The Portland daily press., 1875-02-10

thing heard, you, as for girl to wear coat
and pantaloons. It's not decent, Miss Char,
lotte; it's not modest" 'Why you say all
this to me forever! I am not girl" said
poor Van Rheyn. "No? don't tell fibs. Ii
you were not a girl you'd 60 in for games.
Come! Come! Leap-frog's especially edify-
ing, assure you: expands the mind. Won't
you try it?"
Well, the upshot was, that they dared him
to try it. A dozen or so set on at him like so
many wolves. What with that, and what
with their singing ridcue, poor Van Rheyn
was goaded out of his obedience to home Or
ders, and did try it, After few tumbles, he
went over very tolerably, and did not dislike
it at all.
do, perhaps they will let me alone" he said
to me that same night, kind of hopeful ca
gerness in his bright gray eyes,
And gradually he did learn to go in Tor
most of the games: running, leaping and
climbing. One thing he absolutely refused
wrestling. "Why should gentlemen, who
were to be gentlemen all their lives, fight each
other?" he asked; ''they would not have to
fight as men; it was not kind; it was unpleas-
ant; it was hard" The boys were hard on
him for saying it, hooking him frightfuly, but
they could not shake him there. He was OF
right blue blood; never caving in before
them, as Bill Whitney expressed it one day;
he only was quiet and endured.
Whether the native Rouen air is favorable
to freckles, l don't know; but those on Van
Rheyn's face gradually disappeared over here.
The complexion lost its redneSs also, becom-
ing fresh and fair, with a brightish color on
the cheeks. The hair, getting longer, turned
out to be of smooth brown; altogether he
was good-looking.
81 say, Johnny, do you know Van Rheyn's
ill?"
The words came from William Whitney.
He whispered them in my ear as we stood up
for prayers before breakfast. The school had
opened about month then.
"What's the matter with him %
Don't know" answered Bill. HE is stay
ing in bed"
Cr;bbing some minutes from breakfast, 1
went up to his room. Van Rheyn looked
pale as he lay, and said he had been sick.
Hall declared it was nothing but sick head
ache, and Van Rheyn thought he might be
right.
eyes, the migraine," he assented. 81
have had it before.''
swell, look here, Charley" I said after
thinking minute, eff were you I'd not say
as much to any of them. Let them suppose
you are regularly i'll. You'll never hear the
last of it if they know you lie in bed for only
a headache"
"But 1 cannot get up" he answered; 'my
head is in much pain. And have the fever.
Feel my hand"
The hand he put out was burning hot.
But that went with sick headaches some
times.
1t turned out to be nothing, for he was
well on the morrow; and I need not have
mentioned it at all, but for little matter
that arose out of the days illness. Going up
again to see him after school in the after
noon, I found Hall standing over the bed
with cup of tea, and most severe, not to
say horror-struck, expression of countenance,
as she gazed down on him, staring at some
asleep, and looked better; his face flushed
and moist, his brown hair, still uncOmmonly
short, compared with ours, pushed back. He
lay with his hands outside the bed, as it the
clothes were heavy-the weather was fiery
holland one of them was clasping some
thing that hung round his neck by narrow
blue ribbon, and seemed to have been pulled
by him out of the opening in his night-shirt.
Halls quick eyes had detected what it was
very small cross (hardly two inches long,)
on which was carved figure of the Saviour,
all in gold.
Now, Hall had doubtless many virtues.
One of them was docking us boys of our due
allowance of sugar. But she had also many
prejudices. And of all her prejudices none
was stronger than her adherence of idols, as
exemplified in carved images and Chinese
gods.
''Do you see that, Master Ludlow?" she
whispered to me, pointing her finger straight
at the little cross of gold. 'sIts no better
than relct of paganism."
STOPPING down, she gently drew the cross
out of Van Rheyn's hot, clasped hand, and
let it lie ON the sheet. A beautiful little cross
it was the face of the Saviour an exquisite
face in its expression of suffering and patient
humility; one that you might have gazed up
on and been the better for. How they could
have so perfectly carved a thing so small, I
did not know.
"He must be one of them worshiping Ro-
manics," said Hall, snatching her fingers
from the cross as if she thought it would give
her the ague. Cor else a pagan! And he
goes every week and says his commandments
in class. standing up afore all the school! 1
wonder what the Doctor
Hall cut short her complaints. Van Rheyn
had suddenly opened his eyes and was look
up at us.
81 find myself BETTER" he said with a
smile. "The pain has mostly departed"
''We wasn't thinking of pain and head
aches, Master Van Rheyn, but of this" said
Hall resentfully, taking the spoon out of the
saucer and pointing it to the gold cross. Van
Rheyn raised his head from the pillow to
look.