Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-06-17
WHAT BECAME OF HIM!

Forty years ago n little slip OF paper
was passed TO me as | sat wearing out a
three hours examination with the rest of
nv college class at st. Johns College.
knew by the queer twist of the scroll
that it came from my crony Ralph Ives,
and the sentence On ii had the customary
twist of an idea which Ralph's thought
always seemed to take. 1t read, as near
as | can remember its phrases:
When does man begin to be col
lege examiner? And what are they made
Of? What blight comes upon juicy tel
low by which be is destined for that use
in the world? And can you look around
you and point out the man who is pre-
destined to sit in one of those chairs and
examine our sons?
must have made some testing reply.
| have forgotten, and should hardly have
remembered his words had they not, like
some invisible writing which drop of
acid brings into distinctness, come into
my memory, one day last summer, by a
circumstance which started all the old
Juices in my dry frame. For, by dint of
being before the public as a clergyman
a generation or so, | was looked upon by
the authorities of my alma mater as a
fit subject to be set in an examiners
chair and made to strike either terror or
curiosity into the breasts of the young
Togues on the benches.
We settled to our task The President
sat in his box, rubbing his hands softly
over his thinly-thatched head. The pro-
fessor first in charge, looking like some
disguised eXecutioner behind his green
goggles, took up the catalogue and be-
gan Skipping among its names for vic
tins, while we, furnished each with a
catalogue, studied the objects of curl
osity before US, these sixty young fell
lows, who all had names, and answered
to them. | was reading the names of
the class in the catalogue, when | came
to one of Ives. Omen before in forty
years had seen that name and heard 1t
without thought of Ralph, for it was a
common one IN my section, and belonged,
indeed, to several in my own parish; but
here, on these seats, l could not read it
without my heart leaping up and threat.
enng to break over all bounds Uf pro-
priety. aye, even to sending tears out OF
my eyes.
Candida Ives, San Antonio. Tex, L.
c. II" was the catalogue entry, and |
watched for the young man with interest
just because Of that surname that was
starting so many old memories, joyful,
mysterious ana profoundly sad and dis
tressing. The name was called finally
and youth rose from his seat near me.
| had not seen his face before, as he half
inclined in an incident way against a
pillar; but now as he rose and | was
aware that the class was slightly mag
netized by his presence, | saw hand
some fellow, with olive complexion and
dark curly hair and face that | could
hken to nothing but that OF sorcerer.
Yet | should be false to the impression
it made upon me if | left that word I'M
guarded, for there was no trace OF ma
Lightly about it simply the look of one
whose nature has sudden turnings, and
who inevitably suggests dark and secret
thoughts, or, if one will have it so. deal
lngs with dark spirits.
| was fascinated by his face, and look
ing at it with that other face of Ralph
Ives in my memory was possessed with
the notion that the friend of my boyhood
was reappearing here, strained through
some mesh not known to me. | thrust
away the fancy, for it was painfully in
teresting. Nevertheless my eyes again
and again returned to his face; and as if
he wished to tease me there passed forth
CLEANS of resemblance that | could not
help noting, tones of voice that sounded
as if they came across a lapse of forty
years With all the heartiness and SYM
pathy of my old comrade.
This friend, the light of my eye, had
gone cut in utter darkness, made more
wretcned to me 10y thick cloud which
could be felt even in the night, to reap
pear now for the first time, thirty seven
years after, IN the handsome vet enig-
NAUTICAL form of this young man. Had
he, indeed, answered the impassioned
cry of Shakespeare, and lived twice,
making him another self so that
His tender heir might bear his memory?
Ne had passed through college togeth
er, growing into firm affection
although was sober and quiet while be
was eXUberant in spirits, and possessed
OF an ingenuity of mind which seemed
perpetually on the hunt for some queel
idea and a quick spirit, which blaZeC
with roaring suddenness into devour
ing flame of moral Indignation at any
basenesS. Quick-tempered and generou:
ne was indeed; fertile in expeGents
foremost in every frolic, but honorable
ana keenly sensitive, superbly cast, in
Geed and offering often thought in ny
Speculations as TO mis- disappearance jus
the klnd of nature which would bs
wronged and taken prey through it's very
nobleness-disdainful of traps. and IN
conscious OF any subtlety of evil tina
might scheme against il.