall
get them at all, and l shall be like a man
running after stage coach-the only effect
VIII be that | shall keep my audience
little longer in sight than if stopped as
soon as l lost them. Now, hear meW he
added, standing Electrically on the rock,
land see il you know what mean:-
Thought is the devil"
u say, Shrub, how do you feel after
that9 You ought to shiver and catch your
breath for the next sentence, or it's no use
for me to go on"
GIVE shivered," said 1; ego on"
but the devil himself was an angel OF
light before he fell. Now, you see, |
must be meditatiye when begin. must
come forward on the stage in thoughtful,
downcast way, like St. Johns Hamlet
half lit my eyes and calculate my first SEN
tence, hestating after the word thought,
as if | had come to the conclusion of the
whole matter, and then come down hard on
the devil, as if had banged him down on
the stage. Then in sort of allegretto
movement, you see, | announce the COM
pmentary phrase, and my theme is fairly
before the startled periwigs."
How often-how very often have gone
over this scene, and repeated our converse
ton, for clue to after silence, so that his
words are deeply embedded in my mind
IL is needless to give our talk. We rolled
ourselves IN our comfortables, and lay side
by side on the rough rocks, looking I'D at
the stars. The heavens looked kindly
down, they seemed to hold fair future
for lis both. We talked of college days,
but not so much as of days to come. The
night crept on, and our talk grew more in
frequent. AT length, as felt drowsiness
come over me, | heard his voice for the
last time
Goodnight, Shrub. Everything p
"Yes, Ralph.-Everything?"
eyes"
1t was an old formula, eternally ending
quarres of differences. Read in full, il
meant, ''Do you forgive everything have
said or done that was unfair or unkind 2"
and many time since, when wearied with
doubt and speculation concerning my lost
friend, have whispered to myself, "Ev-
erything, Ralph" and so have striven to
f Danish every possible injustice to him from
my mind. went to sleep and slept sound
ly, too, waking once, and then only to feel
Ralph's hand upon me, as thought, and to
sleep again. awoke at last as the sky in
the east was broadening with light.
"Good morning, Ralph, said /.
There was no answer. | turned. His
comfortable lay there, and he had evident
, ly thrown 1t off on the side farthest from
. me. He was not there.
, never saw my friend again
, The exercises at commencement were
|
masters oralions. No explanation was
gwen upon the stage, and little surprise
was felt IN the audience. My own class
/ mates, such of them as were there, We're
both piqued and annoyed They counted
much on Ralph's Grafton, aud they could
. not understand either his sudden absence or
my silence in regard to it. | carried back
the wraps to Treats room, and was ques-
,, toned by HIM and by others where Ives
had gone, and why he had gone so sudden
, ly. 1 maintained a reserve which covered
, an aching heart, Whittier he had gone
knew not. Why, was equally an enigma
to me; but there was one fact that sealed
, my lips against the disclosure of any of the
; circumstances of his disappearance. When
| arose, that morning, | found my watch
I and my purse had both been taken from
me. Always that hideous fact rose up in
my mockery when recalled the image OF
q my noble friend. | could not explain il
away could not lay it bare to the imper-
. tinent gaze of half interested persons
hid 1t almost from myself, striving to make
a the fair presence of my friend light
a enough to extnguish this blot. | succeed
a in part. That is to say | held to his mem
DRY with loyal affection, and, while could
n not forget the damning spot, | refused "a
a let 1t spread through my speculation until
A 1t stained all his character. | could not
a explain ii, yet, through all my years OF
=" preaching, IL was to me, sngularly enough
a constant check upon hasty condemnation
AS If had explained it and vindicated my
friends character, it constantly came for
!, ward to arrest my judgment when disposed
1 to mete out some reward of condemnation
= "Wait and see, had at such times said
l. So have ] waited these many years; so, a
n last. l see.
/ For three days watched the faces anC
e studied the characters of the young mel
: whom l was assisting to examine, bu
chiefly l kept my eyes on this young Can
u dido Ives, who fascinated me not only BY
| the resemblance N INV frianl thot Ian a.