The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-26


set head, and gray eyes, and overcoat,
the latter rather deficient as to nap and
uncertain as to buttons, but the ewes
neither deficient nor uncertain i'm any
particular. He had, moreover, black
hat, which was like any other black
hat, except that it showed a pointed de-
termination to blow off; but this was
overruled by the mans keeping hold
OF 1t with one hand as he strobe along.
A shade had spread itself over the gray
eyes, and several generations of wrinkles
took up their abode between the brows
| thereof.
This lonely man coming from visit
to nowhere and Fastening home to no.
body was Mr.. Herbert Bond; and he
was thinking as he pushed his way
against the wind: Glow happy they
| looked-Dimick Blair and his sister. 1t
must be pleasant to have sister with
brown hair and a sweet voice, and pleas
ant to have a brother like young Dim.
VI course he will leave school after
what passed to-day-he is much too
proud to come back-proud as he is
brllliant-and Inundated him openly.
But then he was arrogant and took too
high tone. 1t was Il bad affair alto
gether and am sorry it happened, very
sorry, for | liked the boy, and-how
coy they looked! how wonderfully com
Portable and honey"
Thus meditating, Mr.. Bond, in the
course OF time, reached his boarding.
place, thoughtfully let himself in, hung
the shabby coat and opinionated hat in
their accustomed places, and with less
deciSiveness than usual mounted the
stairs to his room and sat down to q
| volume of Gibbon. But somehow Glib
bon seemed uncommonly dull tonight,
and when he looked off the book the
same thing was the matter with his
| room; and, taking a mental survey of
life in general, he found that uncom-
mon dizziness was its predominant feat
ure also. But at whichever thing he
looked there was shining beside it in
sharp contrast that picture of warmth
and love and happiness which he had
just stolen and laid away for future con-
temptation. For some reason this wasn't
the comfort to him that it should have
been; instead of proving good substi-
tute for the reality of these things it
served only to make him feel his re-
moteness from all three-as man
might feel cast away alone upon an isl
and watching the passing of great white
ships that never came near enough to
take him in. After wrestling an hour
with the Roman Empire and his own
thoughts, and finding both insufferable,
he threw them over and went to bed,
only to dream that Nero was Dimick
Blair and had forgiven him, and wanted
him to marry his sister for the good of
Rome.
The next morning when the geome-
try class was reciting, and Mr. Bond,
looking as superior and unsympathizing
as ever, was busily employed knocking
down demonstrations and quarreling
with deformed triangles, who should
walk in but their schoolmate. Dimick
Blair? To the surprise of everybody,
but especially the teacher, he walked
straight up to the desk, and said, his
fine face flushing, but his eyes andvoice
clear and brave: "Mr. Bond, | was
very wrong yesterday and treated you
dalIfSdreSpecytttg dlll am sorry for it NOV"
What a change came over the firm,
cold face! The lips quivered, the gray
eyes lighted up and then half filed,
while Dim found himself grasped close
ly by both hands for an instant and
heard Mr.. Bonds voice, wonderfully
soft and deep, saying: "You have made
me very happy, Blair. Now stand up
and show these fellows the difference
between a circle and parallelogram;
they don't seem to know, this morning"
And then Dim had to wipe his eyes and
laugh, and the boys thought it was jolly
asking pardon.
"And it was all so different from
what thought it would be- said Dim,
telling Kate about it afterward; mot
hard a bit; and Mr.. Bond is an old
trump, after all, and cares lots more for
us fellows than he pretends to. Don't
you think, at recess he came to me and
said he was wrong, too, yesterday, and
he wasn't sure but he was the one to
apologize; and stuff like that, that made
me feel awfully cheap. And | told him
how mad | was at first, and how you
coaXed me to come back and do the
right thing, and how the music helped
me and all. When | told him that, his
eyes looked sort of wistful-he's got
splendid eyes, Kate-and he said he
"o"iu iIN0 lio W 'toh MY oloUol IL h0
might come in once in while and hear
us sing for an hour or So"
"Well, what did you tell him, Dim
ick?''
"Why, Katherine, took the liberty
of informing him that we would be
most happy to see him at all times, and
would MARBLE in our most angelic style
for his benefit-or something to that eff
feet. Was that right, sis?''
Wholly and entirely right, my dear
boy, and wish to inform you that am
perfectly proud of my brother, now"
In that case,' says Dim, do let's
have cream. toast for supper. Humility
has made me fearfully hungry."-Car-
RE W. Thompson