Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-30

enough 10 stultify youth or suscepti-
Bile temperament. Then what full>
lengths, with flowing robes How |
dressed her in regal habilament- satin,
silk and velvet, with such jewels as
would ease the mouth of any jeweler
to water for a week. Nothing was
too good for Charles sister; aud had
| / been the possessor of the Great
Mogul diamond and the crown jewels
of England, | should have passed the
first into her hands, and decked her
with the last. To the same cause
also, may | attribute my improvement
in penmanship arising, without
doubt from the superhuman efforts |
made to turn out an original ode in
perfect chirography.
Alas, for the mutability of human
calculation The time was approach
ing. through the weary months, when
Charlie Ford and l would be sent
home for the vacation, and would have
the chance to carry out our festive
imaginings. 1t had reached even the
month of December - within two
weeks of the time when the fructifica-
ton of my hopes would give me,not
the shadow, but the solid reality of
Charlie Ford's sister, when one day
there came message to the play
ground--where Charlie and | were at
that very moment discussing the
never failing tbeme-for his immedi-
ate attendance upon Alonzo Smack, A
NJ, Principal of the Willow Grove
Academy, in his private apartments.
This summons, so wonderfully un-
usual, struck terror into our minds,
aud caused an inatsnt mental sum-
mary of every dereliction of the past.
Such summons had not been known
more than four times within the
memory of the oldest scholar, and
certainly portended some thing.
There was legend floating about
that Bob Druingold "a mythical
boy, who existed in times past, and
who, according to Willow Grove
standard, was the verv worst boy
that ever lived-that had been sum-
moned to the Smack private room,
and there expelled the school, by
bell, book, and candle. There was
another legend, that select commit
tee of three had received the same
summons, when the whole school
had been debarred from going OUT
side the playground, and had forfeit
ed meat at breakfast for the space of
thirty days, in expiation Of treas
| enable conversation in reference to
the bad quality of the latter article
of food, which conversation was
heard by some emissary of the
Smack dynasty. What, under the
circumstances, could we expect but
some terrible revelation. Terrible
enough, no doubt, it was to Charlie.
who returned from an interview of
half an hour with Alonzo Smack, A.
NJ, during which | suffered frightful
mental tension, presented himself be-
fore me bathed in tears, and weeping
out his revelations on my shoulder.
Charities father was dead the in
telligence had just been conveyed by
Alonzo Smack, A. M, and Charlie
was to go Immediately, that very
day, home to New York.
Strange, that in all the deep inter-
est had taken IN Charley Ford and
certain member of his family,it had
never struck me that he had a father.
To be sure, | was aware that such a
person had been mentioned to me
mum berless times but in the all-ab-
sorbing topic of another, this great
fact was lost.
shall not dwell over our parting;
aud the general parting from the
school of Charlie Ford. Though he
had sought little association with the
boys, and made no confidence but
with myself, yet when it became
known that Charles father was
dead, and that Charley was going
home that very afternoon, be was at
once q person of consequence, and
elected the entire sympathies of the
populace. TO be sure this SYM
patty was shown in variety of
strange ways but | am inclined to
believe, was mono the less true. For
instance, Jim Bruce insisted on pre-
senting him with favorlte peg top
the envy and desire of the whole
sch DOL while another young gentle
man conferred without hesitation
piece of pie, from which he had on
~ taken one single bite; and still
third, having nothing of transfer
able kind, offered to teach him, with
only two minutes attention on his
part, how TO whistle by the insertion
of two fingers in his mouth.
And so Charlie went away from
Willow Grove Academy with some
what the same state of mind as the
widow who felt that it was mighty
consolIng to see the dear departed
escorted to bis last resting place by
a company of militia, lodge of Odd
Fellows. and forty-three carriages.
I parted from Charlie with a heavy
heart; the sympathies which | ac-
corded him on account of the bereave-
ment he had suffered much tempered
by the near approach of vacation,
when | should meet that blue.eyed,
haxen-haired angel, "the most beauti-
full" q am quoting Charles words
Creature in the world who was now
rendered doubly interesting to me by
orphanage. Two weeks ONLY i'm
pressed it on Charles mind and hand
two weeks only, and we would
again meet in the city, if not to revel,
as we anticipated, at least we would
meet, we three-including his sister
and mingle our sad regrets for the
misfortune that had fallen on them.
The two weeks dragged heavily
away, as all weeks will, and school
broke up.
o, how heavily the hours passed
between steamboat and car, until the
glad dirtiness of the city met my eyes
am sadly afraid that did not be-
have as reverently as / should have
behaved, when my father met me at
the depot to escort me from thence to
the loving arms OF my brothers and
sistnra Sistarsi how could + thint