, 1875-07-18

breath / knew ut once where We should go-~an
old haunt, Pulpit rock, . bowlder on a hillside.
which had been the silent witness Of many \
burst Of eioquenoe In rehearHaIs for public per-
foruancas; and there re went that July hight,
lugg,ng our two comfortables mp the hill, and
laughing at the figures We cut--ench awkward
birds, With such clumsy twigs for thair nest, ~
Ralph said. He WAS to s!sak On the morrow,
and 50 We fall to talking Of Lis grafton.
It all depends" said he ''on the way pro-
nounce my first sentepce. II can get through
that with the right infection, and Ill 20 we'll :;
but il fail to get nv audience on that first sen.
tence, never shall get them at ali and shall
be like man running after stage-ooach-the
only effect will be that I shall keep my audience
little longer in sight than il I.stoppad as soon
standing theatrioal1y on the rock, "and see II
Jou know what mean
~ Thought is tha da7il,'
II say. Shrub. how do you feel after that !?
ion ought to shiver and catch your breath for
The next sentence. or it's no use foE*me to so
I've shiFered," said L: go CO."
But the devil himself wAs an angel OF light
before be fell Now, you see, must be nadita~
tlVe when begin. I must come forward on the
stage IN thoughtful, dovncast way, like st.
JOINS hamlet-nalf LIT my ayes and calculate
the whole matter. and then come down hard on
devil, ~ it had banged him down on the
stage- Then. in . sort Of aliegretto movement,
you see, announce the complimentary phrase,
aud my theme is fairly before the startled peri
wigs"
this scene, and repeated our conversation, for
c1eW to after-sience, 80 that bis words are daep-
ly embedded in my mind. It Is needless to give
our talk We rolled ourselves into our comforta-
bies. and lay side BY side on tbs rough rocks,
looking, up Ut the stars: The heavens looked
kindly down, they seemed to hold fair future
for us both. We talked OF college-days, tut not
SO much as Of days to come. The night crept
on. and our talk grew mora inftequent. At
length, IS, I felt droweineBs come over me,
heard his voice for the last time:
'.Good-ulghs, Shrub, Everything7"
"Yes Ralph. Eyerything2"
"Yes."
Il xas an old fosmula, eternally ending qu1r-
rels OF differences Read in full, # meant, - Do
you forgive everything have said or done that
when ueAried with doubt and speculation con-
ceruiuc nv lost friend. have whispered to N.Y.
SELF, "Evarythiug, Ralph 2" and so have str1ven
to banish every possible injustice to him from
my mind went to sleep, and alept soundly,
too, waking once, aud then only to feel Ralph's
hand npoD M, Us thought. and to sleep again.
l awoke at lost a. The sky in the east RAs broad
ening with light
There Was no answer. turned. Ills CON-
forlnbie lay there. aud he had evidently thrown
It OF On the s4de fafth6st from me. de Taa not
there.
never aaw my friend again!
The exercises 1t commencement were sho!te
ed by the absence OF 0ue Of the masters orRtlons-
n, ho explaoatlon was gwen upon me stage. ana
s,a. 1usa' ono1"I ~ Thse haa ear,stst,
.n;,ch ~ Ra,nh's ornt,on and thev cnn,d mt m
da+,t M a;,ha- ia sn5Ian ah.arca nf,nz s,i.nco
in Teea1tf to It. I carried back tho " wrsDs % to
nraaess - roon, ana 1yoa ,naatoned hv him Al he
athsra whaTa 1caa hsd rona and whV he ha3
.-'. o<,'JJa1 r..;rt.,naaa xasa.va - rh:f
kono J W ~, ""h;,3,, taa-t Wha,har 10 had 1n,a
+ rna| ~ W. W. enns,1v ar en;nma tn
IN Int fhar. wsa ma fact tbat sae1ed nv i'm
.r.inat The disc,ozurs of:snr Of the otrcn mstan-
20 ~ h;a disannaarancs. When T nrosa- that
CO.. a'S s, a.sa nv etu tas haS
att. uans . ~ ~. 49,. ~" =, s,J.as,a .
~ ro<,a ~ ~ nsaclarx -hs1 r@cstisd tho
ta.. 1e ~ pab1e t-;an5 ~nnd - ~ r,a;r' az,
il aTayI could not lay it bare to the impert-
neos easo W aie $500: peAs 81. ~
atnust ~ aioe ta1a ill., a,.n..nS =. -
80 ~ XII rnoaao3a5 -, na~t SEst (;
euau '4ls p9t. susu = III ~ in.1 ,ttas:,. ~: 80
~ a aGtr .rd ~ 1T 1o"er:,t ~. dsrn;.m s,',+
o - a. r. an1aaJ tbrnnot ~
lenusso - 80. y III r. an34 nnt
uu. ~ - ~ ~ ~ 40 .as.a - rs.oh ~
e1Pia1n ~ ~. tutoogu Sg ~ ny semn " pIe"en
check HpOn hasty condemnation. ~ 1oeo1as3 "a
expIaiued it aud indicated my friends character,
it conetantIy came forward to arrest my judg-
meut when disposed to mete out some reward Of
condemnation. whit and see" l had At snch
times SAD. 80 na7e "aAteo 'neso nian1 J7ate'
80, At last, see-
u.
For three days I watched the facas and studied
tha characters of tha Young men whom'I was as
e;ating tn eramina. Init chiefly I kept nv eTes on
t1,;o yonnp Candido Ivas. Who fasciuated Ta not
on!v hv tha resemblance to nv friend that
mi al IN his faca and bearing, but BY the half
Midland noser which neemed to lurk in his ua~
t,rs ia 90 keen. hat bia kasnness vas not the
shxrn innnisltiyeness Of the North but certain
st,1efto-I,Ee thrust coming unaware from a soft
band asked the President once mere about
him
.He ia strange fellow" said be, ~and has
strange tastes. He always seems out OF place
here he makes enemies OF every one, yet eome-
hnr ba ts, the head and front Of every spter-
nriaa. Va never have caught him at apything
mean or vicious, yet think he ia as subtle As
m tha deyll!" and the old gentleman brought
ont the word With An emphasis which strangely
reminded me Of Ralph'e own pounoe upon the
saIno word 10 the Grafton which he never deliy-
ered. Tho mora puzzled over him. the Iess in
cliued WAS to try 10 sclge the mystery BY speak
inc to him. Ana theu-and then--though I
loged Ralph. and had long buried the mystery Of
his feaYe-takipg the one blot would come blackly
to n1iud. aud, in my cowardica, il it WAS coward
ice, I would not haye that explained lest q
worse thing should co1ue-some unmistakable
evidance Of dizlaouor. 10, I would rather iease
It ali mystery than have Any terrible clearing